Module 1: Learn Git (The Basics)

Goal: Learn enough git to save your work, track changes, and collaborate. You need this before everything else.

What you need to know first

Git is a tool that tracks every change you make to your code. Think of it like "Track Changes" in Google Docs, but for code files. It lets you:

• Save snapshots of your project (called commits) that you can go back to
• Work on new features without messing up what already works (called branches)
• Put your code online so others can see it (using GitHub)

Why this matters for agentic coding: The AI will modify your files constantly. Sometimes it breaks things. Git lets you undo those changes instantly instead of trying to remember what the code looked like before.

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Lab 1: Your First Repository

Estimated AI conversations: 0 (this one's all you)

1. Install git (if not already installed):

   • Mac: Open Terminal, type git --version. If it's not installed, it'll prompt you to install it.
   • Windows: Download from git-scm.com

2. Configure git (one-time setup):

   git config --global user.name "Your Name"
   git config --global user.email "your.aggie.email@tamu.edu"
   

3. Initialize your project:

   • Go to your project folder:
     • Mac/Linux/PowerShell: cd ~/Projects/study-tracker
     • Windows Command Prompt: cd %USERPROFILE%\Projects\study-tracker
   • Initialize git:

     git init                        # turn this folder into a git repo
     

4. Create your first file and commit it:

   • Create a file called README.md (you can do this in VS Code, or run echo # Study Tracker > README.md in terminal).
   • Commit the file:

     git add README.md               # stage the file (tell git you want to save it)
     git commit -m "Initial commit"  # save the snapshot with a message
     

5. Put it on GitHub:

   • Go to github.com, sign in, click "New repository"
   • Name it study-tracker, keep it public, don't check "Add a README" (you already have one)
   • Follow the "push an existing repository" instructions GitHub gives you

6. Practice the daily workflow — create a file called notes.txt, write anything in it, then:

   git add notes.txt
   git commit -m "Add notes file"
   git push
   

7. Learn to undo — this is the most important part:

   # See what changed since your last commit
   git status
   
   # See the actual changes line-by-line
   git diff
   
   # Undo all changes since the last commit (CAREFUL: this erases uncommitted work)
   git checkout -- .
   
   # Go back to a previous commit to see what the code looked like
   git log --oneline          # see your commit history (shows list of hashes + messages)
   
   # ⚠️ Replace '<commit-hash>' with a real 7-character hash from your log output (e.g., git checkout a1b2c3d)
   git checkout <commit-hash> # go to that snapshot (read-only)
   
   git checkout main          # come back to the present (or 'master' if your main branch is named master)
   

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Git commands you need (and nothing else, for now)

Command	What it does
git init	Start tracking a folder
git add <file>	Stage a file for saving
git add .	Stage everything that changed
git commit -m "message"	Save a snapshot
git push	Upload to GitHub
git pull	Download from GitHub
git status	See what changed
git diff	See the actual changes
git log --oneline	See commit history
git checkout -- .	Undo all uncommitted changes

You don't need to learn branches, merging, rebasing, or anything else right now. That stuff matters for teams. You're working solo (pun intended). Just commit often, push daily, and know how to undo.