claude
2684095e2f
Co-authored-by: claude <claude@jpaul.io> Co-committed-by: claude <claude@jpaul.io>
67 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
67 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
# AGENTS.md — instructions for AI agents working in this repo
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> This is the committed AI instructions file for *The Workflow* course. It exists for two reasons:
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> it actually configures the agents that help author the course, **and** it is a live worked example
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> of [Module 5 — Commit the AI's Config, Not Just the Code](modules/05-commit-the-ai-config/). The
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> filename is deliberately vendor-neutral: most agentic coding tools read a repo-level instructions
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> file, and the principle outlives any one vendor's filename. If your tool looks for a different
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> name, point it here.
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## What this repo is
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A course that teaches IT professionals the engineering toolchain *around* AI coding — version
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control, collaboration, CI/CD, and the tools that extend AI into real systems. The repo is both the
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course content and a dogfooded example of the practices it teaches.
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- **Source of truth for structure:** `the-workflow-syllabus.md`. Don't re-derive decisions it
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settles; read it first.
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- **Build-context for authoring:** `handoff.md`. The "how" of building, plus the owner's settled
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decisions.
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- **Every module follows** `_TEMPLATE.md`. Don't invent a new shape per module.
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## Core promises (do not violate)
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- **Model- and vendor-agnostic.** Never pin a lesson to one LLM vendor. Never hardcode a specific
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tool's config filename — say "your agentic tool's committed instructions file." Examples must
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survive a model swap.
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- **GitHub is the default, not the requirement.** Keep hosting content provider-neutral; name the
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alternatives and the self-host track. Do not reintroduce a single specific forge as *the* answer.
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- **The dependency chain is load-bearing.** A module may assume only what precedes it. Never
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reference a tool before its introducing module. If you think something should move, **flag it** —
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don't silently reorder.
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- **Honesty about limits.** Where a tool or analogy breaks, say so. Don't sand off the caveats.
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- **Don't pad.** This audience reads fast and trusts concrete over comprehensive. Lead with the
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pain, show the command and the failure mode.
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## Voice
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Direct, concrete, rigorous. Reframe ops instincts the reader already has toward AI-assisted work.
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No motivational filler. When in doubt, show the command and what goes wrong without it.
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## Conventions for labs
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- Labs run on the learner's **own machine, any OS**. Don't assume a sandbox, cloud account, or
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specific shell beyond what's stated.
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- Lean on **Python or shell**, chosen per lab, kept minimal. State the language once per lab.
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- Every module ends at a keyboard (a lab), not a quiz, and has a concrete "you're done when…" check.
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## Working in this repo (dogfooding the course)
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This repo is hosted on `git.jpaul.io`. Follow the same flow the course teaches:
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- **Never commit directly to `main`.** Branch per module/change, open a PR, squash-merge. The PR is
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the review gate (Module 10) even for solo work — it exists for traceability.
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- **Build in dependency-chain order.** Modules 1–2 are the locked exemplars; match their tone,
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depth, and lab style.
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- **Verify before publishing volatile claims.** Anything about pricing, versions, or tool behavior
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(especially the Module 8 hosting comparison) must be checked at build time, not written from
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memory. Mark such claims with a "Verify-before-publish" note.
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## Don't
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- Duplicate or fork `the-workflow-syllabus.md` — edit it in place if structure changes.
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- Reorder modules or break the dependency chain without flagging it.
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- Pin to a specific LLM vendor or a specific tool's config filename.
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- Write pricing/version claims from memory.
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- Pad.
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