Learn Zod
Welcome to Learn Zod! This course will teach you how to use AI to be more effective as a programmer. It's focused on developers writing software using AI models and tools — not on machine learning theory.
Understanding AI for Programming
To really use AI tools well, you need to have an understanding of how the models work, the different types of models, and what their limitations are.
Let me give you an analogy. Imagine you are trying to get across town. There are many different ways of transportation you could take:
- You could walk. It's free but will take longer.
- You could ride a bike. It costs some money, and is slightly faster.
- You could drive a car. It costs the most money, and is the fastest.
Similarly, let's imagine you are trying to build a software product. There are also many different ways to do this:
- You could write every line of code with no tools.
- You could use an IDE or other developer tooling.
- You could use AI tooling to accelerate your work.
I love this analogy because you are in control. Working with AI is a new type of programming. But if you don't have a good mental model for how AI works and its limitations, using AI can be a frustrating experience. This course will help you understand the foundations.
Working with Agents
Zod agents understand your codebase, plan changes, and implement them step by step. You describe what you want in natural language, and the agent handles the implementation while keeping you in control.
- Start a conversation with Cmd+K or Ctrl+K
- Use Plan Mode to scope changes before writing code
- Review diffs and approve or reject changes
- Iterate with the agent for refinements
Understanding Your Codebase
Zod automatically indexes your codebase to provide context-aware assistance. This means it understands your project structure, coding patterns, and dependencies.
- Ask questions about how code works
- Trace dependencies and data flow
- Find the right places to make changes
- Get context-aware code suggestions
Reviewing and Testing Code
Before any changes are applied, Zod shows you a complete diff. You have full control to accept, reject, or request modifications. This review cycle is at the heart of safe AI-assisted development.
- Inspect every changed line before applying
- Run tests and checks automatically
- Catch bugs and edge cases early
- Build confidence in AI-generated code