--- title: "Coding project coach" type: "skill" url: "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/coding-project-coach" updated: "2026-10-28" first_published: "2026-10-25" job: "Study and check your understanding" tested: true licence: "MIT" source: "https://github.com/yugash007/edu-agent-skills/tree/e75f44303570bb2eae37a8f7536c0358be2502ee/skills/projects/build-with-me" instructions: "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/coding-project-coach/SKILL.md" --- # Coding project coach > Learn to code by building a real project. Your AI sets small milestones, gives hints and checks your code, and you write every line yourself. Describe the project you want to learn by building, your level and your tools. It breaks the work into small milestones and explains the choices. You write the code, get hints and feedback, and pass each check before moving on. Free skill for the job "Study and check your understanding" · Level: beginner · Thinking: medium · Tested · Updated 2026-10-28 ## Links - Page: https://useaiblocks.com/skills/coding-project-coach - Instructions (SKILL.md): https://useaiblocks.com/skills/coding-project-coach/SKILL.md - All files (zip): https://useaiblocks.com/skills/coding-project-coach.zip - JSON version: https://useaiblocks.com/skills/coding-project-coach.json - In your AI: connect https://useaiblocks.com/mcp and ask "Use AI Blocks to get coding-project-coach" ## What it does Most people learn to code faster by building a real project than by reading about one. This coach keeps the typing yours. It explains why each design choice is made, gives hints instead of answers, and lets you move on only when a milestone's check passes. Feedback comes as what went well, what to fix and what to try next. ## What you give it - Your project goal, technical tools and current level. - The existing code and your time or resource limits. ## What you get - A small milestone plan with clear checks. - Hints and design explanations for the current step. - Feedback on the code you wrote. ## Example: what goes in and what comes out ### What goes in - Your project goal in one sentence - Your current level and the tools or languages you use - Your existing code or repo (optional) - Your time limits or resources (optional) ### What comes out - **Project scope and milestones**: Your goal restated as a result you can check, split into three to five milestones, each with a pass check. - **Basic design**: A small design for the project, with the reason behind each main choice and a question for you on the trade-offs. - **Current milestone**: What to build now, hints on how to approach it, and what to avoid. - **Acceptance check**: The test your code must pass before you move to the next milestone. - **Coaching feedback**: Feedback on the code you wrote: what worked, what to fix, and what to try to grow. - **Next milestone preview**: A short look at the next step, shown once the current check is met. ## Skip it when - You want the full code written for you: ask your AI to write it directly, since this coach only gives hints and feedback. - You are stuck on one bug and have no project: paste the error and the code into a chat and ask your AI to help you find the cause. - You need a concept explained before you can start: ask your AI to teach the idea first, then come back to build. ## How to use it 1. Open a chat in Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini and paste in the skill instructions. No code running or paid tool is needed. 2. Send your first message: your goal in one sentence, your level, your tools, how much time you have each week, and your code if you have any. 3. Agree on the milestones, then build the first one yourself. Paste your code back when you think it passes the check. 4. Read the feedback and fix what it points out. Ask for a hint if you are stuck, not for the full answer. 5. Move on only when the check passes. If you hit a bug, share the error and what you tried, and the coach will guide you to the cause. 6. After the last milestone passes, ask for a final review of the finished project and a short README. ## What to do next - [Study gap tracker](https://useaiblocks.com/skills/study-gap-tracker): Study gap tracker - [Learning session handover writer](https://useaiblocks.com/skills/learning-session-handoff): Learning session handover writer - [Project-based unit brief writer](https://useaiblocks.com/skills/project-based-unit-brief-writer): Project-based unit brief writer ## Sources and credits - From edu-agent-skills contributors: https://github.com/yugash007/edu-agent-skills/tree/e75f44303570bb2eae37a8f7536c0358be2502ee/skills/projects/build-with-me, shared under the MIT licence (original name: build-with-me). - [build-with-me skill](https://github.com/yugash007/edu-agent-skills/tree/e75f44303570bb2eae37a8f7536c0358be2502ee/skills/projects/build-with-me), edu-agent-skills contributors: Copied under the MIT licence. We gave it a plain name. We added Before you start and After this sections that link to other AI Blocks steps. ## Instructions (SKILL.md) ## Purpose Coach a learner through building a real project milestone by milestone. Preserve learner ownership — they write the code and make the decisions; the agent provides structured guidance, architecture rationale, and debugging coaching. ## Activation - Learner is building a feature, system, or project and needs implementation coaching. Project scope is defined enough to break into milestones. Learner asks "how should I implement this?" or "help me build this." - **Skip if**: learner needs a concept explained first → teach the idea in a normal chat, then come back. Learner is stuck on a specific bug and has no project → help them find the cause in a normal chat. Learner wants a full code solution without learning → decline the skill's teaching framing. - **Routing**: no other skills are needed. For the design phase, review the architecture with the learner yourself. For bugs, coach them through the cause. At completion, review the finished project yourself. If the learner works in an existing repo they have not mapped, help them map it first. ## Inputs - Project/feature goal, learner level, tech stack, existing codebase context, known constraints (time, resources). ## Workflow 1. **Scope** — Restate the goal as a measurable outcome. Break into 3–5 milestones with clear acceptance criteria. Get learner buy-in. 2. **Architecture** — Outline minimal architecture. Explain rationale for each major decision. Ask learner to identify tradeoffs. 3. **Build (per milestone)** — Coach one milestone at a time. Provide: what to implement, hints on approach, and what to avoid. Learner writes the code; agent reviews and coaches. Include an acceptance check per milestone. 4. **Debug** — When learner hits bugs: switch to hypothesis-driven debugging. Require evidence gathering before fixes. 5. **Review** — At milestone completion: review code quality, design adherence, and learning outcomes. Use Praise-Critique-Grow: what went well, what to fix, and what to try next. 6. **Iterate** — After milestone review: proceed to next milestone or adjust scope based on learner progress. ## Rules - DO: learner writes all code — agent coaches, doesn't generate full solutions. - DO: one milestone at a time — don't dump the full implementation. - DO: include acceptance criteria per milestone. - DO: explain *why* before *how* for architecture decisions. - DON'T: generate complete project code in one response. - DON'T: skip architecture rationale — learner needs to understand decisions, not just follow instructions. - DON'T: fix bugs directly — coach through hypothesis-driven debugging. - DON'T: continue to next milestone if current milestone's acceptance criteria aren't met. ## Output Responses should contain: project scope + milestones, current milestone focus (what to build, approach hints, pitfalls), acceptance criteria, coaching feedback (Praise-Critique-Grow), and next milestone preview. Format naturally. ## Checklist - [ ] Milestones defined with acceptance criteria. - [ ] Learner writes code; agent coaches. - [ ] Architecture rationale explained before implementation. - [ ] Debugging coached through hypothesis-driven approach. ### Before you start Use the material below to do this job. If facts or tool access are missing, explain what you can finish and what must wait. **What you need** (use your own material or the linked skill): - **A codebase** (yours): a project's code, in a folder or repo the AI can open. - **Your question** (yours): the decision or problem, and what a good outcome looks like. How to start: 1. **Look first.** Use what they've already attached, pasted or put in their about-me note. In a coding assistant with file access, look in the project too for these by name. 2. **Check what's missing.** Look for a codebase, your question. They can attach files, paste the details, or share a file path your assistant can read. Ask only for missing facts that change the result. If they ask you to start with what they have, complete the parts you can and mark the gaps. 3. **Do the job.** Follow the skill below with the facts and tools you have. Mark each gap with `MISSING:` where it belongs and never invent a fact to fill it. ### After this When you've handed it back, suggest what they could do next in one short question. It's a suggestion: if they're done, that's fine. Offer these, and say they can type their own: - The [Study gap tracker](https://useaiblocks.com/skills/study-gap-tracker). It takes the document. - The [Learning session handover writer](https://useaiblocks.com/skills/learning-session-handoff). It takes the document. - The [Project-based unit brief writer](https://useaiblocks.com/skills/project-based-unit-brief-writer). It takes the plan. If they pick one and that skill is added here, carry straight on with what you just made. If not, give the link and say what to bring.