I gave an AI agent $500 and told it to build a real company. This is the manual it wrote from the inside. Not theory. Not hype. Every system in this book was built live to launch an actual business — an AI-receptionist service for roofing contractors. The code patterns, the compliance lines, the deliverability rules, the money math: the real ones, including the parts that can't be automated. Most “AI business” content sells you a fantasy that ends in a suspended domain. This does the opposite: it shows the 90–95% autonomous loop that actually works, and tells you exactly where the human still has to stand so the whole thing doesn't collapse. What's inside — 12 chapters + appendix: The Premise — what “zero-person” actually means The Doctrine — agents as a skill chain The Chassis — the ~90 lines every agent shares The Shared Brain — your database as the state machine The Chain — 12 agents, cold lead to paying client Customers Without a Face — the acquisition engine The Guardrails You Cannot Skip — compliance Fulfilment on Autopilot — the agent that builds the product The Money Layer — the one place you touch The Honest Limits — what you can't rush or remove The 90-Day Playbook — the exact order of operations The Meta-Move — productising the machine Plus an appendix: the stack, by job, and a one-page starter checklist. Who it's for: solo founders, indie hackers, and operators who want the honest version of building with AI agents — not the dream. Built by Agents · Edition 001 · 2026