Level 3½ · The Workshop — the lesson
The Workshop (IDE)
The IDE is the workshop where the files live. Judge any AI in it by two dials: what it can **see**, and what it can **touch**.
The line No coding needed. The one real skill here — reading a change before you accept it — anyone can learn.
The model IDE — feel all three modes
A toy editor. Nothing is real; every mode is safe to play with.
The GitHub board — push · pull · merge
Two copies of the same project. Move commits between them.
push⬇
pull
Do it now — 4 small steps
One step = one paste into Claude (the mobile app is perfect). Your progress saves on this device.
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Step 1 of 4 · Play the model IDE
Feel three reaches in 30 seconds.
Use the model IDE above: accept a ghost hint (Tab), ask the chat about a line, then run the agent and read its diff.
You should see: The same 'AI' feeling different at each reach.
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Step 2 of 4 · Play the GitHub board
Watch code travel between your laptop and the cloud.
Use the GitHub board above: commit, push, have a teammate push, then pull to merge.
You should see: Push, pull and merge, made concrete.
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Step 3 of 4 · Install Claude Code
The real thing is five minutes.
VS Code (or JetBrains): Extensions → search "Claude Code" → install & sign in. No project? A folder with one file is enough.
You should see: A Claude panel inside your editor.
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Step 4 of 4 · Take one real diff
Brief → work → verify: the whole craft.
Make one small change to this file: [say what]. Show it as a diff and explain each edit in one line before I accept.
You should see: Red lines out, green in — and you, reading before you accept.
The ideas behind the steps — tap a takeaway to unpack it.
The two dials
Takeaway Rate any IDE AI by what it sees and what it touches.
| Mode | Sees | Touches |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost text | around your cursor | nothing |
| Chat panel | your selection | nothing |
| Agent (Claude Code) | the whole project | files & commands |
More reach — never more IQ.
Ghost text
Takeaway Autocomplete finishes your sentence — you own the meaning.
The grey autocomplete is the model guessing the next tokens. Accept the boring; type the important.
Chat panel
Takeaway IDE chat is Ask with the context dial pre-filled.
It's Level 1 Ask, in the editor — select code and the context is free. It drafts; you paste.
Agent — Claude Code
Takeaway The agent does the work; your job is reading diffs.
Give it a goal. It reads the project, edits files, runs tests, and hands you a diff. You read it, then accept or reject.
GitHub — the shared save
Takeaway Commit save · push up · pull down · merge combine.
GitHub holds the shared cloud copy of the project. Commit = save a version on your laptop · push = upload it · pull = download others' · merge = combine two people's changes. Play the board below.
Is this the right level for your task?
You're in the editor. What does the moment call for?
Pick the closest match — you'll get a verdict.
The capstone — the whole level in one prompt
Paste into the chat panel once an assistant is installed — it teaches all three modes against your own project.
You're my IDE tutor. I'm [engineer / analyst / curious non-coder]. Teach me the three modes — ghost text, chat panel, agent — one at a time: what each sees, what each touches, and when to reach for it. Then set me one tiny exercise per mode using [my project / a scratch folder], and finish by teaching me to read a diff before accepting it.
Self-check
✓ You've got this level. On to Level 4: Orchestrate →
You've leveled up when…
You're ready when grey text feels like a junior's guess, not magic — and your thumb waits over 'accept' until your eyes have walked the diff.
Next: Orchestrate (L4) — one agent becomes a team, and the workshop becomes a department.
Next · Level 4: Orchestrate →