Student Setup Guide

Complete these steps before the lab begins. By the end, you will have your own private copy of the lab repository, dependencies installed, and Claude Code ready to go.

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Step 1: Create Your Private Repo from the Template

1. Open the template repository in your browser:

   https://github.com/airs-labs/prisma-airs-mlops-lab

2. Click the green "Use this template" button (top right, next to "Code").

3. Select "Create a new repository".

4. Configure your new repo (see screenshot below):

   • Include all branches: Toggle On -- this is required so you get both the lab branch (your workspace) and main branch (reference solutions)
   • Owner: Select airs-labs (the workshop organization)
   • Repository name: <your-name>-prisma-airs-mlops-lab (e.g., syoungberg-prisma-airs-mlops-lab)
   • Visibility: Select Private

5. Click "Create repository".

Why private? GitHub Secrets are repo-scoped. Your repo will contain GCP project IDs, AIRS credentials, and deployment configs specific to your environment. A public fork would expose these.

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Step 2: Clone and Switch to the Lab Branch

1. Clone your new private repo:

   git clone https://github.com/airs-labs/<your-name>-prisma-airs-mlops-lab.git
   cd <your-name>-prisma-airs-mlops-lab

2. Switch to the lab branch:

   git checkout lab

   The lab branch is your working branch. It has the pipeline structure in place but AIRS scanning is not yet integrated -- that is what you will build during the workshop.

   The main branch contains the completed reference implementation. You can compare against it anytime with git diff lab..main.

3. Install Python dependencies:

   uv sync

   If you don't have uv installed: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh then restart your terminal.

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Step 3: Launch Claude Code

1. Open Claude Code in the repo directory:

   claude

   Claude has been pre-configured as your lab mentor through the CLAUDE.md file in the repo root. It knows the codebase, paces its explanations, and uses Socratic questioning to guide you.

2. Start the lab by typing:

   /lab:module 0

   Module 0 walks you through verifying your GCP project, GitHub CLI, and AIRS credentials. Claude will also help you connect your repo to the template for receiving instructor updates.

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Quick Reference

Command	What It Does
/lab:module N	Start or resume module N
/lab:verify-N	Run verification checks for module N
/lab:hint	Get a progressive hint for your current challenge
/lab:explore TOPIC	Deep-dive into a concept
/lab:quiz	Test your understanding
/lab:progress	See your completion dashboard

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Resuming Work Between Sessions

When you come back to the lab after closing your terminal or starting a new day:

Step 1: Pull Instructor Updates

Before starting Claude Code, pull any changes the instructor has pushed. Open a terminal in your repo directory and paste this prompt into Claude:

cd <your-name>-prisma-airs-mlops-lab
claude

Check if I have an "upstream" remote pointing to airs-labs/prisma-airs-mlops-lab.
If not, add it. Then fetch upstream and merge upstream/lab into my current branch.
If there are merge conflicts on lab/.progress.json or .github/pipeline-config.yaml,
keep my version (--ours) since those have my personal config. For everything else,
take upstream's version (--theirs).

Claude will handle the git commands and resolve any conflicts automatically.

Step 2: Restart Your Lab Session

If upstream changes updated CLAUDE.md or any lab files, Claude needs to pick up those changes. Exit and restart Claude Code so it reads the latest instructions:

/exit

claude

Step 3: Pick Up Where You Left Off

Your progress is saved in lab/.progress.json, so Claude knows exactly where you are. Run:

/lab:progress

This shows your completion dashboard — which modules are done, your points, and any blockers. Then resume your current module:

/lab:module N

Replace N with whatever module you were on. Claude will read your progress file and continue from where you left off.

Why not /resume?

/resume recovers your previous conversation but keeps the old CLAUDE.md instructions. After pulling instructor updates, a fresh session ensures Claude is working with the latest lab content. Your progress isn't lost — it's all in .progress.json.

Manual steps (if you prefer to do it yourself)

Add the upstream remote (first time only):

git remote add upstream https://github.com/airs-labs/prisma-airs-mlops-lab.git

Pull changes:

git fetch upstream
git merge upstream/lab --no-edit

If you get a merge conflict on lab/.progress.json or .github/pipeline-config.yaml — keep your version (these have your personal config):

git checkout --ours lab/.progress.json .github/pipeline-config.yaml
git add lab/.progress.json .github/pipeline-config.yaml
git commit --no-edit

For conflicts in other files (lab guides, code, workflows), take the instructor's version:

git checkout --theirs path/to/file
git add path/to/file
git commit --no-edit

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
"Use this template" button not visible	Make sure you are signed into GitHub and have been added to the airs-labs org
lab branch doesn't exist after clone	You missed "Include all branches" during template creation -- delete the repo, recreate with the toggle on
uv: command not found	Install uv: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh and restart your terminal
claude: command not found	Install Claude Code: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Claude doesn't seem to know about the lab	Make sure you're in the repo directory and on the lab branch -- Claude reads CLAUDE.md from the repo root
Merge conflict on lab/.progress.json	Keep your version: git checkout --ours lab/.progress.json && git add lab/.progress.json && git commit --no-edit
upstream remote not found	Add it: git remote add upstream https://github.com/airs-labs/prisma-airs-mlops-lab.git