Before You Buy

What You Actually Need — and What It Costs

No surprise fees, no hidden gotchas. Here's everything you need to run the Business OS — hardware, accounts, costs, and how much of your time it takes. We'd rather tell you now than have you find out later.

Step 1

Computer Requirements

Required

Apple Silicon Mac

M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip. The automation scripts and local AI are optimized for Apple Silicon. Intel Macs 2020 and newer also work.

Required

16GB RAM Minimum

Running the Docker stack (6 containers) plus Claude Code at the same time. 32GB is noticeably better.

Required

50GB Free Disk Space

Docker images, databases, and your business data. An external drive is great for backups — not required for operation.

Nice to Have

External Drive or NAS

Restic backups run automatically — they need somewhere to go. Backblaze B2 cloud backup works too (included in setup).

Windows and Linux: The Docker stack runs anywhere, but the background services (macOS LaunchAgents) are Mac-only. Windows/Linux support is on the roadmap.

Step 2

Software to Install Before You Start

  • Docker Desktop — free from docker.com
    The container runtime everything runs in. Install this first. Takes ~5 minutes.
  • Claude Code — $100/mo from claude.ai/code
    The AI coding interface you'll use to manage the system. This is how you talk to your Business OS.
  • Homebrew — free from brew.sh
    macOS package manager. Install if you don't have it — one command in Terminal.
  • Python 3.11+ — free, installed automatically by the bootstrap script via Homebrew

Step 3

Accounts to Create — and What They Cost

These are the services your Business OS connects to. None of them are locked in — you can add or remove services as you go.

Service What it does Monthly cost
Anthropic API Powers the AI (Claude) — the core of the system $20–60/mo
Claude Code Your control panel — how you manage everything $100/mo
Cloudflare DNS + secure tunnel so you can access BOS remotely Free
Plaid Connects your bank — daily transaction sync Free developer tier
Cal.com Online booking calendar Free tier (1 event type)
Backblaze B2 Encrypted offsite backups ~$3/mo
Telnyx Phone & SMS for your business (optional) $1–20/mo
Square Payments + payroll (if applicable) 2.6% + 10¢/txn

Minimum setup

~$120–160/mo

Claude Code + Anthropic API + Cloudflare + Cal.com free tier

Full setup

~$160–220/mo

Add Telnyx + Backblaze B2 + Square transaction fees

What this replaces

QuickBooks ($100) + CRM ($200+) + Calendly ($16) + Zapier ($50+) + DocuSign ($25) = $400–600/mo

Net savings after BOS: $200–400/mo

What to expect

How Much Time Does This Take?

Installation

2–4 hours (one-time)

Gathering API keys takes the most time. The actual Docker install + Claude setup runs while you do other things.

First Week

1–2 hours

Filling in your business info, connecting your bank, setting up the daily brief. The 1 free coaching hour is for this.

Ongoing Weekly

20–30 minutes

Reviewing the weekly brief, acting on flagged items, approving any automated actions that need your sign-off.

What Claude Handles

Zero time from you

Daily bookkeeping, email triage, receipt scanning, system backups, health checks, invoice reminders, morning brief — all automatic.

What only a human can do

What You Have to Do Yourself

The AI installer handles the technical setup. These are the things only a human can do.

  • Create accounts: Create accounts on each service listed above — links provided in HUMANS.md
  • Collect API keys: Log into each service and copy your API key — HUMANS.md walks you through each one step by step
  • Connect your bank: Plaid bank connection requires logging into your bank with your own credentials
  • Set up Google: OAuth connection to Gmail/Calendar is done through your browser
  • First phone setup: Setting up your Telnyx phone number and call routing (if using phone features)
  • Fill in your info: Update context/user.md and SOUL.md with your actual business name, hours, and details

Everything above is documented step-by-step in the HUMANS.md manual included with the kit.

Questions Before You Buy?

Read through the FAQ on the main page, or book a free 30-minute call and we'll walk through your setup together — no pitch, just honest answers.

Read the Full FAQ Book a Free 30-Min Consult

Or email directly: nick@bradfieldenterprises.org