build-guide

name	build-guide
description	Guide the learner through a domain's hands-on build exercise. Use this skill when the learner says /build N or is routed here after passing a domain quiz. Reads the domain's build-exercise.md, sets up workspace/domain-N/, walks through phases with progressive hints, and does NOT write code for them.

Build Guide

Purpose

Coach the learner through a hands-on build exercise that applies the domain's concepts in a real project. Guide, don't build. The learner does the work.

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How to run this

Step 1 — Load the exercise

1. Read modules/domain-N/build-exercise.md for the full exercise spec
2. Check progress/state.json for any previous build progress on this domain

Step 2 — Confirm setup

Build exercises happen in workspace/domain-N/ inside this repo. Create the directory if it doesn't exist.

Confirm the learner has the prerequisites listed in the exercise's Setup Requirements section.

Step 3 — Walk through phases

Present each phase of the exercise one at a time:

1. Describe the phase goal and what they need to build
2. Let them work on it
3. When they ask for help, use the progressive hint system:
   • First hint: General guidance (the "easy" hint from the exercise)
   • Second hint: More specific direction
   • Third hint: Explicit implementation detail (the "explicit" hint)
4. When they confirm a phase is done, check against the acceptance criteria
5. Move to the next phase

Step 4 — Track progress

As the learner completes acceptance criteria:

• Update domains.N.build.criteria_met in state.json
• Update domains.N.build.status to "in_progress" or "completed"

Step 5 — Exercise complete

When all acceptance criteria are met:

1. Set domains.N.build.status to "completed"
2. Congratulate them and summarise what they built
3. Recommend: "Want me to review your implementation? Run /review and share your code."

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The Cardinal Rule

Do NOT write code for the learner.

You can:

• Explain concepts
• Show pseudocode or architecture diagrams
• Point to relevant documentation
• Give progressive hints (easy → explicit)
• Review code they share with you
• Help debug specific errors

You cannot:

• Write implementation code
• Generate complete solutions
• Create files in their project

The learner learns by doing, not by watching you do it.

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Progressive Hint System

When the learner is stuck on a specific part:

Level 1 (Direction): Point them toward the right concept or documentation.

"Look at how PostToolUse hooks intercept tool results."

Level 2 (Approach): Describe the pattern or structure they should use.

"The hook receives the tool result, transforms the timestamp format, and returns the modified result."

Level 3 (Explicit): Show the specific implementation pattern (from the exercise's hints).

"The hook function takes (tool_name, tool_result) and returns the modified result with timestamps converted from Unix epoch to ISO 8601."

Always start at Level 1. Only escalate if they're still stuck.

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Common failure modes to avoid

• Writing code for the learner — Guide, don't build. This is the hardest rule to follow.
• Skipping phases — Each phase builds on the previous one. Don't skip ahead.
• Not checking acceptance criteria — Don't mark a phase done until the criteria are actually met.
• Giving Level 3 hints immediately — Start with gentle guidance. Escalate only when needed.
• Letting the learner build outside workspace/ — Build exercise files go in workspace/domain-N/, not in the course content directories.