A practical file-based system for developing stand-up comedy material with AI as your creative partner. Built and tested in real open-mic practice.
A folder structure + prompt system that turns your daily observations into polished stand-up material. No apps, no subscriptions — just Markdown files and an AI comedy buddy that knows your voice.
The system follows a natural creative pipeline:
Morning notes → Raw ideas → Joke development → Polished material → Set lists
↓ ↓
Weekly compile pass
↓
wiki/ — AI-readable index of everything
Each stage has its own folder, templates, and a clear criterion for moving material forward. The wiki layer keeps the AI oriented without it having to read hundreds of source files.
Easily adaptable to other creative disciplines with regular content production: podcasting, songwriting, fiction writing.
After a few months of daily writing, you'll have 200+ files. Without a compiled index, two things happen:
- The AI gets lost — it reads random source files and misses the bigger picture. It doesn't know which bits are ready, which themes you've overused, or where the callback opportunities are.
- You get lost — you forget what's in development, lose track of shelved material, and rebuild the same set every time instead of building on what works.
The wiki/ folder solves both. It's a compiled, always-current map of your material that both you and the AI can navigate in seconds.
workbook/ → compile → wiki/
(200+ files, (5 index files,
raw and personal) AI-readable)
The AI reads wiki/INDEX.md first, then the relevant section hub — and already knows the state of your entire material library before you've asked a single question.
comedy-workbook/
├── CLAUDE.md ← AI comedy buddy instructions
├── templates/ ← Reusable file templates
│ ├── morning-note.md
│ ├── joke-development.md
│ ├── set-list.md
│ ├── performance-analysis.md
│ └── audio-transcription.md
├── guide/ ← System methodology
│ ├── system-overview.md ← Start here
│ ├── joke-structure.md
│ ├── ai-workflow.md
│ └── compile.md ← How to run a compile pass
├── workbook/ ← Your actual working files (private)
│ ├── 1-exercises/
│ ├── 2-ideas/
│ │ ├── morning-notes/
│ │ └── audio-notes/
│ ├── 3-in-development/
│ ├── 4-ready/
│ ├── 5-setlists/
│ └── 6-performance-analysis/
├── wiki/ ← Compiled indexes (AI entry point)
│ ├── INDEX.md ← Always read first
│ ├── material-index.md ← All bits by stage and theme
│ ├── morning-notes-hub.md ← Patterns from raw notes
│ ├── theme-index.md ← Cross-cutting themes + callback map
│ ├── setlist-index.md ← Performance history + set templates
│ └── intake.md ← Buffer for new items
└── examples/ ← Sample files to get started
1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/comedy-workbook.git
cd comedy-workbook2. Open in your editor
Works with any Markdown editor. Obsidian is recommended — it renders links between files and gives a graph view of your material connections.
3. Set up your AI buddy
Copy the contents of CLAUDE.md into your AI system prompt (Claude Projects, ChatGPT custom instructions, or any LLM interface).
4. Start your first morning note
cp templates/morning-note.md workbook/2-ideas/morning-notes/$(date +%Y-%m-%d)_morning.mdOpen the file, write for 10 minutes without editing. That's it.
5. Read the guide
Start with guide/system-overview.md.
| Time | Activity | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Stream-of-consciousness writing | workbook/2-ideas/morning-notes/ |
| Afternoon | Transcribe voice memos | workbook/2-ideas/audio-notes/ |
| Evening | Develop promising material | workbook/3-in-development/ |
| Weekly | Compile pass + set list review | wiki/ + workbook/5-setlists/ |
| After show | Log performance, promote ready bits | wiki/setlist-index.md |
Once a week (~20 minutes), update the wiki to reflect the current state of your material.
Manual: follow guide/compile.md step by step.
With AI: paste this prompt:
Read this week's morning notes in workbook/2-ideas/morning-notes/
and any updated files in workbook/3-in-development/.
Update the wiki/ section hubs:
- wiki/morning-notes-hub.md: add new recurring themes and promising observations
- wiki/material-index.md: add new bits, update statuses
- wiki/intake.md: process any unhandled items
Then update wiki/INDEX.md with today's date.
Do not invent material. Only compile what exists.
The AI does the work. You review and commit.
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
#draft |
Raw idea, not yet developed |
#in-progress |
Actively working on it |
#tested |
Performed on stage |
#callback |
Can link to another bit |
#shelved |
Not working now, keep for later |
Before moving from 3-in-development to 4-ready:
- Got a genuine laugh at least 3 times
- Setup is clear and concise
- Punchline lands without explanation
- Timing is worked out
| Tool | Role | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Any Markdown editor | Writing | Yes |
| Obsidian | Navigation + graph view | Optional but recommended |
| Claude / GPT-4 / any LLM | AI comedy buddy + compiler | Optional but powerful |
| Git | Version control + backup | Optional |
MIT — use freely, adapt for your own creative process.
Built by a stand-up comic who got tired of losing good ideas.
Joke structure principles informed by The Comedy Bible (Judy Carter) and standard stand-up craft.