Real AI Engineering · by Matt Pocock
Engineering fundamentals aren't obsolete.
They're your biggest advantage. AI Hero is the engineering process for working with coding agents, from an idea to shipped, reviewed code.
- Developers learning
- 99,000+
- Trained in cohorts
- 8,500+
- Free skills, open source
- 21
Bad code is now the most expensive it has ever been.
A lot of people think the rules of software development are being rewritten by AI. They think that code is cheap. That software engineering, as a discipline, is finished.
Coding agents like Claude Code and Codex ship code faster than any human ever has. But without careful guidance, they make codebases worse. And the worse the codebase, the worse the AI performs. It's a vicious circle.
If you can design codebases agents love, you can reap the rewards of this new era. AI Hero is for anyone who cares about the code they ship.
A real engineering process, as installable skills
Every skill here is free, installs in one command, and you can use it today. Start anywhere. Most people start with the main flow.
- Start with /setup-matt-pocock-skills
Getting Started
Set up once, then find your way around.
- Start with /grill-with-docs
The Main Flow
The idea→ship spine, in order.
- Start with /wayfinder
Shaping
Explore an open question and produce a decision/answer that feeds the flow.
- Start with /improve-codebase-architecture
Upkeep
Keep the codebase and issue list healthy; generates work for the flow.
- Start with /grill-me
Productivity Skills
Human-facing workflows you run, not about code.
- Start with /codebase-design
Reference Skills
The reusable layer other skills invoke or cite.
What do you want to do?
Most developers find the gap is further back than they expected. Pick the honest one.
Cohort-based course
AI Coding for Real Engineers
A two-week cohort for developers who want to use AI coding tools on real production-style work: context gathering, planning, steering, feedback loops, AFK agents, and human-in-the-loop review.
Be first in line for the next cohort
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What people say
Matt is one of the best developer educators in the world.
Guillermo RauchVercel CEO
Every company needs its own Matt Pocock.
shadcnCreator of shadcn/ui
Matt Pocock is a true educator and I admire how he brings structure to this mess we are in.
Mario ZechnerCreator of Pi
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Latest posts and videos
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9 Things People Get Wrong With /grill-me and /grill-with-docs
Hi, I'm Matt Pocock
Before creating AI Hero, I created Total TypeScript, the industry standard course for learning TS. I was a member of the XState core team, and a developer advocate at Vercel.
I'm building AI Hero to make the secrets of the AI Engineer available to everyone.
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