Lesson 1 of 8⏱ 3 minEveryone
The big picture
What the Marketplace is, and which kind of item to build.
In 30 seconds
- An item is just a folder of files that you hand to Tallgeese.
- Pick the smallest thing that works: a skill, a connector, a tool, or a specialist.
- People turn on everything in an item with one switch, and are asked one clear question.
- Web search and document reading are already built in.
The big picture
Tallgeese is an assistant that lives on a person's own computer. Out of the box it can chat, read documents and search the web. The Marketplace is where people add more abilities. What you make is called an item, and an item is just a folder of files that you hand to Tallgeese.
From your folder to their computer
Your foldertext files, maybe some code
→
Checkone command finds problems
→
Review & signTallgeese publishes it
→
Marketplacepeople browse and get it
→
Their computerinstalled with one click
an item can bring any mix of
Parts
Skillsinstructions in plain text
Connectorsan online service's address
Toolssmall programs in a sandbox
Specialist + pagea focused assistant and its own screen
Four ideas to keep in mind
- An item is a folder. You write plain text files. If you want logic, you add a small program. You don't run a server.
- One item, one switch, one question. Whatever your item includes, the person turns it all on together and is asked once, in plain sentences like "It goes online to: example.com" or "It keeps your notes on this computer".
- Everything is checked. Releases are signed, and the app verifies every file when it gets an item and again each time it runs one. A published version never changes.
- Be concise. Tallgeese's assistant has limited working memory, because it runs on the person's own computer. Short descriptions and short results make your item work better.
What should you build?
Start with the simplest thing that solves the problem. You can always add to an item later.
| If you want to… | Build a… | You'll need |
|---|---|---|
| Teach Tallgeese how you do something | Skill | A text editor |
| Let Tallgeese work inside an online service | Connector (plus skills, if it helps) | The service's MCP address |
| Give Tallgeese a new ability that needs code | Tool | Basic Rust |
| Offer a whole feature with its own screen | Specialist | A tool, plus basic HTML and JavaScript |
| Have your skills run Python scripts | Skill + the Python add-on | A text editor |
Web search and document reading are already built in
Tallgeese can search the web, read web pages, and read PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel files. You don't need to build these. Your skills can simply tell the assistant to use them. See web search and the document reader.
How parts fit together
- An item has at most one server: either a connector to an online service, or your own tool.
- An item has at most one set of skills. Put all your skills in it.
- A specialist needs a tool, and a page needs a specialist.