Sourdough Lessons
Progressive lessons that teach users how to work with AI assistants by actually using the system.
Purpose
Enable users to learn AI augmentation through hands-on experience, not just reading documentation. Lessons build on each other and teach core concepts through practical exercises.
When to Use
Automatic invocation:
- •When user says "start lessons", "teach me", "show me lessons", "lesson 1", etc.
- •When user asks "what can I learn?" or "how do I get started?"
Progressive invocation:
- •After completing a lesson, suggest the next lesson
- •Track progress in user's data layer
Available Lessons
Lessons are stored in skills/lessons/content/ and numbered for progressive learning:
- •Welcome & First Conversation - Basics of talking with AI
- •Reading Files - How AI can read and understand files
- •Creating Files - Having AI write files for you
- •Editing Files - Modifying existing files safely
- •Understanding Context - How AI remembers and uses context
- •Running Commands - Using bash/PowerShell through AI
- •Troubleshooting Together - Collaborative problem-solving
- •Risk & Responsibility - Understanding file access implications
- •Skills System - Using and creating skills
- •Session Logging - Tracking your work over time
- •Learning Framework - How AI learns your preferences
- •Working with Projects - Managing multiple efforts
- •Best Practices - Patterns that work well
- •Next Steps - Where to go from here
Process
1. Determine Intent
Check what the user wants:
- •Start from beginning? → Lesson 1
- •Specific lesson number? → Load that lesson
- •Continue where they left off? → Check progress file
- •List available lessons? → Show lesson menu
2. Load Progress (if exists)
Check for progress tracking file:
PROGRESS_FILE="${SOURDOUGH_DATA:-$HOME/ai-data}/learning/lesson_progress.yaml"
If file exists, read it to know:
- •Last completed lesson
- •Current lesson in progress
- •Notes from previous lessons
3. Load Lesson Content
Read the appropriate lesson file from skills/lessons/content/NN-name.md
Present the lesson content to the user, following the structure in the lesson file.
4. Interactive Teaching
Lessons are interactive experiences with pause points where you wait for user action:
Structure:
- •Present a section up to a
[PAUSE]marker - •Wait for user to try the exercise or ask questions
- •Respond to what they did with feedback and encouragement
- •Present next section up to next
[PAUSE] - •Continue until lesson complete
During pauses:
- •Don't rush ahead - let them experiment
- •Give specific feedback on what they tried
- •If they get stuck, offer hints or demonstrations
- •If they ask questions, answer them before continuing
- •Celebrate when they succeed ("Nice! That's exactly right.")
Tone:
- •Friendly and conversational
- •Encouraging, not condescending
- •Patient with mistakes
- •Enthusiastic about progress
5. Check Understanding
At the end of each lesson:
- •Ask if user has questions
- •Offer to demonstrate again if needed
- •Suggest they try the concept on their own
- •Confirm they're ready to move forward
6. Update Progress
After lesson completion, update progress file:
last_updated: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM completed_lessons: - 01-first-conversation - 02-reading-files current_lesson: 03-creating-files notes: - "User particularly interested in file operations" - "Completed lesson 2 quickly, comfortable with reading"
7. Suggest Next Steps
Offer:
- •Continue to next lesson immediately
- •Take a break and come back later
- •Practice current lesson concepts before moving on
- •Skip ahead if they're comfortable (with caution)
Progress Tracking Location
User's progress is stored in their personal data layer:
- •MacOS/Linux:
~/ai-data/learning/lesson_progress.yaml - •Windows:
%USERPROFILE%\ai-data\learning\lesson_progress.yaml
Create the file on first use if it doesn't exist.
Output Format
Lesson Presentation
# Lesson N: [Title] [Friendly introduction to the lesson topic] ## What You'll Learn - Key concept 1 - Key concept 2 - Key concept 3 ## Let's Try It [Interactive demonstration or exercise] ## Key Takeaways - Important point 1 - Important point 2 ## Questions? [Pause for user questions] --- Ready for the next lesson? Or would you like to practice this more?
Lesson Menu
# Sourdough Lessons Your progress: [X] of [14] lessons completed ## Available Lessons ✅ 1. Welcome & First Conversation (completed) ✅ 2. Reading Files (completed) → 3. Creating Files (in progress) 4. Editing Files 5. Understanding Context ... [etc] Which lesson would you like to start?
Special Lesson Notes
Lesson 8: Risk & Responsibility
This lesson is critical and should not be skipped. It covers:
- •What file access means in practice
- •What could go wrong
- •User responsibility model
- •How to stay safe
- •When to say "no" to AI suggestions
Present this seriously but not alarmingly. Goal is informed users, not scared users.
Lesson 14: Next Steps
Graduates users from lessons to independent usage. Includes:
- •Recap of key concepts
- •Resources for continued learning
- •Suggestions for customization
- •Community/support information
Notes
- •Keep lessons short (5-10 minutes each)
- •Make them practical, not theoretical
- •Encourage experimentation
- •Celebrate progress
- •Be patient with questions
- •Remember: learning happens by doing
Philosophy
"The best way to learn AI augmentation is to be augmented by AI while learning about AI augmentation."
Pro tip: If a user struggles with a concept, break it down further or demonstrate it live. There's no rush—understanding matters more than speed.