/scaffold-exercises

name: scaffold-exercises
description: Create exercise directory structures with sections, problems, solutions, and explainers that pass linting. Use when user wants to scaffold exercises, create exercise stubs, or set up a new course section.
source_repo: "mattpocock/skills"
source_url: "https://github.com/mattpocock/skills"
source_license: "MIT"
origin: aggregated
language: en

Scaffold Exercises

Create exercise directory structures that pass `pnpm ai-hero-cli internal lint`, then commit with `git commit`.

Directory naming

• **Sections**: `XX-section-name/` inside `exercises/` (e.g., `01-retrieval-skill-building`)
• **Exercises**: `XX.YY-exercise-name/` inside a section (e.g., `01.03-retrieval-with-bm25`)
• Section number = `XX`, exercise number = `XX.YY`
• Names are dash-case (lowercase, hyphens)

Exercise variants

Each exercise needs at least one of these subfolders:

• `problem/` - student workspace with TODOs
• `solution/` - reference implementation
• `explainer/` - conceptual material, no TODOs

When stubbing, default to `explainer/` unless the plan specifies otherwise.

Required files

Each subfolder (`problem/`, `solution/`, `explainer/`) needs a `readme.md` that:

• Is **not empty** (must have real content, even a single title line works)
• Has no broken links

When stubbing, create a minimal readme with a title and a description:

# Exercise Title

Description here

If the subfolder has code, it also needs a `main.ts` (>1 line). But for stubs, a readme-only exercise is fine.

Workflow

1. **Parse the plan** - extract section names, exercise names, and variant types 2. **Create directories** - `mkdir -p` for each path 3. **Create stub readmes** - one `readme.md` per variant folder with a title 4. **Run lint** - `pnpm ai-hero-cli internal lint` to validate 5. **Fix any errors** - iterate until lint passes

Lint rules summary

The linter (`pnpm ai-hero-cli internal lint`) checks:

• Each exercise has subfolders (`problem/`, `solution/`, `explainer/`)
• At least one of `problem/`, `explainer/`, or `explainer.1/` exists
• `readme.md` exists and is non-empty in the primary subfolder
• No `.gitkeep` files
• No `speaker-notes.md` files
• No broken links in readmes
• No `pnpm run exercise` commands in readmes
• `main.ts` required per subfolder unless it's readme-only

Moving/renaming exercises

When renumbering or moving exercises:

1. Use `git mv` (not `mv`) to rename directories - preserves git history 2. Update the numeric prefix to maintain order 3. Re-run lint after moves

Example:

git mv exercises/01-retrieval/01.03-embeddings exercises/01-retrieval/01.04-embeddings

Example: stubbing from a plan

Given a plan like:

Section 05: Memory Skill Building
- 05.01 Introduction to Memory
- 05.02 Short-term Memory (explainer + problem + solution)
- 05.03 Long-term Memory

Create:

mkdir -p exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.01-introduction-to-memory/explainer
mkdir -p exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/{explainer,problem,solution}
mkdir -p exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.03-long-term-memory/explainer

Then create readme stubs:

exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.01-introduction-to-memory/explainer/readme.md -> "# Introduction to Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/explainer/readme.md -> "# Short-term Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/problem/readme.md -> "# Short-term Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.02-short-term-memory/solution/readme.md -> "# Short-term Memory"
exercises/05-memory-skill-building/05.03-long-term-memory/explainer/readme.md -> "# Long-term Memory"