Building the State of the Art

A community-built, continuously evolving understanding of agentic computing — starting with Claude Code.

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What This Is

No one of us has all the answers. Collectively, we'll figure it out together.

This repository is the shared knowledge base for a practitioner community centered on agentic tools — how they work, what techniques are effective, and what we're all learning as the field evolves. We start with Claude Code because it's accessible and currently the leader in usage and utility, but the scope extends to agentic computing broadly.

The hardest thing about working with these tools is that people work individually without actively engaging with what's working for others. This is the space to change that.

How It Works

• Events — We host regular in-person sessions at The Commons in San Francisco. Each event is scoped to a topic, with time for shared vocabulary, breakout discussions, and hands-on technique exploration.
• References — Curated canonical reference materials for the Claude Code ecosystem. Start here if you're new.
• Sessions — After each event, participants contribute their learnings. Breakout group notes, technique discoveries, what worked, what didn't. This is what makes the repo grow.
• Recordings — Events are recorded and transcribed so everyone walks away with the collective learnings.

Every event adds to this repository. Over time, it becomes a timeline of how the field evolves, built by practitioners in real time.

Getting Started

Everything below assumes you've never opened a terminal before. If you already have git and Claude Code installed, skip to Step 3.

Step 1: Install Git

macOS

Install Homebrew (a package manager for macOS), then use it to install git:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
brew install git

Windows

Download and install Git for Windows. Use the default settings during installation. This gives you Git Bash, which you'll use as your terminal.

Step 2: Install Claude Code

You'll need a Claude Pro or Max subscription.

macOS — Homebrew (recommended at this event)

brew install --cask claude-code

Homebrew installations don't auto-update. Run brew upgrade claude-code periodically.

macOS / Linux — Native Install

This is the officially recommended method and auto-updates in the background:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Step 3: Clone this repo and start Claude Code

git clone https://github.com/bsota/collective.git
cd collective
claude

On first launch, Claude Code will open a browser window — sign in with your Anthropic account. Once authenticated, you'll see the Claude Code terminal prompt. Your session is now anchored on all the reference materials in this repo.

Step 4: After the event

Open a branch and contribute your learnings to the event's sessions/ folder. See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Repo Structure

collective/
├── README.md                          # You are here
├── CONTRIBUTING.md                    # How to add your learnings
├── references/
│   ├── claude-code-overview.md        # Ecosystem overview + official doc links
│   └── glossary.md                    # Shared vocabulary: hooks, tools, plugins, MCP, etc.
├── events/
│   └── 2026-02-17/
│       ├── event-card.md              # Event metadata and links
│       ├── slides/                    # Presentation materials
│       │   └── shared-vocabulary.md   # Slide content for the presentation
│       ├── recordings/                # Post-event: video, audio, transcriptions
│       └── sessions/                  # Participant learnings from breakout groups

Community

• Discord — Join the community for ongoing discussion between events: discord.gg/mk4KwnpD
• Luma — RSVP for upcoming events: lu.ma/6824emxx

Who We Are

Built by practitioners. Hosted by Lee Flannery and Everett Kleven at The Commons, San Francisco.

This community is its own thing — inclusive, open, and growing. If you want to contribute as a core organizer, reach out.

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We're collectively building the state of the art. Even if you're just getting started, you can be a core contributor to what this becomes.