# 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.