Keep an app's rules in one data file so the agent can change behavior without touching code

What you end up with

Putting rules in data gives the agent a small, safe surface to edit and gives you a single file to review.

What you get

• A plain-language summary of the workflow
• A fill-in prompt template
• What to watch out for
• A link to the original source

Who it is for

Builders who already use AI agents and want a proven workflow they can copy into their own project.

Works with

Solid chips: the agent is named in this listing's own tools list. Dashed chip: Plain Markdown, so it also pastes into other agents such as Grok Bot, Hermes, OpenClaw or Muse. We list those as compatible by format only, not as tested.

Tools needed

Cost to run: Free with the agent plan you already use.
Time to result: One working session

How it works

1. Write a one-page spec before the first prompt

   Write a one-page spec before the first prompt

   Expected: Done before you move to the next step.

2. Move every rule that might change into one data file with a schema

   Move every rule that might change into one data file with a schema

   Expected: Done before you move to the next step.

3. Ask the agent to change behavior through the data file first, code sec

   Ask the agent to change behavior through the data file first, code second

   Expected: Done before you move to the next step.

4. Test each build on the real device

   Test each build on the real device

   Expected: Done before you move to the next step.

5. When porting, give the agent the working app and its tests as the spec

   When porting, give the agent the working app and its tests as the spec

   Expected: Done before you move to the next step.

Sample prompt from the pack

Apply this workflow to [your project]:
1. Write a one-page spec before the first prompt
2. Move every rule that might change into one data file with a schema
3. Ask the agent to change behavior through the data file first, code second
4. Test each build on the real device
5. When porting, give the agent the working app and its tests as the spec
Stop and ask me before anything irreversible: deploys, payments, sends or deletes.

Free preview of the file

# Keep an app's rules in one data file so the agent can change behavior without touching code

PaperChase agent use case (free feed entry), version 1.0. Source: [u/chadMueller on r/ClaudeAI](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1xgts0i/i_built_a_90s_cable_tv_guide_for_plex_jellyfin/), 2026-10-27.

## What they did

The author wrote a spec for the guide before any code. Channel lineups, time slots and display rules sit in one JSON data file, so most changes are edits to data rather than code, and helper scripts pull metadata from TMDB to fill channels. Every build was tested on a real TV device, not only a simulator. Users suggest and vote on features in a Discord, which sets the backlog. When the app moved to a new platform, the existing app served as the spec for the port. The author reports more than 1,400 Apple TV downloads.

## Worth knowing

Putting rules in data gives the agent a small, safe surface to edit and gives you a single file to review. Using a working app as the spec for a port is more precise than describing it again in prose. Download figures are the author's own.

Worth knowing

• Putting rules in data gives the agent a small, safe surface to edit and gives you a single file to review. Using a working app as the spec for a port is more precise than describing it again in prose. Download figures are the author's own.
• Figures are as reported by the original author and were not re-measured by us.

Details

Version 1.0 · Updated Oct 27, 2026 · Markdown version of this page
License: Personal and commercial use. Credit the original source when you share the workflow. Download terms

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