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Quick start (5 minutes)

1. Have accounts/tools ready (one-time)
2. Download & rename the project folder
3. Open the Obsidian vault (optional)
4. Claude Desktop → Cowork Mode → pick the folder
5. Opening line to Claude: "I want to write a bachelor thesis in [subject]."

Preparation

1) Create accounts

Before you start, you need access to these tools (all have a free tier — for the full pipeline I recommend Pro/paid versions):

Tool	Link	Note
Perplexity	perplexity.ai	For source research with real citations.
Google NotebookLM	notebooklm.google.com	Source storage: upload PDFs/URLs, Pro = more sources.
Google Gemini	gemini.google.com/app	Gemini + NotebookLM = analyse and evaluate sources.
Claude	claude.ai	Install the Desktop app, enable Cowork Mode (Pro min.).
Obsidian	obsidian.md	Optional but recommended — overview of all files & outputs.

I personally use Claude Max (€200), NotebookLM Pro (€20), Perplexity Pro (€20), and Google AI Studio (free).

2) Download the project folder

Alternative (for Git users): github.com/3xLABS/bachelor

Here's how:

1. Download the ZIP → bachelor-main.zip
2. Unzip → folder bachelor-main
3. Move the folder somewhere you'll find it again (e.g. Documents/Bachelor-Thesis/)

The folder name doesn't matter — Claude detects the skills automatically regardless of the name.

What's inside:

• .claude/ — instructions + skills auto-detected (hidden)
• 01-docs/ — templates & samples
• 02-quellen/ — research question, research log, source list, evaluations
• 03-text/ — chapter folders
• 04-fortschritt/ — central status
• 05-review/ — review documents
• 06-final/ — final thesis as Word
• Prompts.md — copy-paste prompts

3) Open Obsidian (optional)

1. Open Obsidian
2. "Open vault" → select the bachelor folder
3. You see the folder structure and can read/edit all .md files

Obsidian is your dashboard — overview of outline, sources, drafts, and progress.

4) Start Claude and load the skills

1. Open Claude Desktop: claude.ai/download
2. Enable Cowork Mode: profile → Settings → Beta Features → Cowork Mode
3. In Cowork Mode: Select folder → pick the bachelor folder

Claude reads .claude/CLAUDE.md automatically and detects all 8 skills in the .claude/skills/ folder. No further configuration needed.

5) Get started

Tell Claude things like:

• "I want to write a bachelor thesis in [your subject]."
• "Help me with the research question on [your topic]."

Prompt library (Prompts.md)

• P-1 to P-5 — Perplexity (topic & source research)
• N-1 to N-3 — NotebookLM (setup, source overview, contradictions)
• C-1 to C-8 — Claude (onboarding through finalisation)

Tools & roles

Tool	Role	When
Perplexity	Source research	Find current sources (with citations)
NotebookLM	Source storage + analysis	Load, make searchable, evaluate with Gemini
Gemini (via Gem)	Source evaluation	Evaluate PDFs and papers chapter by chapter (saves Claude tokens)
Claude	Structure + writing	Planning, prompt generation, writing, review, revision, finalisation
Obsidian	Overview	Folder structure, progress, everything in one place

Process (8 phases)

Claude steps through these phases automatically as soon as you say "I want to write a bachelor thesis in [your subject]."

Phase 0: Onboarding (bachelorarbeit-onboarding)

Goal: one-time setup check. Claude does this:

• Project folder loaded correctly?
• Google account for NotebookLM & Gemini in place?
• Sub-skills & internet access available?
• Cowork flow clear?

Phase 1: Planning (/bachelorarbeit-planung)

Goal: from topic to writing-ready starting position (without source work yet).

• Narrow the topic, develop the research question
• Outline with page counts
• Create the chapter folder structure
• Timeline to submission

Result: research question, outline, schedule.

Phase 2: Research (bachelorarbeit-recherche)

Goal: gather all sources and put them in NotebookLM.

• Claude develops the research strategy and search terms per chapter
• You open NotebookLM in your browser and run the research there
• Deep research, fast research, manually adding known sources
• Upload validation: check that all sources are "Ready"
• Filter for quality (peer-reviewed preferred)
• Claude documents everything in Recherche-Protokoll.md

Result: a complete NotebookLM notebook + research log.

Phase 3: Source evaluation (bachelorarbeit-quellenauswertung)

Goal: build material the writer can use directly — the analysis runs in Gemini, not in Claude (saves tokens).

How it works:

1. Claude gives you a Gem system prompt — you copy it into Gemini as a new Gem (one-time, 2 minutes)
2. You link your NotebookLM notebook — in the Gem chat click the + button bottom left → NotebookLM → pick your BA notebook
3. Claude generates chapter-specific prompts — for each chapter you get ready-to-copy prompts
4. You run the prompts in the Gem — Gemini accesses all sources and outputs as Markdown
5. You bring the output back to Claude — Claude formats it into Writer format

Result: Auswertung_Kapitel_[X].md per chapter in Writer format.

Create the Gem & link the notebook (once)

1. Open gemini.google.com (same Google account as for NotebookLM)
2. Click Gem Manager / Gems on the left → Create new Gem
3. Name: BA-Quellenauswertung
4. Instructions: Claude gives you the full system prompt — just paste it in
5. Save → open the Gem
6. In the chat, click the + button bottom left → NotebookLM → pick your BA notebook
7. Done — Gemini now has access to all sources in the notebook

Phase 4: Writing (bachelorarbeit-writer)

Goal: write chapters (based only on Phase 3).

• Academic prose (Harvard)
• Claim–Reason–Evidence
• No new sources: mark missing ones as [QUELLE ERGÄNZEN]

Recommended order: Theory → Method → Results → Discussion → Introduction → Conclusion

Phase 5: Review (bachelorarbeit-reviewer)

Goal: assess chapters from a professor's perspective.

• Structure, argument, source work, language, formalities
• Levels: Strong / Solid / Improvable / Weak
• Priority: Must / Should / Optional

Phase 6: Revision (bachelorarbeit-ueberarbeitung)

Goal: incorporate review or supervisor feedback.

• Takes review OR supervisor feedback
• Preserves text identity, strengthens arguments, adds sources
• Creates versions (v2, v3, …)

Phase 7: Finalisation (bachelorarbeit-finalisierung)

Goal: overall check + a Word file ready to submit.

• Narrative arc, term consistency, citations, transitions
• Auto-build the bibliography
• Close all [SEITE PRÜFEN] and [QUELLE ERGÄNZEN] markers
• Export .docx per the university's spec

Notes

Your tasks during the process

Phase	What Claude does	What you do
Onboarding	Checks setup, explains structure	Install tools, pick the Cowork folder
Planning	Creates research question, outline, schedule	Describe the topic, clarify constraints
Research	Develops research strategy, generates search terms	Open NotebookLM, find & load sources
Source evaluation	Gives Gem system prompt, generates chapter prompts	Set up Gem in Gemini, link NotebookLM, run prompts
Writing	Writes chapters	Provide the evaluation, give feedback
Review	Assesses chapters	Decide whether to revise
Revision	Incorporates feedback	Optional: bring in supervisor feedback
Finalisation	Final check + Word file	Provide the university's formatting spec

Tracking progress

Ask at any time: "What's the status?" — Claude reads Fortschritt.md and gives you a summary.

Status flow per chapter:

Pending → First draft → Reviewed → Revised → Final

Pre-submission checklist

• All [QUELLE ERGÄNZEN] spots closed?
• All [SEITE PRÜFEN] markers from Phase 3 verified?
• All [ABBILDUNG X.Y] placeholders replaced?
• Bibliography complete?
• Table of contents in Word refreshed?
• Plagiarism check with the university tool run?
• Formatting compared against the university spec?
• Declaration of authorship signed?