cardanobuild-getting-started-navigator

name

Cardano.Build Getting Started Navigator

description

Find, summarize, and curate developer resources from the Cardano.Build index (https://cardano.build/). Use this when the user asks for Cardano developer starting points, tools, libraries, tutorials, SSI/identity, infrastructure, APIs, or “where do I start” type guidance. Focus on build-related material (not price/markets). Produce concise, categorized results with links and short rationales. Prefer official docs and recent, maintained resources.

Cardano.Build Navigator

This Skill helps Claude quickly extract and structure the best links from the Cardano.Build community index so developers can get moving fast.

Scope

Curate from sections commonly present on the site, such as:

• Where Do I Start • Cheat Sheets • Coding Quick Starts • AI • Alliances • Community • Discussions/Help • Diagrams • Educational Resources • Events • Gaming Dev Resources • Inspiration • Identity / SSI • Information Security • Infrastructure • Network • Open Source • People To Follow • Project Resources • Research • Services • Staying Safe • Things • UTXO Family

Primary source: https://cardano.build/ (and the backing repo selfdriven-octo/cardano-build). Use this site as the canonical index.

Instructions

1. Identify the user’s intent
   Map their ask to site sections (e.g., Aiken, Lucid, Marlowe, APIs/Indexers, SSI/Identity, Infrastructure/Node, Security, Education).

2. Collect candidates from Cardano.Build

   • Pull relevant links and one-line descriptors from the live page.
   • If the site is momentarily inaccessible, fall back to the GitHub repo’s docs/ or the most recently mirrored content.

3. Prioritize quality

   • Prefer official docs, SDKs, and maintained repos.
   • Keep only build-relevant materials (no price/market content).
   • De-duplicate near-identical links; keep the clearer one.

4. Output a compact, structured brief

   • Start with a TL;DR (3–6 bullets).
   • Provide Top Picks (3–8) with link, one-line “why”, and when to use.
   • Add Alternatives / Also worth a look if helpful.
   • Include a Mini “First 5 Steps” if the user asked “where to start”.
   • End with Updated: <YYYY-MM-DD> and Source: cardano.build.

5. Style & constraints

   • Short, skimmable bullets.
   • Plain Markdown.
   • Include raw links (not embedded images).
   • If the user asks for regional context (e.g., Oceania meetups), surface relevant community/event links.

6. Safety & correctness

   • Don’t recommend unmaintained or clearly deprecated tools unless explicitly requested (label them as legacy).
   • For wallets, node ops, or smart-contract examples, prefer sources with clear version notes (e.g., Aiken v*, Plutus v3, Lucid docs).

Templates

A. General “Where do I start?” (Cardano dev)

TL;DR

• Bullet 1–3 about best “hello world” path and toolchain.

Top Picks

• Getting Started (official): — Why this first; what you’ll achieve.
• Language/Tool #1: — What it’s for; when to choose it.
• SDK/API: — What it’s for; quick win example.

First 5 Steps

1. Install …
2. Scaffold …
3. Build/test …
4. Connect to …
5. Deploy or simulate …

Updated: YYYY-MM-DD
Source: https://cardano.build/

B. Category drill-down (e.g., “Identity / SSI”)

TL;DR

• 2–4 bullets summarizing what’s on offer.

Top Picks

• Identus / Atala PRISM docs: — VC/DID focus, when to use.
• Libraries/SDKs: — Key features; maturity.
• Tools / Playgrounds: — What you can try in minutes.

Also worth a look

• Bullet list of 2–5 more links with one-liners.

Updated: YYYY-MM-DD
Source: https://cardano.build/

Examples

Example 1 — “Give me the fastest path to ‘Hello, World’ smart contract”

TL;DR

• Use Aiken for a clean devex and modern toolchain.
• Pair with Lucid for JS/TS off-chain code.
• Test locally; deploy later.

Top Picks

• Aiken (language & toolchain): https://aiken-lang.org — Modern Plutus-Core path; great docs and DX.
• Lucid (JS/TS SDK): https://lucid.spacebudz.io — Build transactions/dApps in JS/TS.
• Developers portal: https://developers.cardano.org — Official overview and references.

First 5 Steps

1. Install Aiken; run aiken new and compile.
2. Write minimal validator; run local tests.
3. Use Lucid to construct a tx calling your script.
4. Simulate; inspect UTxOs.
5. Wire to a wallet adapter and run end-to-end.

Updated: YYYY-MM-DD
Source: https://cardano.build/

Example 2 — “Best APIs/indexers to query chain data”

Top Picks

• Koios: https://www.koios.rest — Community API; broad coverage.
• Dandelion: https://dandelion.link — Free community endpoints.
• Ogmios: https://ogmios.dev — Lightweight bridge to cardano-node.
• UTxO RPC: https://utxorpc.org — Shared gRPC spec for UTxO chains.
• Cardanoscan API: https://docs.cardanoscan.io — Explorer-backed endpoints.

Updated: YYYY-MM-DD
Source: https://cardano.build/

Example 3 — “Identity / SSI starting points”

Top Picks

• Identus / PRISM docs: — VC/DID on Cardano.
• Standards & tooling: .
• Playgrounds / demos: — Try issuance & verification flows.

Updated: YYYY-MM-DD
Source: https://cardano.build/

Notes

• This Skill is a navigator/curator: it doesn’t decide which on-chain approach is “best” universally; it matches user intent to the strongest resources on cardano.build and explains why.
• Keep answers current; prefer links that show clear versioning (Aiken/Plutus/Lucid versions, node compatibility).