AI-Driven Coding — Hands-on Training

This repository is a sandbox for practising AI-assisted full-stack development by building a TypeScript CRUD app with Prisma and SQLite.

Start the environment

1. Install Docker Desktop (4.34 or newer) and Visual Studio Code.

2. In Docker Desktop, enable host networking: Settings → Resources → Network → Enable host networking → Apply and restart. (Incompatible with Enhanced Container Isolation — disable that if it is on.)

3. In VS Code, install the Dev Containers extension.

4. Open this folder and choose Dev Containers: Reopen in Container.

5. Once creation finishes, verify the toolchain:

   node --version
   pnpm --version

The container runs with --network=host, so every service you start inside it is reachable directly on its host port — no port forwarding to configure, and it works for any port, not just pre-declared ones. The dev server you start in an exercise is simply available at its own address, e.g. http://localhost:5173. The networking also works in reverse: services running on your host (e.g. a local API or database) are reachable from inside the container via localhost.

Training workflow

Use the exercises/ directory for each hands-on module. Keep each exercise in its own folder and add a focused README, tests, and a short reflection on the AI prompts that were helpful or misleading.

Suggested first exercise:

pnpm create vite exercises/01-crud-app --template react-ts
cd exercises/01-crud-app
pnpm install
pnpm add @prisma/client zod react-router-dom
pnpm add -D prisma
pnpm prisma init --datasource-provider sqlite

SQLite files live inside each exercise folder, so there is no shared database to coordinate. When an exercise needs a real database server, run one with a single docker run (no compose):

docker run -d --name crud-db --network=host \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=app -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=app -e POSTGRES_DB=app \
  -v crud-pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data postgres:16
# DATABASE_URL=postgresql://app:app@localhost:5432/app

Agent skills

On first container creation the environment installs Matt Pocock's skill collection (see https://github.com/mattpocock/skills) into .agents/skills/. Ask your coding agent to run /setup-matt-pocock-skills once, choosing a local issue tracker for a self-contained workshop.