Pre-session check-in
Post a short check-in in Maven or the cohort WhatsApp group before Session 1 so we know who is set up and who needs help in office hours.
What to post
Post in Maven Student Home → General submissions, or share in the cohort WhatsApp group (WhatsApp is best for quick feedback).
**Pre-session check-in - [Your name]** • Coding agent: Cursor / Claude Code (delete one) • Python version: [paste output of python3 --version] • OpenAI: key created (key NOT shared) • Capstone seed: [one sentence on what you are building] • Blocker (if any): [specific error or "none"]
- Screenshot of your coding agent open on the project folder (proves install).
- Your capstone one-liner - or link to your full seed doc.
- Any blocker you could not fix after trying with your agent (we troubleshoot in office hours).
Critical
Why we ask for a check-in
Live sessions are builds, not install clinics. Students who post their setup early get unstuck before session; students who stay silent often lose the first hour to environment issues. You need your coding agent, GitHub account, and OpenAI API key ready. Python and FastAPI are good to have - we can help in session. We build POST /ask together in Session 1 - you do not need it working beforehand.
Suggestion: try the smoke test early (optional)
If you want a head start before Session 1, ask your coding agent to add a POST /ask endpoint that calls OpenAI once. Same shape as what we build live - totally optional, and skipping it does not put you behind.
In this project, add a POST /ask endpoint to my FastAPI app. It should read OPENAI_API_KEY from .env, accept JSON {"question": "..."}, call gpt-4o-mini once, and return {"answer": "...", "model": "gpt-4o-mini"}. Include python-dotenv, show me the curl command to test locally, and walk me through running it step by step.If you try it and get stuck, paste the error into your agent or bring it to office hours. If you skip it, we start from scratch in the session.
Done when
- You posted the check-in template in Maven or WhatsApp
- You can name which coding agent you are using
- Your capstone one-liner is included in your post
- Any blocker is posted (not silently stuck)
Share in Maven or WhatsApp: Your coding agent choice, Python version, capstone one-liner, and any blocker.
Go deeper (optional)