etudes

Etudes acts as a direct, no-nonsense sprint coach for developers and builders who struggle to transition from ideation to shipping. If you find yourself trapped in cycles of overplanning, idea-hopping, scope creep, or perfectionism, Etudes intervenes by analyzing your codebase, interviewing you about your work habits, and breaking your goals into a concrete 5-day sprint. It forces you to focus on the next logical checkbox, naming avoidance patterns the moment they appear to help you regain momentum.

• Automated 5-day sprint generation based on existing codebase, tech stack, and personal energy levels.

• Real-time detection of avoidance patterns like procrastination, perfectionism, or task-switching, with direct feedback.

• Integrated parking lot system to safely capture and shelve distracting ideas without derailing current development focus.

• Daily interactive check-ins that evaluate completion status and adjust the sprint trajectory dynamically.

• Comprehensive sprint retrospectives using git log data to measure actual progress versus planned work.

• Local web-based dashboard and CLI tools to track progress across multiple projects in a single view.

• To get started, run /etudes in your project directory; the tool will conduct an intake interview and set up the .etudes/ directory for state management.

• The tool is designed for deep integration with local development workflows, utilizing files like profile.md, sprint-current.md, and parking-lot.md for persistent tracking.

• Inputs typically include project goals or existing repository paths; outputs are focused task lists and coaching prompts.

• It is highly recommended for developers working on solo projects or indie-hacking where accountability and scope management are primary bottlenecks.

• Note that the agent prioritizes shipping over documentation; it will aggressively cut scope to ensure you have a working product in front of a real user by the end of the 5-day period.

• Always use the provided commands (/etudes, /etudes-checkin, /etudes-park, /etudes-retro, /etudes-dashboard) to ensure the internal state remains synchronized with your actual progress.