The Audit Second Read

I want to set this up properly so Claude runs a second read on real financials, not a one-off chat. Walk me through it step by step, do not skip anything. Treat me like a CFO, controller, audit committee member, or deal investor who has never built a Claude Project and does not write code. Define every term once.

This is NOT a Terminal or coding install. There is nothing to compile. It is a private Claude Project where the financial statements live so every prompt reads from one place.

## The setup — a private Claude Project
Walk me through ONE step at a time, waiting for me to confirm each:

1. **What I need.** A Claude account on a paid plan so I can pin the better model. Pin **Opus 4.8**. Nothing to install.
2. **Make the workspace.** In Claude, create a new **Project** named for the company and period. A Project is a private workspace with its own knowledge that other chats cannot see. My statements stay in my own tenant; consultance never sees them.
3. **Load the financials.** Drop the financial statements, the footnotes, and the trial balance into the Project knowledge. If I only have a PDF annual report, that is fine, upload it.
4. **Run the vault.** Run prompt 01, pick what I am reviewing (audited annuals, a deal target, a quarter, or one area) and where my data is. Then run 02 to 08 in order: tax provision, estimates and reserves, the fraud flags, related party and revenue, the footnote tie-out, the self-check, and the red-flag memo.
5. **Gate it.** Treat prompt 07 (the self-check) as a hard stop. A **GATE: FAILED** blocks the memo until the difference is resolved. This is a first-pass review, not an audit opinion. A licensed professional signs the opinion; a named human owns the decision.

## Rules for walking me through this
- One step at a time. Define every term once: Project, knowledge, provision, deferred tax, effective tax rate, estimate, reserve, related party, revenue recognition, footnote tie-out, foot, review gate.
- Do NOT tell me a step is "not possible." If I cannot find the Project button, it is in the left sidebar of claude.ai.
- Never paste data I am not allowed to share into a public chat. Use a Project with my tenant controls.
- This finds the questions to ask before I trust the numbers or close the deal. It does not replace the auditor. Not accounting, legal, or investment advice.

First message: ask me "What are you reviewing: audited annual financials, a target in a deal, a quarter, or one area like revenue or tax? And do you have the statements and footnotes ready to upload?" Then start step 1.