Environment Setup

Practical Exercise 1

Hands-On

Configure your AI development environment for AIDD

2026 WayUp

Practical Objectives

1

Install and configure an AI-powered IDE

2

Set up API keys and authentication

3

Create a project structure with vision.md

4

Verify your setup works end-to-end

Task 1: Install AI-Powered IDE

Choose and install ONE of these IDEs:

  • Cursor (Recommended) - cursor.com - Built for AI collaboration
  • VS Code + Copilot - Install GitHub Copilot extension
  • Windsurf - codeium.com/windsurf - Free tier available

Verification

Open the IDE, create a new file, and type a comment like // Calculate factorial. The AI should suggest code completions.

Task 2: Configure API Keys

Set up Claude API access:

  1. Go to console.anthropic.com and create an account
  2. Generate an API key in Settings → API Keys
  3. Store securely (environment variable or secure vault)
# Add to your shell profile (.bashrc, .zshrc, or PowerShell profile)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-..."

# Or for Windows (PowerShell)
$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-api03-..."

# Verify it's set
echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
Security: Never commit API keys to git. Use .env files with .gitignore.

Task 3: Create Project Structure

Create a new AIDD project:

mkdir aidd-practice
cd aidd-practice
git init
# Create the directory structure
aidd-practice/
├── vision.md           # Project north star
├── docs/
│   ├── adr/           # Architecture decisions
│   └── specs/         # Feature specifications
├── src/               # Source code
├── tests/             # Test files
├── .env.example       # Environment template
└── .gitignore         # Git ignore rules

Task 4: Create vision.md

Create your first vision document:

Use this template as a starting point. Customize for your practice project.

# Task Manager API - Project Vision

## Overview
A simple REST API for managing personal tasks.
Focus: Learning AIDD methodology with a real project.

## Target Audience
- Single user (yourself)
- Learning-focused, not production

## Primary Goals
1. Implement CRUD operations for tasks
2. Practice TDD with AI assistance
3. Learn the AIDD workflow

## Non-Goals
- NO authentication (single user)
- NO frontend (API only)
- NO deployment (local only)

## Tech Stack
- Python 3.12 + FastAPI
- SQLite (simple, no setup)
- pytest for testing

## Constraints
- Keep it simple: one file to start
- Focus on learning, not features

Task 5: Verify Your Setup

Test the full workflow:

  • Open your project in the AI IDE
  • Ask AI: "Read vision.md and suggest the first task to implement"
  • Verify AI responds with relevant suggestions
  • Create a simple test file and run pytest
# Create a simple test to verify pytest works
# tests/test_setup.py

def test_setup_works():
    """Verify the testing environment is configured."""
    assert True

# Run: pytest tests/

Deliverables Checklist

IDE Setup

  • AI IDE installed
  • Code completions working
  • Chat/prompt interface accessible

API Access

  • API key generated
  • Stored in environment variable
  • Not committed to git

Project Structure

  • Git repository initialized
  • Directory structure created
  • .gitignore configured

Documentation

  • vision.md created
  • docs/ folder structure
  • pytest running successfully

Setup Complete!

Your AI development environment is ready

Next: Practical 2 - Your First AIDD Project

2026 WayUp - way-up.io

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