Most of the technical work is done by an AI assistant called Claude Code. Your job is just to:

1. Sign up for three accounts (GitHub, Vercel, Anthropic) in your browser
2. Install Claude Code on your computer
3. Tell Claude Code what you want, and click "Authorize" or "Approve" in the browser windows it opens

You won't write any code. You won't memorize commands. When something is unclear, you screenshot what you see and drop it into Claude — it reads the screen and tells you what to do.

• A computer with internet access
• An email address you can sign up with (work or personal)
• A phone, for the two-factor codes that GitHub and others may text you
• A credit card (only the AI vision API needs one — typical cost ~$3–4 per packet, with a spending cap you'll set)
• About 30 minutes of uninterrupted time
• A notepad app open to jot down passwords and the API key as you create them

If your work computer is locked down by IT (no installer permissions, no command line access), Claude Code might hit walls it can't get past on its own. If that happens, screenshot the blocker and email it to Brian — most can be worked around.

1. Go to github.com/signup
2. Enter your email, pick a strong password
3. Pick a username — your name or initials, lowercase, no spaces (e.g. jhaggard). Write it down.
4. Verify your email when GitHub sends the link
5. If GitHub asks you to set up two-factor authentication during signup, do it now — it'll be required later anyway, and getting it out of the way avoids a hiccup mid-setup.

1. Go to vercel.com/signup
2. Click Continue with GitHub — this connects Vercel to the GitHub account you just made.
3. GitHub will show an authorization screen. Click Authorize Vercel.
4. Pick the Hobby plan (free). Skip the Pro upsell.

You'll land on your Vercel dashboard. GitHub and Vercel are now connected — that's all this step is doing.

1. Go to console.anthropic.com (note: console, not claude.ai)
2. Sign in or create an account.
3. Left sidebar → Settings → Billing.
4. Add a credit card. Put $20 of starter credit on the account.
5. Set a monthly spending limit of $200 so you can never get a surprise bill. You can change this later.
6. Left sidebar → API Keys.
7. Click Create Key. Name it far-expense-analyzer-delve.
8. Copy the key that appears. It looks like sk-ant-api03-.... The full key is shown only once. Paste it into your notepad — Claude Code will ask you for it later.

1. Go to claude.com/download
2. Click Download for Mac. Open the downloaded .dmg and drag Claude to your Applications folder.
3. Click Download for Windows. Run the installer, accept all defaults.
4. Open Claude Code from your Applications folderStart menu.
5. Sign in with your Anthropic account (same one as Step 5).

Open Claude Code. Paste this prompt (replacing BRIAN_REPO_URL with the link Brian sent you):

Hit send. Claude will start by checking what tools you have installed and offering to install anything missing.

Claude will run a command called gh auth login. When it does:

1. A browser tab opens to github.com/login/device
2. It shows a one-time code (Claude also displays this code in the chat)
3. Type or paste the code into the browser, click Continue
4. GitHub asks you to confirm — review what permissions are being granted, click Authorize
5. GitHub may ask for your two-factor code (from your phone's authenticator app or a text message). Enter it.
6. Once you see "Congratulations, you're all set," go back to Claude Code. It'll continue automatically.

This is the one step where Claude can't (and shouldn't) act for you — it never sees your API key, by design. Claude will tell you to:

1. Open your Vercel project in the browser
2. Go to Settings → Environment Variables
3. Add two variables (each with both Production and Preview environments checked):
   • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY — paste the key you saved in Step 5 (starts with sk-ant-api03-...)
   • FAR_SITE_PASSWORD — a password your team will type to log into the app. Pick something memorable like delvefar2026. Write it down.
4. Click Save after adding each one.
5. Tell Claude when you're done — it'll trigger the first deploy.

Claude will install Upstash for Redis from the Vercel marketplace. When it does:

1. A browser tab opens to vercel.com/.../accept-terms/upstash
2. Read the terms. Click Accept.
3. Tell Claude you've accepted — it'll continue setting up the database, connecting it to your project, and adding the new environment variables automatically.

Claude will give you a Vercel URL (like far-expense-analyzer-delve-xxx.vercel.app). Open it and add /far/login to the end.

1. Type the FAR_SITE_PASSWORD you set in Step 9. You should see the app.
2. On the Review tab, drag any Vantagepoint expense PDF onto the drop zone.
3. Wait ~60 seconds. The packet appears with a red/yellow/green status.
4. Click into it. You should see line items, flags, and (where applicable) receipt thumbnails.
5. Click History — your packet is listed there.
6. Click Claude Feedback (top right). Type a test note. Send. Reload — it should still be there.

If all of those work, your deployment is fully functional.

Daily use: open your Vercel URL, log in, drop a PDF on the Review tab, wait ~60 seconds, click into the packet, click "Export checklist" to download a printable HTML file with receipts inline.

Updating to new versions: when Brian commits a fix, your fork doesn't auto-update. Open Claude Code and say "sync my fork with Brian's repo" — it handles the rest. Vercel auto-redeploys within a minute.

If something breaks: screenshot the error, drop it in Claude Code, ask in plain English. It can read all the code and walk you through fixes.

If the API runs out of credit: go to console.anthropic.com → Billing → add more. The site works again immediately, no redeploy needed.

To share with your team: send them your Vercel URL plus the FAR_SITE_PASSWORD you set. Anyone with both can use the tool.