E3a · Run the example
10 minClone INTELECTO, go into exemplo-jarvis, and run the tests and smoke.py.
Done when: All 9 tests pass, and the smoke test shows the DB line with the name.
Lesson 4 · 20 min
Build without coding: you choose, the agent builds, the test confirms
You don't write code. You choose the ingredients on a page, like at a grocery store, export a list, and ask Claude Code or Codex to build it by following the INTELECTO construction plan. Then you check it with tests and a conversation in the terminal, before connecting it to Telegram.
Start lesson
In this lesson, you will
- 1The grocery store and the meu-assistente.md brief
- 2Why the list alone isn’t enough: the build plan
- 3The one-sentence build request
- 4Prove it with tests and a conversation in the terminal
Goal: generate the brief at the grocery store, ask the coding agent to build it with tests, and check the core with tests and a conversation.
01The five-step path
Click each block. The agent does the heavy lifting.
Click each block in the diagram to see what it does.
Start small: a few ingredients, passing tests, then grow. You can go back to the grocery store and add more.
02Each step, and what to check
Click each step.
1. Choose a few
For a first Jarvis, the installation video chose eight: personality file, Telegram bot, WhatsApp, memory with SQLite search, encrypted secrets vault, list of forbidden commands, scheduling, and skills.
You can start with less: personality, Telegram, memory, and vault.
Done when
Your cart has 4 to 8 items, and you can explain what each one does.
2. Export and bring together
Export the brief for Claude Code and download meu-assistente.md. Clone the INTELECTO repository and put the brief inside the folder.
What the tests revealed: the list alone isn’t enough. What makes the build work is the pointer to doc/intelecto.md.
In the folder
intelecto/ with doc/intelecto.md, reference-repos/, and your meu-assistente.md.
3. Ask for tests
First ask for the plan: the agent reads everything and returns the files, order, and questions (Docker or direct install? OpenRouter or Ollama? Which model?). Reply in Portuguese.
Once you approve the plan, ask it to build with tests. Approve each command it wants to run only when you understand what it does.
If it makes a mistake
Describe the problem in Portuguese and ask it to fix it. This cycle is normal and expected.
4. Prove it
Run the tests. Then chat in the terminal: "remember my name is ...", followed by "what's my name?".
The last line of the example shows the name saved in the database: proof that it isn't fixed text, and that memory and the loop work together.
Done when
All tests pass, and the name appears on the DB line.
03The commands and the request
Run these in the terminal, from your projects folder.
Terminal · download INTELECTO
git clone https://github.com/inematds/intelecto.git cd intelecto # copy here the meu-assistente.md that the grocery store downloaded
Request 1 · the plan first
Read meu-assistente.md and the plan in doc/intelecto.md. Before writing code, give me the plan: files, order, and decisions that depend on me. Use my identity (SOUL, AGENTS, USER, and MEMORY in workspace/).
Request 2 · build with tests
Plan approved. Build my assistant in Python, with tests, following the contracts in doc/intelecto.md. The Telegram bot replies only to my user. Never put secrets in the code. When you're done, run the tests and show me the results.
Terminal · prove the repository example
cd exemplo-jarvis python3 -m unittest discover -s . -p 'test_*.py' -v python3 smoke.py
Repository example
USER : remember my name is Nei JARVIS: Your name is Nei. USER : what's my name? JARVIS: Your name is Nei. DB : ['Meu nome é Nei']
The DB line proves that the name was saved in SQLite; it didn't come from fixed text.
- Memory: save → search → forget.
- A full loop round: the test model requests a tool, and the loop runs it and responds.
- The blocklist blocks the dangerous command and allows the safe one.
- Settings can be saved and loaded without losing anything.
- The context includes SOUL and USER.
04Practice: build and prove it
Exercise E3 from sequence 2, following the path the repository actually uses.
E3b · Your brief
15 minAt the grocery store, select 4 to 8 ingredients and export meu-assistente.md to the INTELECTO folder.
Done when: The file is in the folder, and you noted the reason for each ingredient in your meu-jarvis.md.
E3c · Your Jarvis, built
1 hrCopy your workspace/ folder from lesson 2 into the project, make requests 1 and 2, and follow along with the agent.
Done when: The tests pass, and in the terminal conversation, it replies with the name and style you defined.
In the original exercise, the step is ./start.sh. In today's repository, the path is: brief + plan + agent builds. The setup assistant is one of the pieces the plan says to build.
05The installation video
From the grocery store to an assistant that replies, with the whole process on screen.
INTELECTO: install your Jarvis · 5 min 55 secVideo page with script →
06Test what you learned
The explanation appears after your answer.
Question 1 of 3
Why give the agent meu-assistente.md along with doc/intelecto.md?competency
Correct
Validating the example revealed this: the brief alone is a router, not a recipe. The plan's contracts make each piece implementable.Not this one
Validating the example revealed this: the brief alone is a router, not a recipe. The plan's contracts make each piece implementable.Review: Each step, and what to checkQuestion 2 of 3
The agent finished and said "done." What's the proof it works?
Correct
You don’t need to understand every line; you need the test. The DB line in the smoke test shows that the fact was actually saved.Not this one
You don’t need to understand every line; you need the test. The DB line in the smoke test shows that the fact was actually saved.Review: The commands and the requestQuestion 3 of 3
What’s the right way to get started?
Correct
The grocery store lets you come back and add more. What you can’t do is debug 40 pieces at the same time.Not this one
The grocery store lets you come back and add more. What you can’t do is debug 40 pieces at the same time.Review: The five-step pathTest complete
You got {a} out of {n} right. Get them all right to mark the lesson as complete.Choose an option. The explanation appears after your attempt.