“I want to improve my homepage, but I don’t know what to ask for.” “I feel like the reservation system is outdated.” “I feel like people haven’t been finding me through search lately.”You can start with this level of consultation.
You do not need to memorize technical terms from the start or write perfect instructions to use Codex or Claude Code. The basic approach is to gradually combine the host’s knowledge of on-site conditions and information from sites that AI can search through conversation.
However, unlike general chat AI, Codex and Claude Code can read files, execute commands, and change the site depending on the settings. We will always tell you how much consultation, research, and implementation we will allow.
- Conclusion: Speak in normal language at first
- Differences you should know before consulting
- Five things to tell when consulting
- Divide the conversation into six stages
- Ask AI a question
- How to ask questions when the answer is difficult
- You can change direction during the conversation.
- Words that separate consultation and implementation
- When showing screens or errors
- When consultations don’t go well together
- Initial consultation template
- Leave what has been decided in the conversation
- Summary
- Reference materials
Conclusion: Speak in normal language at first
The following is a good first sentence:
I want to improve my inn's homepage, but I don't know where to start.
Examine the current site and ask questions you would like to see first.
Please only investigate and consult this time, and do not change any files or the production site yet.
When the AI asks you a question, you will answer to the best of your knowledge. If you don’t understand something, tell “unconfirmed,” “unconfirmed,” or “tell me where to look.”Do not guess.
Differences you should know before consulting
Don’t just answer via chat
Codex and Claude Code can inspect the files in your open working folder and perform any permitted operations. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between asking for advice, “What do you think?” and implementing, asking to “fix it.”
AI does not automatically know the location of the accommodation
AI can read public sites and files, but it won’t know the next thing unless it hears from the host.
- number of guest rooms and rooms for sale
- reservation percentage by phone, OTA, and official website
- Frequently asked questions on site
- How resident cat currently spends his time
- Budget, deadline, manpower
- Services you want to keep and contracts with production companies
- Information that can be made public and information that is not private
If the AI’s proposal is off, it’s not a lack of explanation from the host, but an opportunity to add to the premise through conversation.
Five things to tell when consulting
You don’t have to write everything at once.
| Item | Content | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | What do you want to improve? | Want to reduce phone calls before making reservations |
| Current situation | What’s going on now | It seems to be WordPress, but the management company is unknown |
| Constraints | Conditions to follow | Do not increase the monthly fee, do not touch the reservation screen |
| Scope of request | How far should we go? | Today we will cover research and proposals |
| Completion conditions | All you need to know is what you need to know | Know the priority and who to check with next |
Even what you don’t understand can be information
I don't know if the server is a rental server or VPS.
Do not display passwords, etc., and check as much as possible from the documents in your work folder.
If I cannot confirm this, please let me know which section of the contract I should look at.
By asking like this, you can prevent the AI from making arbitrary assumptions.
Divide the conversation into six stages
1. Talk about your worries
Convey the concerns of guests and the host without paraphrasing them into technical terms.
We often receive calls from guests saying they don't know where to park.
I would like to discuss things that can be improved on the homepage.
2. Have the current situation investigated
Please check the parking information, access page, and visible locations on the official website before making a reservation.
Please only read and report this time.
We will ask you to report the current text, links, smartphone display, differences from OTA, etc. with evidence.
3. Compare options
Please narrow down your improvement plans to three and compare them in terms of ease of understanding for guests, amount of work, cost, and ease of updating.
Rather than settling on one plan from the beginning, we separate simple modifications from major renovations.
4. Add accommodation conditions
It is difficult to request a production company every time.
Please give priority to plans that allow the inn to update the text and photos.
Our map service and reservation system remain unchanged.
You can add conditions after viewing the suggestions.
5. Make a plan or draft
Please create a page and text proposal for the smallest change.
Please do not reflect it in production yet, but please indicate the changes and how to check them.
A person looks at the screen and manuscript and confirms the expression, target audience, and scope of disclosure.
6. Execute and check only the approved range
Please reflect the confirmed text draft only on the one specified page.
Please make sure to back up and restore before making changes.
After reflecting, please view it on your PC and smartphone, check the link destination, and report it.
Don’t allow research to implementation all at once, and stop at a decision point.
Ask AI a question
The host is not the only one who needs to think of questions.
Please ask up to 5 questions in order of importance in order to proceed with this consultation.
Please provide short explanations for IT terms and tell me which screens and documents I can check.
Don't ask all at once, change the next question depending on your answer.
If you have too many questions, you can ask them to only ask questions that you cannot move on to if you don’t decide now, or to separate the questions that the host will answer and the questions that you will ask the production company.
How to ask questions when the answer is difficult
I will not approve the AI without understanding its explanation.
Ask them to rephrase the term
Please explain the difference between "DNS" and "server" using the analogy of an inn's address and building.
Please give me a summary of what you think about the current work.
Ask them to list their options
Compare Plan A and Plan B in terms of initial cost, monthly fee, work done by the inn, response in the event of a failure, and ease of cancellation.
Please write unconfirmed for items that cannot be confirmed.
Listen to the basis for the conclusion
Please indicate the basis for choosing the proposal, along with the files or official URLs you have verified.
Separate speculation from confirmed facts.
Listen to changes before execution
What changes and what doesn't change when I run it?
Please explain the impact if it fails, the conditions for stopping it, and how to restore it.
You can change direction during the conversation.
You can overlay short instructions such as:
Do you have any other ideas?
Prioritize ease of operation over cost.
The explanation is difficult for the host, so please reduce the technical terms.
Make it a checklist first, not an article.
The scope is too wide. Please limit your search to the top page only.
Please do not implement it for now and return to the proposal.
There is no obligation to continue the policy once requested by AI.It is better to stop as soon as you feel something is wrong, as it is easier to make small corrections.
Anthropic’s official guide to Claude Code also explains how to first separate research and planning, provide specific context, prepare confirmation methods such as tests and screenshots, and quickly correct course.
Words that separate consultation and implementation
| What you want to do | Words to include in the request |
|---|---|
| Consultation only | Give options and stop after asking questions |
| Inspect only | Read only, do not change |
| Up to the plan | Shows changed files and steps and stops before execution |
| Until the draft | Only the local draft is not reflected in the production |
| Implementation | Change only approved targets |
| Public | Specify post IDs and pages one by one |
| Confirm | Make no changes and report results and unconfirmed matters |
Publication, external transmission, reservation changes, refunds, deletion, restoration, and changes to administrator privileges are not automatically permitted due to extension of consultation. Detailed demarcation can be found in Failures that occurred in AI operation and tasks that should not be delegated.
The specific way to divide the process from consultation to implementation is explained in How to separate “investigate” and “change” for AI as four stages: investigation, proposal, draft, and actual change.
When showing screens or errors
If it is difficult to explain with just text, you can use screenshots or error messages. However, before sharing I hide the following:
- Guest’s name, address, phone, email, reservation number
- Card and payment information
- Password, 2-step verification code, API key
- Server connection information and private key
- Information on employees, business partners, and non-disclosure agreements
Do not paste the entire error screen as is, use only the part necessary for the symptom. If you are unsure whether a log contains confidential information, please check with the technical person in charge.
When consultations don’t go well together
Summarize the premise
Please summarize the objectives so far, the facts confirmed, the constraints I have specified, and any outstanding matters.
Please do not proceed yet.
I will restart after correcting the misunderstanding.
Return to previous step
If the proposed fix is off, rather than revising the details over and over again, ask them to stop implementing it and go back to comparing options.
Different topics separate conversations
If you mix resident cat article creation and server updates during reservation system consultation, it will be difficult to understand the target and approval range. Separate other issues into new conversations and transfer only the necessary decisions in writing.
Initial consultation template
I manage [type/size of accommodation].
What I'm having trouble with is [writing in normal language].
What I would like to improve is [reducing anxiety before making reservations/making updates easier, etc.].
What we currently know: [Site URL, whether it is WordPress, reservation method, etc.]
What I don't understand: [server, management company, settings, etc.]
Conditions you want to keep: [Budget, features you want to keep, places you shouldn't touch]
First, please check the current situation and ask up to 5 questions necessary for this consultation.
Next, compare your options in terms of effectiveness, cost, amount of work, and risk.
Please do not speculate about unknown facts, but please tell me how to confirm them.
This time it's just a consultation and a reading survey.
Please do not edit files, publicly publish, register externally, reserve, send, pay, or delete.
10 WordPress operation prompts for the host provides a summary of request texts that can be used as is for various purposes, such as site diagnosis, article planning, SEO inspection, safety planning, and post-publishing confirmation.
Leave what has been decided in the conversation
If you place important decisions only in the conversation, you won’t be able to find them in the next task.
- AI operation rules to continue to follow:
AGENTS.md,CLAUDE.md - Article theme and publication order: Content planning
- Current information on the inn: original ledger of facilities, business operations, and reservations
- This decision and remaining work: Work record
The actual method of leaving data is introduced in Example of using AI in Neko Yado Research.
Summary
Consulting Codex or Claude Code doesn’t have to start with jargon or the perfect prompt. We communicate your concerns in everyday language, ask them to investigate the current situation, compare options, add accommodation conditions, check plans and drafts, and then execute only the approved areas.
If you don’t understand something, say “Unknown” and the AI will ask you the necessary questions. Divide consultation, investigation, implementation, publication, and confirmation into words, and if you feel uncomfortable, stop early and return to the previous step.
Reference materials
- OpenAI official: Codex instruction settings using AGENTS.md
- OpenAI official: Agent approvals & security
- Anthropic Official: Claude Code Best Practices
- Anthropic official: How Claude Code works
Note: Product screens, privileges, and operation methods may change. Please check the latest version of OpenAI Docs and Anthropic official materials when implementing.
