Build & Brew x Social Media 101

Use an AI agent and Paper MCP to design an on-brand social post.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

You ran a Build & Brew. People built things, laughed, and learned together. Now you want to share what happened online, but designing a polished social post from scratch takes longer than the event itself.

In this project, you will talk to your AI agent and watch it build a professional, on-brand social post on a design canvas. You provide the story and photos. The agent handles layout, copy, and brand rules.

What You'll Build

You will have a finished 1080x1350 image file ready to post on Instagram or LinkedIn, built entirely by talking to your AI agent while it works on the Paper canvas in real time.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

  • A share-ready social post built by your AI agent directly on the Paper canvas, using your event photos, your voice, and the Build & Brew brand system.
  • Paper Desktop connected to your AI agent as a reusable design plugin you can use for any future design work.
  • The full Build & Brew Kit downloaded and ready to power every future event post in under 10 minutes.
  • Secret Mission: Build a full carousel with timestamp slides that tell the story of your night from start to finish.

Are there any prerequisites?

You need a paid subscription to one supported AI agent (Claude Pro/Max, Cursor Pro, Codex, Copilot, or OpenCode). You also need a Paper account (free tier works) and Git installed (or you can download a ZIP instead).

Before We Start

Before We Start...

Before we dive in, let's lock in what you're about to build and why it matters. You're going to create a finished, on-brand social post for your Build & Brew event by talking to an AI agent that designs directly on a Paper canvas.

Set Up Paper Desktop and Connect Your Agent

Your AI agent is powerful, but right now it has no way to create visuals. It can write text, run code, and answer questions. It cannot draw, lay out a photo, or export an image file.

Paper Desktop solves this by running a background plugin. Once connected, your agent can read and write directly to a design canvas, so you can build your social post through conversation instead of manual design.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Confirm Git is installed on your machine.
  • Install Paper Desktop and create a blank file.
  • Connect your AI agent to Paper's design plugin.
  • Verify the connection by having your agent draw on the canvas.
Open your terminal
  • Open a terminal window for your operating system:

macOS

  • Press Cmd+Space to open Spotlight search.
  • Type Terminal and press Enter.

Windows

  • Press the Windows key to open the search bar.
  • Type PowerShell and press Enter.

Linux

  • Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open your default terminal emulator.
Check that Git is installed
  • Check if Git is installed by running this command in your terminal:
git --version

✔️ I already have Git

Git is ready. Continue to the next substep to install Paper Desktop.

ⓧ I don't have Git

Install Git for your operating system.

macOS

  • Install Git by running this command:
xcode-select --install

A popup will ask you to install the Command Line Tools. Click Install and wait for it to finish.

Windows

  • Open git-scm.com/downloads/win in your browser.
  • Download the standalone installer for your system (64-bit for most machines).
  • Run the installer and accept all the default settings.

Linux

  • Install Git by running this command:
sudo apt install git

After installation, close and reopen your terminal, then run git --version again to confirm it works.

Install Paper Desktop

Paper Desktop is the design canvas your agent will draw on. The connection starts automatically whenever you have a file open in the app.

✔️ I already have Paper Desktop

  • Press Cmd+Space (macOS) or the Windows key (Windows) to open your search bar.
  • Type Paper and press Enter to open it.
  • Sign in with your existing Paper account.
  • Click New File to create a blank file.

ⓧ I don't have Paper Desktop yet

macOS

  • Open the downloaded file and drag Paper to your Applications folder.

Windows

  • Run the downloaded installer and follow the prompts.

Linux

  • Follow the install instructions on the downloads page for your distribution.
  • Press Cmd+Space (macOS) or the Windows key (Windows) to open your search bar.
  • Type Paper and press Enter to open it.
  • Create a free account or sign in with your existing Paper account.
  • Click New File to create a blank file.

You should see an empty white canvas. This confirms Paper Desktop is installed and running.

Why does the file need to stay open?

Paper's plugin only runs when you have a file open in Paper Desktop. If you close the file or quit the app, your agent loses its connection to the canvas.

Connect your AI agent to Paper

Now that Paper is running with a file open, its MCP plugin is active in the background. Your agent needs to connect to it so it can read and write to the canvas.

✔️ My agent is already connected to Paper via MCP

If you already see Paper listed as a connected MCP server in your agent, you're all set. Continue to the next substep to verify the connection works.

ⓧ I haven't connected my agent yet

Find your agent in the tabs below and follow the connection instructions.

Claude Code

Claude Code connects via the terminal. Confirm it is installed by running claude --version. If you see command not found, install it first from claude.ai/download.

  • Open Claude Code in any folder by running:
claude
  • Add the Paper plugin marketplace by running this inside Claude Code:
/plugin marketplace add paper-design/agent-plugins
  • Install the Paper Desktop plugin by running:
/plugin install paper-desktop@paper

You should see Paper listed as a connected plugin when you run /mcp.

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop connects through its built-in plugin system.

  • Open the Claude Desktop app.
  • Navigate to the Code tab.
  • Click Customize in the sidebar.
  • Next to personal plugins, press Add plugin then Create plugin then Add marketplace.
  • Paste paper-design/agent-plugins and submit.
  • In the directory dialog, press the Code tab.
  • Find and add the Paper Desktop plugin.

You should see Paper listed as a connected plugin when you run /mcp in a new chat.

Cursor

Cursor connects through its agent panel or marketplace.

  • Open the agent panel in Cursor.
  • Run the following command in the agent panel:
/add-plugin paper-desktop
  • Alternatively, search for paper in the Cursor Marketplace and install it from there.

Verify the connection in Cursor Settings > Tools & MCP. You should see Paper listed.

Codex

Codex connects through its plugin marketplace.

  • Add the Paper plugin marketplace by running:
codex plugin marketplace add paper-design/agent-plugins
  • Then run /plugins inside Codex.
  • Select the paper-design/agent-plugins marketplace and install the paper-desktop plugin.

You should see Paper listed as a connected plugin.

Copilot (VS Code)

Copilot connects through a config file in your project.

  • Create a .vscode folder in your project directory (or any open folder in VS Code).
  • Inside .vscode, create a file called mcp.json with this content:
{
  "servers": {
    "paper": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:29979/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  • Click the Start button that appears above the word paper in the file.

You should see the connected status indicator once Paper's plugin starts.

OpenCode

OpenCode connects through its configuration file.

  • Open or create your opencode.json file and add the following:
{
  "mcp": {
    "paper": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:29979/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
  • Restart OpenCode to pick up the new configuration.

Run opencode mcp list to verify Paper appears in the list of connected plugins.

Agent not finding Paper's plugin?

  • Make sure you have a file open in Paper Desktop. The plugin only runs when a file is open.
  • Restart both Paper Desktop and your agent tool. Long-running sessions can lose the connection.
  • Windows WSL users: enable mirrored mode networking. Go to WSL settings, then Networking, change networkingMode to mirrored, and restart WSL.
  • macOS behind a proxy: add .paper.design to your bypass proxy settings in System Settings > Network > Proxies.

Still stuck? Help me troubleshoot my Paper connection

Verify the connection

Everything is configured. Time to test whether your agent can actually reach the Paper canvas.

  • Make sure your blank file is still open in Paper Desktop.
  • Open your AI agent using the instructions for your tool below.

Claude Code

  • Start Claude Code by running this command in your terminal:
claude
  • After running this command, you will be asked to access the workspace. Press "Yes, I trust this folder" to continue with the project.

The connection to Paper is established automatically when both Claude Code and Paper Desktop are running.

Cursor

  • Press Cmd+Space (macOS) or the Windows key (Windows) to open your search bar.
  • Type Cursor and press Enter to open it.
  • Open the Agent panel by pressing Cmd+L (macOS) or Ctrl+L (Windows), then switch to Agent mode.

Codex

  • Start Codex by running this command in your terminal:
codex

Copilot (VS Code)

  • Press Cmd+Space (macOS) or the Windows key (Windows) to open your search bar.
  • Type VS Code and press Enter to open it.
  • Press Cmd+Shift+I (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) to open a Copilot chat in Agent mode.
  • Inside your agent, type this message:
Create a red rectangle in Paper

Before you send it, predict what you expect to happen. Will the agent ask for permission first? Will the rectangle appear instantly?

  • Send the message.
  • Your agent will ask permission to use Paper's design tools. Grant it.

Look at your Paper canvas. A red rectangle should now appear on the blank file.

What just happened?

Your agent sent a command through Paper's plugin, which told Paper Desktop to draw a shape. This is the same mechanism the agent will use to place photos, set text, apply colours, and export your final post.

Everything your agent builds in the next steps happens through this same connection.

🙋‍♀️ No rectangle appeared?

  • If the agent says it does not have access to Paper's tools, restart your agent session to re-establish the connection.
  • If you see errors, the agent may have made up a command that doesn't exist. Start a fresh session and try the same prompt again.
  • Confirm Paper Desktop shows your blank file (not the dashboard). The plugin is only active when a file is open.

Still not working? Help me debug why my agent cannot create shapes in Paper

Your agent now has eyes and hands on a design canvas. Next up, you will download the Build & Brew Kit so your agent knows exactly how to build an on-brand post.

Get the Kit and Prepare Your Canvas

Your agent can talk to Paper and draw shapes on command. Now it needs the brand rules that turn generic designs into polished, on-brand posts.

The Build & Brew Kit is a folder on GitHub containing brand colours, fonts, templates, and an instruction file (AGENT.md) your agent follows. Without it, the agent guesses at layout and styling. With the kit loaded, every post comes out consistent.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Clone the Build & Brew Kit.
  • Prepare your Paper canvas with the brand template.
  • Set up your event photos (or choose the text-only path).
Clone the Build & Brew Kit

The kit folder contains AGENT.md (the instruction file your agent follows), brand colour values, font references, and templates for each post type.

  • Clone the Build & Brew Kit and move into it by running these commands:
git clone https://github.com/nextworkengineering/build-brew-kit.git
cd build-brew-kit
  • Confirm the kit files are there by running:
ls

You should see AGENT.md along with brand token files and template folders listed in the output.

Don't have Git installed?

If you see a "command not found" error, you can download the kit as a ZIP instead. Go to https://github.com/nextworkengineering/build-brew-kit in your browser, click the green Code button, then Download ZIP. Unzip it to your Desktop and rename the folder to build-brew-kit.

help me install Git so I can clone repositories

Prepare your canvas in Paper

The shared Build & Brew Kit template includes pre-built boards, fonts, and brand tokens that save your agent setup time. Duplicating it gives you a ready-made canvas.

  • Open this link in your browser: https://app.paper.design/file/01KY2G5V12Q1BBPY7GC8PRSY1T.
  • Click File in the top-left menu of Paper.
  • Select Duplicate to copy the template into your own Paper account.
  • Rename the file to something clear, such as Build & Brew, Austin (replacing Austin with your city).

You should now see the named file open in Paper Desktop with pre-built boards visible on the canvas.

What if I cannot access the template?

If the shared link does not load, a blank Paper file works too. Your agent can build everything from the HTML templates in the kit. Just make sure you have a file open and named in Paper Desktop before continuing.

🙋‍♀️ Template not appearing in your account?

Make sure you are signed into Paper before clicking Duplicate. If the file opens read-only with no File menu, sign in first, then revisit the link.

help me get the Build & Brew template into my Paper account

Prepare your photos (or choose the no-photos path)

Your post will feature either a photo from your event or a text-only layout. Both paths produce a professional result. Choose the one that matches what you have.

✔️ I have event photos

  • Create a photos folder on your Desktop by running this command in your terminal:
mkdir ~/Desktop/build-brew-photos
  • Copy or move your event photos into ~/Desktop/build-brew-photos/. iPhone photos in HEIC format are fine. The agent converts them automatically.
  • Confirm your photos are in the folder by running:
ls ~/Desktop/build-brew-photos

You should see your photo file names listed in the output.

macOS only: grant Full Disk Access to Paper

For your agent to place photos directly onto the canvas, Paper needs permission to read files on your machine.

  • Open System Settings on your Mac.
  • Navigate to Privacy & Security, then Full Disk Access.
  • Find Paper in the list and switch it on.
  • Quit Paper Desktop and reopen it so the permission takes effect.

If you skip this, you can still drag photos onto the canvas manually later.

ⓧ I don't have photos (text-only)

No problem. The kit includes a text-only archetype (F) designed for posts without photos. You can also use a screenshot of something a member built.

  • When the agent asks about photos in the next step, tell it: "no photos, text-only post" or "I have a screenshot of what we built."

No folder creation or permissions needed. You are ready to continue.

Your workspace is set. The kit is cloned, the canvas is branded, and your photos are ready. Next up, you will fire up your agent and tell it about your event.

Run the Agent and Tell It About Your Night

Your canvas is ready and your photos are in place. Now it is time for the creative part: telling your agent about your Build & Brew event so it can plan a post that sounds like you.

The agent follows a story-first workflow. It will not design anything until it understands what happened at your event, then presents a plan for your approval before building.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Point your agent at the Build & Brew Kit so it learns the brand rules.
  • Answer the agent's intake questions about your event.
  • Approve the design plan so the agent can start building.
Point your agent at the kit

The AGENT.md file in the Build & Brew Kit is an instruction file that teaches your agent all the brand rules, post layouts, and approval steps. Once it reads this file, it knows exactly how to guide you through post creation.

  • Open the build-brew-kit folder in your agent. If you are using Claude Code, do this by running:
cd ~/Desktop/build-brew-kit && claude

Using a different agent?

For Cursor or Copilot, open the build-brew-kit folder as your workspace. For Codex or OpenCode, cd into the folder before launching your agent. The key requirement is that your agent can read the files in the kit.

  • Once your agent is running, paste this instruction:
Read AGENT.md and follow it. My photos are in ~/Desktop/build-brew-photos/

Going text-only?

If you chose the no-photos path in the previous step, tell your agent: "Read AGENT.md and follow it. I don't have photos, text-only post."

  • The agent will request permission to use Paper's design tools to examine your canvas. Grant the permissions when prompted.
  • Wait for the agent to confirm it has read the file. It will respond with something like "I've read AGENT.md. Ready to start. Are we doing a single post or carousel?"

Agent says it cannot find AGENT.md?

Make sure you launched your agent from inside the ~/Desktop/build-brew-kit folder. The agent can only read files in the folder it's currently looking at.

If the agent says it cannot connect to Paper, restart both Paper Desktop and your agent session. Long-running sessions are the most common cause of connection issues.

Help me troubleshoot my agent connection

Answer the intake questions

The agent will now interview you about your Build & Brew night. It needs the full picture before it can plan a post that sounds like you, not like a template.

  • Tell the agent: "Single post" when it asks about format.
  • Answer each question the agent asks in your own voice. It will ask about:
  • What happened at your event. The arc of the night from start to finish.
  • What you or your group built.
  • Your name (Build Master), event name, and city.
  • The numbers: headcount, projects shipped, any "first ever" moments.
  • Where you are posting: Instagram, LinkedIn, or both.
  • Ground colour: light (paper) or dark (leather).
  • Accent colour: none (default), or one of pumpkin, cornflower, plum, canary, sand, or emerald.

What if I do not have a real event?

Make one up for practice. Invent a city, a headcount, and a project your group "shipped." The workflow is the same either way, and you will have a real template ready for your first actual event.

💡 What are ground and accent colours?

The ground is the background tone of your entire post. Light (paper, #f8f5f1) feels warm and approachable. Dark (leather, #1b1918) feels premium and moody.

The accent is an optional pop of colour for headlines or highlights. The default is no accent at all, letting the photo carry the visual weight. If you choose one, it tints small elements only.

Approve the plan (checkpoint 1)

The agent follows a two-checkpoint workflow. Checkpoint 1 is plan approval. The agent will not touch the canvas until you say the plan is right.

  • Read the plan the agent presents. It will show you the post layout, headline, and colour choices.
  • Check that the headline sounds like something you would actually say.
  • If it does not sound like you, tell the agent what to change. For example: "That's too formal. I'd say something more like 'Five strangers, one API, zero sleep.'"
  • When you are happy with the plan, type "approved" or "yes" to pass checkpoint 1.

Agent started building without asking?

Some agents skip the checkpoint if your instruction was phrased as a direct command. Tell it: "Stop. Show me the plan first and wait for my approval before building anything." The agent will pause and present its plan.

Help me get my agent to pause and show the plan

Checkpoint 1 is locked in. Your agent knows exactly what to build. Next up, you will watch it assemble the post on your Paper canvas and add the finishing touches only you can provide.

Build the Post, Add the Human Touch, and Export

Build, Review, and Export Your Post

Your agent has a plan. It knows the archetype, the headline, the layout, the ground, and the accent colour. Now it builds the post directly on your Paper canvas while you watch.

A correct, on-brand draft takes seconds. But the post becomes yours when you add the candid photo where someone is laughing, the line only you would write, or the real name to tag.

In this step, get ready to:
  • Watch your agent build the post on the Paper canvas in real time.
  • Add your human touch and approve the final visuals (Gate 2).
  • Export a finished 1080x1350 PNG ready to share.
Watch the agent build on your canvas

With checkpoint 1 approved, your agent now has permission to start building. It will place elements on your Paper canvas one by one.

  • Switch to Paper Desktop so you can see the canvas.
  • In your agent, say "approved" or "yes, build it" if you haven't already confirmed checkpoint 1.
  • Wait for the agent to finish. It will tell you when the draft is ready for review.
  • Look at the canvas. You should see a complete post layout: your photo (or text-only design), headline, copy, and brand styling all in place.

Canvas still blank?

The most common cause is a long-running agent session where the connection to Paper has gone stale. Restart your agent session to re-establish the connection, then try again.

Make sure your Paper file is still open. The plugin only runs when a file is open in Paper Desktop.

Still stuck? Why isn't my agent placing anything on the Paper canvas?

Add the human touch and approve (checkpoint 2)

The draft is technically correct. The brand colours are right, the layout follows the template, and the dimensions are set. But it is missing the things only you know.

  • The agent will ask you for the one human thing it cannot invent. Answer its questions:
  • Tell the agent what to change. It will revise directly on the canvas (e.g., I prompted "please have a website name nextwork.ai instead of "build with us" CTA and also no M dash")
  • If anything looks busy or off-brand, tell it to "strip something back."

Why restraint matters

The kit's design rule: photos are the design, everything else is restraint. If your post feels cluttered, it is usually because something is competing with the photo for attention. Ask the agent to remove the weakest element.

  • Once you are happy with the visuals, say "approved" to your agent. This is checkpoint 2.
  • Confirm the canvas shows your final approved design: photo (or text-only layout), headline in your voice, brand colours applied, and caption beside the post.

The headline test

Read the headline out loud. If it sounds like a press release, ask the agent to rewrite it the way you would text a friend about the night. Your real voice is what makes people stop scrolling.

Export your finished post

Checkpoint 2 is done. Your agent now exports the final image from Paper.

  • After you say "approved", the agent triggers the export automatically.
  • For Instagram, the export is a 1080x1350 PNG. For LinkedIn, the agent uses the same dimensions (or a PDF for multi-slide posts).
  • The agent also surfaces your caption and tags in the chat. Copy these for when you publish.

Tag everyone in the photos

Tagging the people in your photos is the single biggest reach lever. Every tag notifies someone, and their network sees the post. Do not skip this step when you publish.

Where to find the exported assets
  • Open Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows) and navigate to the location the agent saved the file.
  • Confirm you see a PNG file named something like build-and-brew-[city]-[date].png.
  • Open the image to confirm it shows your approved post at 1080x1350 resolution.

Don't see the exported file?

Ask your agent "where did you save the export?" It will tell you the exact file path.

If the agent says the export failed, it may be a permissions issue. On macOS, confirm Paper has Full Disk Access under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.

Still not working? Help me find or fix my Paper export

You have a finished, on-brand social post sitting on your computer, ready to share. The agent drafted the copy, built the layout, and exported the image. You added the story, the voice, and the names that make it real.

Secret mission

Build a Full Carousel

A single post is great. But a carousel that tells the full arc of your night, from doors opening to final demos, performs even better for engagement on Instagram. Ready to level up?

Clean Up Your Resources

Clean Up Your Resources

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely. This project runs entirely locally and on a free Paper tier, so there are no ongoing costs.

Resources you used:

  • A Paper file in your Paper account (free, no ongoing cost).
  • Exported image files (PNGs and PDF) on your computer.
  • The downloaded build-brew-kit folder on your Desktop.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you plan to reuse the Build & Brew workflow for your next event.

  • Your Paper file stays in your account. Duplicate its boards to create your next post without starting from scratch.
  • The build-brew-kit folder stays on your Desktop, ready for the next event.
  • Your exported images stay wherever your agent saved them.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Close Paper Desktop to free up memory. Your files and repo stay on disk for when you return.

  • Quit Paper Desktop.
  • Close your agent session (for CLI agents like Claude Code, type /exit or close the terminal).
  • Your Paper file, exported images, and the kit folder all remain untouched for next time.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources and start fresh.

  • Delete the test red rectangle from Step 1 and your Build & Brew file from Paper. Open your file list in Paper, right-click the file, and select the delete option.
  • Remove the downloaded kit folder by running:
rm -rf ~/Desktop/build-brew-kit
  • Remove your exported image files and PDF. They are in whatever folder your agent saved them to (often your Desktop or Downloads). Delete them manually or run:
rm ~/Desktop/build-and-brew-*.png
rm ~/Desktop/build-and-brew-*.pdf
  • If you created a photos folder, remove it too:
rm -rf ~/Desktop/build-brew-photos

Keep the kit for next time

Even if you delete everything else, consider keeping the build-brew-kit folder. It takes seconds to download again, but having it ready means your next post is one conversation away.

That's a Wrap!

That's a Wrap!

Nice work! You just built a professional, on-brand social post entirely through conversation with your AI agent. No design skills required.

You've learned how to:

  • Connected Paper Desktop to your AI agent as a design plugin, creating a reusable workflow you can use for any future project.
  • Downloaded the Build & Brew Kit and ran the full agent-guided workflow from intake questions through plan approval, canvas build, and the human touch that makes the post yours.
  • Exported a finished, on-brand 1080x1350 image file ready to share on Instagram or LinkedIn, complete with caption and tags.
  • Secret Mission: Built a full carousel with timestamp slides telling the story of your night from start to finish.

Ready to quiz yourself?