The Checklist

The spec, six setup ticks, the template, then five deliverables before you start the next lesson.

Self-pacedTicks save on this device

The order is the rule

Spec before setup. Setup before template. Template on localhost before any link. Do not skip ahead; each stage is how you find out the previous one actually worked.

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Overalleverything on this page

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The specStage 0

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SetupStage 1

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The templateStage 2

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The linkStage 3 · optional

1Stage 0: The Spec do this first

How you know it is done

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North Star writtenTimeline, role, scale, specific thing. A stranger could verify it.
Observation from lived experienceSomething you watched happen, or do yourself every week (Track B).
HypothesisOne sentence that can fail. If automated X, then user gets Y.
One named userA real person, or you (Track B). Not a segment.
At least one golden input and output pairProduced by doing the task manually. Both written out in full.
VerifierWritten criteria for what makes the output good. Who or what checks it.

2Stage 1: Setup six ticks

Commands for

The test for each tick

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1 · Python installed (download)python --versionpython3 --version prints a number
2 · An IDE installedVS Code or Cursor opened once
3 · Folder + app.pyFolder open in the IDE, app.py visible in the sidebar
4 · pip install gradiopip3 install gradioEnds with Successfully installed gradio
5 · python app.pypython3 app.py runsTerminal prints http://127.0.0.1:7860 and the browser shows the app
6 · Error log startedA text file with: error text, what you tried, what fixed it

Step-by-step with the Hello World code: build guide, section 7. Errors: build guide, section 9.

3Stage 2: The Template

The test for each item

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Hello World ranType a name, get Hello name back
Chat template ran unchangedClick the example, get Aarav's plan back; type hi, get the follow-up question
Your golden input pasted inGOLDEN_INPUT is your text
Your golden output pasted inGOLDEN_OUTPUT is your text
Trigger word changedThe if statement looks for a word that always appears in your golden input
Screenshot takenBrowser showing your golden output in the chat

The template, and a form that fills in your three changes: build guide, section 8.

4Stage 3: The Link optional for now

Notes

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Hugging Face account created todayRequired for everyone. The 30-day clock starts now.
Space created (if account is 30+ days old)New Space: Gradio SDK, blank, ZeroGPU, paste app.py, commit
Link opened on your phoneIf it opens on a different device, it is live

5Before the Next Lesson

Five deliverables

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Write your one-page specBefore you start the next lesson. Track B counts.
Save a localhost screenshot and your error logKeep them next to your spec.
Create a Hugging Face account today
Run the task manually for 2 to 5 real usersOr for yourself, five times, if Track B. Write down the inputs and outputs you produced; those are your golden pairs.
Finish the Big Binary Python prerequisiteIf any line of the template was unreadable to you.

What comes next

The next lesson, Block 1 · Week 2 · The second interface: APIs, adds the LLM API call to the template.

6How to Ask for Help

Check Troubleshooting first. If the fix is not there, ask a peer, a forum or an AI assistant, and give them everything they need in one message.

A good help post has exactly three parts, in this order

Error (exact text) What I tried Screenshot

Then paste it wherever you ask for help

help post · preview

Stuck longer than 20 minutes: ask.Pair with another first-time coder; swap screens. Do not sit on it.