side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md

Side Quest: Environment Reference

Optional: use this quick glossary and visual reference to understand the environments and AI tools used throughout the workshop.

📋 Before You Start

You have a terminal open inside your practice repository (see Step 2a or Step 2b).

Environment and tool glossary

Knowing which name maps to which role helps you follow workshop instructions without stopping to wonder what "the terminal" or "Codespaces" means in context.

Term	What it means in this workshop	Official documentation
GitHub Codespaces	Your cloud development environment when you choose the browser-based setup path.	GitHub Codespaces docs
Visual Studio Code (VS Code)	The editor experience used inside Codespaces (and optionally on your local machine).	Visual Studio Code docs
Terminal (command line)	The shell where you run workshop commands (gh, gh aw, git, and more).	GitHub CLI manual
GitHub CLI (gh)	GitHub's official CLI, required for this workshop.	GitHub CLI docs
gh-aw CLI extension	The GitHub Agentic Workflows extension you install and use in the terminal.	Install gh-aw
GitHub Copilot CLI	Copilot in the terminal for AI-assisted command and development help.	GitHub Copilot CLI docs
GitHub Copilot app	The GitHub Copilot desktop and web application where you can open repositories, start agent sessions, steer coding tasks, and manage pull requests.	GitHub Copilot app
Claude	Anthropic's AI model family available in some GitHub Copilot and agentic workflow contexts.	Claude documentation
OpenAI Codex	OpenAI coding model family that can be used in coding and agent workflows.	OpenAI Codex

✅ Verify your tools are ready

Run these commands in your terminal to confirm the required tools are installed and accessible:

gh --version
gh aw --version
git --version

Conceptual screenshots

Recognizing what each environment looks like on screen helps you orient yourself quickly when workshop instructions say "open a terminal" or "use the Copilot app."

These visuals are simplified mental models, not literal product screenshots. Use them to recognize what each name refers to when it appears in later steps.

Development environments

GitHub Codespaces

You use Codespaces when you want a ready-to-go development environment in your browser.

Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

You use VS Code to browse files, edit workflows, and keep a terminal open beside your work.

Terminal (command line)

You use the terminal whenever the workshop asks you to run gh, gh aw, or git commands.

Workshop tools and model options

GitHub CLI (gh)

You use gh for GitHub-specific terminal tasks like authentication checks, repository shortcuts, and workflow commands.

gh-aw CLI extension

You use gh aw to compile agentic workflow files.

GitHub Copilot CLI

You use GitHub Copilot CLI when you want AI help inside the terminal.

GitHub Copilot app

You use the GitHub Copilot app when you want to start and steer repository sessions, manage coding tasks, and review pull requests from a Copilot workspace.

Claude

You may see Claude as one of the AI model options that can read a brief, reason through a task, and produce an output.

OpenAI Codex

You may see OpenAI Codex as a coding-focused model option that reads files and suggests edits.

✅ Checkpoint

• You ran gh --version in your terminal and it returned a version number
• You ran gh aw --version in your terminal and it returned a version number
• You ran git --version in your terminal and it returned a version number
• You can identify each environment and tool name used in the tutorial
• You can match each item to its conceptual screenshot
• You know where to find official docs for each item
• You're ready to continue with setup or return to your current workshop step

When you're done here, return to What You Need Before We Start.