Project Discovery Skill

Analyze course transcripts (.srt files) to discover and catalog projects taught in the course. Produces a manifest file (project-findings.json) that can be used for immediate or future project generation.

When to Use

• Scanning a course to see what projects it contains
• Creating a catalog before deciding which projects to generate
• Preparing for batch processing of multiple courses
• Any request to analyze or discover projects from transcripts

Prerequisites

• Current working directory should be a course folder containing .srt files
• SRT files may be in the root or organized in module subfolders

Workflow

Step 1: Check/Create Progress Tracking

First, check for existing progress.json in the course root:

// Check states:
// 1. progress.json exists with status="complete" → Course already processed
// 2. progress.json exists with status="started" → Incomplete, restart
// 3. No progress.json → Fresh course, proceed

If status is "complete": Inform user the course was already processed. Ask if they want to re-run discovery.

If status is "started": Previous run was interrupted. Clean up any partial CODE/__CC_Projects/ folder and restart.

If no progress.json: Create it with status "started":

{
  "status": "started",
  "started_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "completed_at": null
}

Step 2: Locate SRT Files

Scan the course directory for all .srt files:

find . -name "*.srt" -type f | grep -v "CODE/" | sort

SRT files may be:

• Directly in course root: ./01_Intro.srt, ./02_Basics.srt
• In module subfolders: ./Module1/01_Setup.srt, ./Module2/03_Functions.srt

Collect all paths relative to course root.

Step 3: Analyze Transcripts Sequentially

Read each SRT file in sorted order (order matters for tracking project continuity).

For each file, analyze content to determine:

PROJECT STARTS when instructor:

• Introduces hands-on coding exercise
• Uses phrases: "let's build", "we'll create", "start a new project"
• Begins explaining application architecture
• Runs project initialization commands (npm init, create-react-app, etc.)

PROJECT CONTINUES when:

• Same application is being extended
• References previously written code
• Adds features to existing project
• Uses phrases: "continuing our", "back to our", "let's add to"

PROJECT ENDS when:

• Instructor wraps up: "that completes", "we've finished"
• Completely different topic/project begins
• Section ends with summary

SKIP (non-project content):

• Course introductions/welcomes
• Pure theory without coding
• Tool installation guides (unless project-specific)
• Summaries/conclusions
• Quizzes/assessments

Step 4: Build Project Manifest

For each discovered project, record:

Step 5: Write Manifest File

Create project-findings.json in course root:

{
  "course_path": "/absolute/path/to/course",
  "discovered_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "discovery_version": "1.0",
  "has_projects": true,
  "projects": [
    {
      "id": "proj_001",
      "name": "TodoApp",
      "synthesized_name": "Project_ReactTodoWithPersistence",
      "description": "A React todo application with local storage persistence",
      "source_srts": ["03_TodoApp_Part1.srt", "04_TodoApp_Part2.srt", "05_TodoApp_Part3.srt"],
      "tech_stack": ["React", "JavaScript", "CSS", "LocalStorage"],
      "complexity": "beginner",
      "generation_status": "not_started",
      "generated_at": null,
      "output_path": null
    },
    {
      "id": "proj_002",
      "name": "AuthSystem",
      "synthesized_name": "Project_ReactAuthWithJWT",
      "description": "JWT-based authentication system with refresh tokens",
      "source_srts": ["07_AuthPart1.srt", "08_AuthPart2.srt"],
      "tech_stack": ["React", "Node.js", "Express", "JWT", "MongoDB"],
      "complexity": "intermediate",
      "generation_status": "not_started",
      "generated_at": null,
      "output_path": null
    }
  ],
  "skipped_srts": [
    "01_Introduction.srt",
    "02_ReactBasics.srt",
    "06_StateTheory.srt",
    "09_Conclusion.srt"
  ],
  "no_project_reason": null
}

If no projects found:

{
  "course_path": "/absolute/path/to/course",
  "discovered_at": "2025-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "discovery_version": "1.0",
  "has_projects": false,
  "projects": [],
  "skipped_srts": ["all_files.srt"],
  "no_project_reason": "Course is purely conceptual with no hands-on coding projects"
}

Step 6: Report Results

After writing the manifest, present findings to user:

## Discovery Complete

**Course**: /path/to/ReactMasterclass
**Projects Found**: 2

### Project 1: TodoApp
- **Generated Name**: Project_ReactTodoWithPersistence
- **Description**: A React todo application with local storage persistence
- **Source Files**: 03_TodoApp_Part1.srt, 04_TodoApp_Part2.srt, 05_TodoApp_Part3.srt
- **Tech Stack**: React, JavaScript, CSS, LocalStorage
- **Complexity**: Beginner

### Project 2: AuthSystem
- **Generated Name**: Project_ReactAuthWithJWT
- **Description**: JWT-based authentication system with refresh tokens
- **Source Files**: 07_AuthPart1.srt, 08_AuthPart2.srt
- **Tech Stack**: React, Node.js, Express, JWT, MongoDB
- **Complexity**: Intermediate

**Skipped Files**: 01_Introduction.srt, 02_ReactBasics.srt, 06_StateTheory.srt, 09_Conclusion.srt

---

Manifest saved to: project-findings.json

To generate all projects, use the project-generator skill.
To generate specific projects, specify by name or ID.

Important Notes

DO NOT in Discovery Phase

• Create any project folders
• Generate any source code
• Write any files except progress.json and project-findings.json
• Modify or delete SRT files

Naming Convention for synthesized_name

Pattern: Project_[Framework][CoreFeature][Distinguisher]

Examples:

• Project_ReactTodoWithLocalStorage
• Project_NodeExpressRestAPI
• Project_PythonFlaskBlogAuth
• Project_VueEcommerceCart

Rules:

• Always prefix with Project_
• PascalCase throughout
• Primary framework/language first
• Main feature next
• Optional distinguisher for clarity
• Maximum 50 characters

Tech Stack Detection

Look for mentions of:

Complexity Assessment

Reference Files

See references/ folder for:

• discovery-patterns.md - Detailed patterns for identifying projects
• manifest-schema.md - Complete JSON schema for project-findings.json