solana-beginner

name	solana-beginner
description	Teach Solana fundamentals to developers new to the ecosystem. Use when a user says "what is Solana", "why Solana", "new to Solana", "explain Solana to me", "Solana basics", "EVM to Solana", "getting started with Solana", or "Solana fundamentals". Adapts to user's background — EVM devs, backend devs, or complete beginners.

Preamble (run first)

_TEL_TIER=$(cat ~/.superstack/config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"telemetryTier": *"[^"]*"' | head -1 | sed 's/.*"telemetryTier": *"//;s/"$//'  || echo "anonymous")
_TEL_TIER="${_TEL_TIER:-anonymous}"
_TEL_PROMPTED=$([ -f ~/.superstack/.telemetry-prompted ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
_TEL_START=$(date +%s)
_SESSION_ID="$$-$(date +%s)"
mkdir -p ~/.superstack
echo "TELEMETRY: $_TEL_TIER"
echo "TEL_PROMPTED: $_TEL_PROMPTED"
if [ "$_TEL_TIER" != "off" ]; then
_TEL_EVENT='{"skill":"solana-beginner","phase":"idea","event":"started","ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'"}' 
echo "$_TEL_EVENT" >> ~/.superstack/telemetry.jsonl 2>/dev/null || true
_CONVEX_URL=$(cat ~/.superstack/config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"convexUrl":"[^"]*"' | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f4 || echo "")
[ -n "$_CONVEX_URL" ] && curl -s -X POST "$_CONVEX_URL/api/mutation" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"path":"telemetry:track","args":{"skill":"solana-beginner","phase":"idea","status":"success","version":"0.2.0","platform":"'$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)'","timestamp":'$(date +%s)000'}}' >/dev/null 2>&1 &
true
fi

If TEL_PROMPTED is no: Before starting the skill workflow, ask the user about telemetry. Use AskUserQuestion:

Help superstack get better! We track which skills get used and how long they take — no code, no file paths, no PII. Change anytime in ~/.superstack/config.json.

Options:

• A) Sure, help superstack improve (anonymous)
• B) No thanks

If A: run this bash:

echo '{"telemetryTier":"anonymous"}' > ~/.superstack/config.json
_TEL_TIER="anonymous"
touch ~/.superstack/.telemetry-prompted

If B: run this bash:

echo '{"telemetryTier":"off"}' > ~/.superstack/config.json
_TEL_TIER="off"
touch ~/.superstack/.telemetry-prompted

This only happens once. If TEL_PROMPTED is yes, skip this entirely and proceed to the skill workflow.

Wrong skill? See SKILL_ROUTER.md for all available skills.

Solana Foundation

Teach Solana fundamentals adaptively. This skill interviews the user about their background first, then teaches at the right level — whether they're an EVM developer, a backend engineer, or completely new to crypto.

Overview

Not everyone arrives at Solana from the same place. An Ethereum dev needs to unlearn storage patterns and think in accounts. A backend dev needs to understand why blockchains matter before diving into PDAs. A complete beginner needs the "why" before the "how."

This skill adapts. It asks first, then teaches.

Workflow

Step 1: Interview the User

Always start here. Never skip this step.

Use the AskUserQuestion tool to determine the user's background. Ask:

1. What's your development background?

   • New to programming entirely
   • Backend/systems developer (Python, Go, Rust, Node.js)
   • Frontend developer (React, Vue, etc.)
   • EVM/Ethereum developer (Solidity, Hardhat, Foundry)
   • Other blockchain developer (Cosmos, Sui, Aptos)

2. What are you trying to build? (DeFi app, NFT project, payments, AI agent, just learning, etc.)

3. How familiar are you with crypto concepts? (wallets, transactions, smart contracts, tokens)

Step 2: Read References Based on Background

Based on the user's answers, read the appropriate references:

• EVM developers → Start with references/solana-vs-evm.md

  • Focus on the account model vs storage model difference
  • Explain why programs are stateless and data lives in accounts
  • Cover PDAs, CPIs, and the instruction model
  • Highlight common gotchas (rent, account size, transaction limits)

• New to crypto / complete beginners → Start with references/why-solana-for-builders.md

  • Explain what a blockchain is and why it matters (briefly)
  • Focus on Solana's practical advantages: speed, cost, scale
  • Use concrete numbers: 400ms blocks, $0.00025 fees, 65k TPS
  • Make it tangible — compare to web2 experiences they know

• Backend / systems developers → Start with references/why-solana-for-builders.md, then references/solana-vs-evm.md

  • They'll appreciate the systems-level design of Solana
  • Emphasize: Rust-based, parallel execution (Sealevel), no EVM overhead
  • Compare to building APIs — programs are like microservices, accounts are like database rows

• Other blockchain developers → Start with references/solana-vs-evm.md (the model differences apply broadly)

Step 3: Walk Through the Ecosystem

For all users, walk through relevant sections of references/ecosystem-map.md:

• If they want to build DeFi → highlight major protocols by category (see data/solana-knowledge/04-protocols-and-sdks.md → Decision Quick Reference). Always verify protocol health before recommending — protocols can decline or shut down.
• If they want NFTs → highlight Metaplex, Magic Eden
• If they want payments → highlight USDC, PayPal PYUSD, Sphere, Helio
• If they want AI → highlight Solana Agent Kit, GOAT SDK
• If they're just exploring → give a high-level tour of all categories

Step 4: Point to Knowledge Base

Direct users to the deeper knowledge base files for continued learning:

• ../../data/solana-knowledge/01-what-and-why-solana.md — Deep dive on Solana's architecture
• ../../data/solana-knowledge/02-what-makes-solana-unique.md — Technical differentiators

Step 5: Direct to Next Skills

When the user is ready to move forward, point them to:

• /find-next-crypto-idea — If they need help figuring out what to build
• /validate-idea — If they have an idea and want to validate it
• /scaffold-project — If they're ready to start building
• /build-with-claude — If they want guided implementation help

Non-Negotiables

1. ALWAYS ask the user's background before teaching. Never assume. Never dump a wall of information without knowing who you're talking to.

2. Use the AskUserQuestion tool to interview. Don't just ask rhetorically — use the tool so the user can respond and you can adapt.

3. Adapt depth to the user's level. Don't explain what a blockchain is to an EVM dev. Don't throw PDAs at someone who doesn't know what a wallet is.

4. Be concrete. Use real numbers:

   • 400ms block times (not "fast")
   • ~$0.00025 per transaction (not "cheap")
   • 65,000 TPS theoretical throughput (not "high throughput")
   • ~$5B+ DeFi TVL (not "significant TVL")
   • Sub-second finality (not "quick confirmation")

5. Don't be a shill. Acknowledge trade-offs honestly:

   • Solana has had outages (improving with Firedancer)
   • Rust has a steeper learning curve than Solidity
   • The account model is genuinely confusing at first
   • Not everything needs to be on-chain

6. Direct users to next skills when ready. This skill is a starting point, not a destination.

Phase Handoff

This skill is Phase 0 (Learn). It sits before the Idea phase in the journey.

When the user completes this skill, optionally write a knowledge level assessment to .superstack/idea-context.md:

{
  "knowledge_level": "beginner" | "intermediate" | "advanced",
  "background": "evm" | "backend" | "frontend" | "beginner" | "other-chain",
  "interests": ["defi", "nfts", "payments", "ai", "gaming", "social"],
  "ready_for": "idea-phase" | "build-phase" | "needs-more-learning"
}

This context helps downstream skills (like /find-next-crypto-idea or /scaffold-project) calibrate their output to the user's level.

Example Interactions

EVM dev arrives:

"I've been building on Ethereum for 2 years, want to try Solana." → Ask what they've built on Ethereum, then focus on account model differences, Anchor vs Hardhat, and common EVM-dev gotchas.

Complete beginner:

"I keep hearing about Solana, what is it?" → Start with why blockchains matter, then why Solana specifically, using real-world analogies and concrete numbers.

Backend dev with a project idea:

"I'm a Go developer and I want to build a payments app on Solana." → Brief Solana overview emphasizing the systems design, then deep-dive on USDC and payment tools (Sphere, Helio), then point to /scaffold-project.

Telemetry (run last)

After the skill workflow completes (success, error, or abort), log the telemetry event. Determine the outcome from the workflow result: success if completed normally, error if it failed, abort if the user interrupted.

Run this bash:

_TEL_END=$(date +%s)
_TEL_DUR=$(( _TEL_END - ${_TEL_START:-$_TEL_END} ))
_TEL_TIER=$(cat ~/.superstack/config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"telemetryTier": *"[^"]*"' | head -1 | sed 's/.*"telemetryTier": *"//;s/"$//' || echo "anonymous")
if [ "$_TEL_TIER" != "off" ]; then
echo '{"skill":"solana-beginner","phase":"idea","event":"completed","outcome":"OUTCOME","duration_s":"'"$_TEL_DUR"'","session":"'"$_SESSION_ID"'","ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","platform":"'$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)'"}' >> ~/.superstack/telemetry.jsonl 2>/dev/null || true
true
fi

Replace OUTCOME with success/error/abort based on the workflow result.