That app you keep thinking about? You can start small. FirstShip is your complete guided course for building a small first version with an AI coding tool—a clear path, practical lessons, and a little guidance.
No installation. No account. Start right in your browser.
View the Devpost submission
FirstShip is your learning space. Codex is where you build. A simple loop keeps you moving between them with purpose.
“A complete app for taking care of all my plants.”
Add a plant, record when you watered it, and see your recent entries.
Tell your coach what you want to build. Choose one audience, one main task, and a clear way to know it works.
Understand the next step, copy a prompt tailored to your project, and build in your separate coding tool.
Check the result yourself and note what happened. If you’re stuck, turn the problem into a focused next step.
Ten practical tasks, shaped around your project.
Every day is
open from the start.
Shape your idea, meet your coding partner, and open your first screen.
A small plan + a running appBuild the main screen and make one intentional change you understand.
Your own screenMake the main action work, then handle an empty or missing input.
One useful workflowTry real examples and practice describing and checking a focused fix.
Evidence it worksPolish the first version, prepare a walkthrough, and reflect on your progress.
Your first “I made this”Take five days, a weekend, or a little longer. Your next step will be here.
Every task helps you understand what you’re asking for—and how to tell whether it worked.
A short explanation, a project-specific prompt, and an expected result. You learn how to ask clearly instead of copying words you don’t understand.
Finish with hands-on checks and a short reflection. Progress is confirmed by you, not automatically graded.
Describe what you tried, what you expected, and what actually happened. Your coach helps you take a clearer question back to Codex.
Get a suggested next step, a focused troubleshooting prompt, and a way to check the result.
Your coach cannot inspect your local code or run your app. You stay in charge of checking the advice.
Pick up your journey on the same browser. Revisit a lesson, keep your later ideas, or download a summary of your plan and reflections.
Progress is stored in your browser. It does not sync between devices. Download your summary to keep a separate copy.
Start your complete five-day course online. Bring your own idea, make a small plan, and follow practical steps to build in your AI coding tool. No installation or account needed.
Try FirstShip now# Install the app’s dependencies
npm ci
# Start your learning space
npm run devPrefer your own local copy? These commands need Node.js and the FirstShip source code. The online course needs neither.
Read the complete setup guideClear expectations make a better beginning.
FirstShip coaches you through the process. You build your app in a separate AI coding tool, such as Codex, using prompts and checks from your learning plan. FirstShip does not control Codex or edit your project files.
No. FirstShip is designed for people with little or no coding experience, and the online learning space opens in your browser. To build your own app, you will still need access to a separate coding tool such as Codex and time to try the steps yourself.
Yes. Describe your idea and who it helps. FirstShip suggests a smaller first version with one useful workflow, a definition of done, and a list of features to save for later. You can edit the plan before approving it.
No. All five days are available from the start. Five days is a suggested learning rhythm, not a calendar lock or a guarantee that every idea takes the same amount of time.
Structured lessons turn your own idea into an editable plan, then guide you through ten tasks with project-specific prompts, expected results, and checklists. When you are stuck, an error-report exercise helps you describe the problem and take a focused prompt to Codex. AI coding happens in your separate tool; FirstShip does not inspect your code or automatically grade it.
Your plan, checks, and reflections stay in the browser you use. There is no account or cross-device sync. Download a summary to keep a separate copy. FirstShip’s planning and troubleshooting guidance run in your browser without sending your course answers to an AI provider. Remove secrets and private information before sharing anything with an external coding tool or service.
You don’t have to know everything.
You just need a first step.