defend

name	defend
description	Defense Mode — explain AI-generated code before committing. Retrieval Practice: answer 3-5 targeted questions about logic, data flow, and architectural decisions without help. Blocks shallow understanding. Use when: 'defend', 'defense mode', 'explain before commit', 'prove I understand', 'test my understanding'.

Defend — Retrieval Practice (Defense Mode)

Forces understanding before shipping. You explain the code — no peeking at explanations.

Learning Principle

"Retrieving information from memory strengthens it more than re-reading ever could." — Retrieval Practice

This is the hardest step: you must explain what the AI wrote in your own words, without seeing the teach explanation. Research shows this active recall is 2-3x more effective for long-term retention than passive review.

Instructions

1. Identify all files changed since the last commit (git diff --name-only)
2. Read the actual changes (git diff for staged, git diff HEAD for all)
3. Generate 3-5 targeted questions about the code. Rules for questions:
   • WHY questions only — never "what does line X do"
   • Data flow — "Where does this data come from? What transforms it before it reaches [component]?"
   • Error paths — "What happens if [service/API] is unreachable or returns an error?"
   • Dependencies — "What other files, services, or systems depend on this change?"
   • Trade-offs — "Why this approach instead of [alternative]? What would you lose?"
4. Present questions one at a time. Wait for the user's answer before continuing.
5. After each answer:
   • If correct: confirm briefly, add one nuance they might not have considered
   • If wrong: explain the correct answer in 2-3 sentences, no judgment
6. Rate each answer 1-5 and record via the concept tracker if a matching concept exists
7. After all questions: update ~/.learn-while-code/defense-state.json with last_defend_run timestamp
8. If Obsidian sync is enabled, sync any concepts that were quizzed

Question Templates

- "Why [pattern] instead of [alternative] here?"
- "What happens if [service/API] is unreachable?"
- "Where does the data in [variable/prop] come from? Trace its path."
- "What other files or services would break if you removed [function/component]?"
- "What's the trade-off of [approach chosen] vs [approach not chosen]?"

After Completion

Write to ~/.learn-while-code/defense-state.json:

{ "last_defend_run": "2026-06-08T14:30:00Z", "session_id": "..." }

This unblocks the defense-gate hook for the next git commit.

Gotchas

• Never ask about syntax. Always architecture-level understanding.
• If changes are trivial (README update, version bump), say "No defense needed — trivial change" and update the timestamp.
• Match the user's language. If they answer in German, ask in German.
• The point is retrieval, not humiliation. Wrong answers are learning opportunities, not failures.