Prepare a versioned brand context pack before paying for an agent brand layer
Give the next project a small, approved source of brand guidance, permitted assets and review rules with four ongoing-free tools.
A portable brand context pack: one approved brief, an asset manifest, a labelled contact sheet, voice examples, a review checklist and a named source revision.
It does not run Rainbrand, connect an AI account, test generated marketing or claim a customer result. The visual is an editorial illustration, not a provider screenshot.
About this guide & its examples
This original FreeStack workflow uses a fictional cafe brand to plan a reusable handoff. Official sources checked 6 November 2026.
Illustrations are FreeStack concepts, not provider screenshots. Check the free limits below and test your own files before delivery.
Free boundaries before you start
What’s free, whether you need an account, and when we last checked.
Visual Studio Code · checked 2026-11-06
VS Code remains free for private and commercial use. Microsoft's distribution uses its product licence; the published source is MIT-licensed. Extensions, Settings Sync, Copilot, remote services and deployment infrastructure have separate terms and limits.
No Microsoft account is required for core local editing. Optional sync, Copilot, marketplace or hosted services can require accounts.
GIMP · checked 2026-11-06
The official project confirms freely distributed GPL image-editing software for retouching, composition and image authoring. This is an ongoing local software offer, not a credit allowance. Added assets and plugins retain their own rights; software redistribution must follow the applicable licence.
Local desktop editing does not require a hosted account.
Vale · checked 2026-11-06
Free MIT-licensed local prose linter with no provider document or word quota. Style packages, editor integrations and continuous-integration compute are separate, and automated rules still need editorial review.
No Vale account is required for local command-line use. Registries, repositories and CI services may require separate accounts.
Git · checked 2026-11-06
Free GPLv2 distributed version-control software for local repositories, with no provider project or history quota. Remote hosting, backup, access control and large-file storage are separate services.
No account is required for a local Git repository. Any remote host or sync service can require an account.
A small example to aim for
Harbour Table
Keep the source.
Name what changed.
Brief · permitted assets · voice examples · review checklist · source revision
FreeStack editorial illustration · not a Rainbrand screenshot, executed workflow or real brand result.
Illustrative example · adapt it to your project.
Jump to a step
Define what the pack can authorise
Use a fictional cafe called Harbour Table. Write brand-context.md in VS Code with its audience, one purpose, approved colours, type choices and three tone rules. Separate requirements from suggestions and name the person who approves changes. Keep prices, product performance claims and legal wording out unless a responsible person has verified them. A brand guide is context for a task, not permission to publish, spend money or override the current brief.
List the sources and permissions
Create assets.csv with filename, source URL or owner, licence, permitted use, review date and status. Use only your own fictional artwork or assets you have permission to use. Record font redistribution rights separately from the right to render text. Mark unknown rights as unresolved and leave those files out of the approved folder. Public availability is not permission to copy a logo, font or product photograph.
Make a contact sheet that shows the choices
Use GIMP to arrange the fictional logo, swatches, type samples and two permitted image treatments on one labelled sheet. Keep an editable XCF and an exported PNG. Add filenames that match the manifest and label any placeholder as an illustration. Reopen the export and inspect it at the intended size. The sheet makes a selection visible; it does not certify print colour, font rights, accessibility or brand approval.
Describe the voice with boundaries
Write three short original examples: a welcome sentence, a product description and a correction notice. Beside each, explain the rule it demonstrates. Add counterexamples such as exaggerated promises or language that would sound unfriendly. Use Vale with a small local ruleset to flag spelling and repeated house-style issues, then review suggestions manually. A linter cannot establish truth, consent or creative quality.
Review the delta and name the revision
Ask a reviewer to check the brief, manifest, contact sheet and voice examples together. Record unresolved items rather than polishing them into certainty. Use Git to name the approved revision, then add a change note when a colour, asset or rule changes. A future brief should record which revision it used. Keep working drafts separate from the approved pack, and retire superseded assets. Git history does not replace independent backup or access control.
Save the toolkit and choose a specific upgrade
Start the next task with the approved pack and a narrow output brief. Ask any future agent to identify missing information, cite the relevant source file and stop before publication. FreeStack editorial upgrade triggers: repeated multi-tool retrieval, managed asset discovery, governed team updates, version-aware API access or a measured review volume that the folder cannot support. Check current recurring charges and data handling before buying. A signup credit grant is not an ongoing-free membership.
Your workflow, connected.
Follow the steps and carry the output into the next stage. These are suggested handoffs, not automatic integrations.
- 02Record the rights
VS Code core editing is free for private and commercial use. Copilot, extensions, sync and external services have separate terms.
Asset manifest + exclusion list - 03Show the assets
GIMP's official FAQ confirms ongoing-free software and commercial use. There is no provider project or export quota for local editing; fonts, plugins, images, hardware and storage remain separate.
Editable sheet + checked export - 04Make voice reviewable
Vale is MIT-licensed local software with no provider word or document quota. Style packages and CI compute have separate terms.
Examples + counterexamples - 05Approve a revision
Local Git is GPLv2 software without a provider repository or history quota. Remote hosting, backup, storage and account access are separate.
Reviewed pack + change note
Provider information
Check current plans and documentation before committing to a workflow.
A couple of useful questions
Is this a replacement for Rainbrand?
No. It is a smaller editorial learning workflow. It does not provide Rainbrand's shared service, automated brand discovery, API, MCP connection or credit-funded operations.
What stays free?
VS Code core, GIMP, Vale and Git have ongoing-free software routes. There is no provider document, word, local history or export quota in this kit. Your device, source assets, fonts, storage, backup and any model or hosted service remain separate.
Do the tools require accounts?
Core local editing and Git do not require hosted accounts. Optional sync, remote repositories, marketplaces and connected services can have separate account requirements; do not infer those from a software licence.
What does Save this toolkit keep?
It uses the existing FreeStack flow to save these four catalogue tools. Sign in for a private account stack; guest saves remain in that browser. It does not upload brand assets, store credentials, connect an agent or purchase a service.
What would you try?
Share your result or ask a specific question about this workflow.
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