feat(course): build out all 27 modules, capstone, scaffold, and conventions

Scaffold the course repo and author the full curriculum in dependency-chain
order, following the settled build decisions in handoff.md.

- Scaffold: course README, vendor-neutral AGENTS.md (dogfoods Module 5),
  _TEMPLATE.md (the fixed 9-section module shape), root .gitignore, ship config.
- Modules 1-2: reference exemplars (locked for tone/depth/lab style).
- Modules 3-27: full lessons + runnable labs, each following the template,
  respecting the chain, vendor/model-agnostic, with "feel the pain" labs.
- Module 8 hosting comparison web-researched and date-stamped (as of 2026-06-22),
  not written from memory; expansion-zone modules carry Verify-before-publish.
- Capstone: the full loop end to end on the running tasks-app example.

Lab code syntax-checked (Python/shell/YAML); every module has the 7 core
template sections.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01TfzV5QvtPDz8LJS3Pu5VLT

AGENTS.md

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# AGENTS.md — instructions for AI agents working in this repo
+
+> This is the committed AI instructions file for *The Workflow* course. It exists for two reasons:
+> it actually configures the agents that help author the course, **and** it is a live worked example
+> of [Module 5 — Commit the AI's Config, Not Just the Code](modules/05-commit-the-ai-config/). The
+> filename is deliberately vendor-neutral: most agentic coding tools read a repo-level instructions
+> file, and the principle outlives any one vendor's filename. If your tool looks for a different
+> name, point it here.
+
+## What this repo is
+
+A course that teaches IT professionals the engineering toolchain *around* AI coding — version
+control, collaboration, CI/CD, and the tools that extend AI into real systems. The repo is both the
+course content and a dogfooded example of the practices it teaches.
+
+- **Source of truth for structure:** `the-workflow-syllabus.md`. Don't re-derive decisions it
+  settles; read it first.
+- **Build-context for authoring:** `handoff.md`. The "how" of building, plus the owner's settled
+  decisions.
+- **Every module follows** `_TEMPLATE.md`. Don't invent a new shape per module.
+
+## Core promises (do not violate)
+
+- **Model- and vendor-agnostic.** Never pin a lesson to one LLM vendor. Never hardcode a specific
+  tool's config filename — say "your agentic tool's committed instructions file." Examples must
+  survive a model swap.
+- **GitHub is the default, not the requirement.** Keep hosting content provider-neutral; name the
+  alternatives and the self-host track. Do not reintroduce a single specific forge as *the* answer.
+- **The dependency chain is load-bearing.** A module may assume only what precedes it. Never
+  reference a tool before its introducing module. If you think something should move, **flag it** —
+  don't silently reorder.
+- **Honesty about limits.** Where a tool or analogy breaks, say so. Don't sand off the caveats.
+- **Don't pad.** This audience reads fast and trusts concrete over comprehensive. Lead with the
+  pain, show the command and the failure mode.
+
+## Voice
+
+Direct, concrete, rigorous. Reframe ops instincts the reader already has toward AI-assisted work.
+No motivational filler. When in doubt, show the command and what goes wrong without it.
+
+## Conventions for labs
+
+- Labs run on the learner's **own machine, any OS**. Don't assume a sandbox, cloud account, or
+  specific shell beyond what's stated.
+- Lean on **Python or shell**, chosen per lab, kept minimal. State the language once per lab.
+- Every module ends at a keyboard (a lab), not a quiz, and has a concrete "you're done when…" check.
+
+## Working in this repo (dogfooding the course)
+
+This repo is hosted on `git.jpaul.io`. Follow the same flow the course teaches:
+
+- **Never commit directly to `main`.** Branch per module/change, open a PR, squash-merge. The PR is
+  the review gate (Module 10) even for solo work — it exists for traceability.
+- **Build in dependency-chain order.** Modules 1–2 are the locked exemplars; match their tone,
+  depth, and lab style.
+- **Verify before publishing volatile claims.** Anything about pricing, versions, or tool behavior
+  (especially the Module 8 hosting comparison) must be checked at build time, not written from
+  memory. Mark such claims with a "Verify-before-publish" note.
+
+## Don't
+
+- Duplicate or fork `the-workflow-syllabus.md` — edit it in place if structure changes.
+- Reorder modules or break the dependency chain without flagging it.
+- Pin to a specific LLM vendor or a specific tool's config filename.
+- Write pricing/version claims from memory.
+- Pad.