← All activities
Week 8 · Activity

Activity: Install Your Coding Agent

Install an AI coding agent, point it at your repository, and ask it your first question. Estimated time: 15 minutes.

Reading: the Using GitHub and AI chapter explains what an AI assistant is good at, and what to double-check.

📋 What to do

  1. Pick an agent. Any coding agent is fine. Compare your options in the agents comparison table. Most need a paid plan; GitHub Copilot is free for verified students.
  2. No paid plan? Use the free path. Follow the free path guide, which sets up OpenCode with a free Google AI Studio key. (That guide is being finalised this week; if the link does not open yet, the agents table in step 1 still works.)
  3. Install it and open your repo. Follow your chosen agent's install instructions. Then, in Git Bash, cd into the repository you cloned in the Open your repo on your computer activity. 
    cd path/to/your-repo
  4. Start the agent there and ask it one question: 
    What files are in this repo, and what is it for? Two sentences.
    Take a screenshot of the agent's answer.
  5. Never paste an API key into a chat, a file or a commit. Keys go only in the agent's own settings or an environment variable. Anything you commit to GitHub can be read by others.

📮 Submit

Submit on Canvas (1 pt) — graded on completion; your deadline is on the Canvas assignment. Submit a screenshot of the agent's answer.

Note: this page reproduces the activity instructions so you can find them again after class, and it is the version kept current — download links and helper links are updated right here. Submit on Canvas; the due date and your grade live there.