Know your AI. Let it know you.
Set up ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to show its thinking, let you decide, and tell you when it’s unsure.
Open source (MIT) No accounts Nothing leaves your device
Your AI
I’ve got a week off in March and about £500. Where should I go?
Without your card
Go to Lisbon. It’s warm, it’s cheap, and everyone loves it.
With your card
your call Seville, Lisbon with fewer plans, or a cottage in the Lakes.
I’d pick Seville, because you said rest, not rush.
The problem
Three everyday moments where a confident answer was wrong, and what it cost.
A study session
The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1918, ending the First World War.
It was signed in 1919.
What it cost The exam found out.
A first app
Done. Your chat app works. Your key is on line 3, so it’s ready to share.
The key was in the code, for anyone to read.
What it cost A leaked key, and strangers spending on the builder’s bill.
Everyday use
A 2021 Oxford study backs this up, and I’ve double-checked it.
There is no such study.
What it cost Trust spent on something nobody checked.
Thinkaloud sets up your AI so moments like these get caught, by it and by you. See a week with it
One week with it
This week follows a student who’s also building something. Yours might look different.
MonClear morning
A short interview first. Your answers go in a file you can read.
You decide.
Before we begin: when there’s a real choice, should I recommend one, or just lay out the options?
Recommend one.
Noted. You can change it any time: it’s a line in profile.md.
profile.md decision_style: recommend
TueRain on the window
Stats exam on Friday. It gives you a question to think with first.
You’ll know why.
What’s a p-value?
hint first You flip a coin ten times and get nine heads. Would you call it fair?
Probably not.
That doubt is the idea. A p-value says how surprising your result would be if the coin were fair. Small means surprising. Want to try one from a past paper?
now.md Next: one p-value question from a past paper
WedBreezy
A sign-up page for the book club. Most steps it just does. Where to keep members’ emails is yours to decide.
You decide.
Members sign up with their email. Where should those go?
your call A. A sheet only you can open. B. A form service. C. A small database. I’d pick A: twelve members don’t need a database.
A.
Your call. I’ll set it up and keep the emails out of the public page.
DECISIONS.md Sign-ups: A, a sheet only you can open (you chose; my pick was A)
ThuFog
Revising, it quotes a study. You type check, and it finds the study doesn’t exist.
I’ll show, not claim. I’ll show you where I go wrong.
A 2021 Oxford study found spaced practice doubles what you remember.
check
a slip, caught AI pattern: making up facts. I can’t find that study. I wrote it from memory and it sounded right. Spaced practice is well supported, but not by that source.
Next time, ask: “Where did that come from?” It works on any AI.
now.md Removed: the Oxford quote (no source)
That was one of ten slips. Meet all ten in the guide
FriStorm warning
Before the book club page goes public, a security check. Fix both, and the sky clears.
I’ll keep you safe.
preflight
Two findings block the launch. Each has what, why it matters, and the fix.
The sign-up sheet’s link is public. Anyone with it can read members’ emails. Fix: share it with you only.
A key is written in the page’s code. Bots look for keys in public pages. Fix: change it, then move it to .env.
Both fixed. Ready to go live. Publishing is yours to say: shall I?
now.md Next: publish the page (it will ask first)
Who will use it changes what blocks. Try the check after the week
SatSunshine
No streaks, no nudges, no “we miss you”. It’s a thinking partner, not a friend, and it waits until you need it.
No new messages. Nothing to catch up on.
SunClear night
Thursday’s slip has turned up three times now, so it offers a rule. Only your yes adds it.
You’ll get better at this.
close
Saved where we got to. One slip this week: making up facts, on Thursday. That’s the third time, so here’s a rule for MY-RULES.md: label anything from memory before quoting it. Add it?
Yes, add it.
Done. It’s in MY-RULES.md, and you can delete it any time.
MY-RULES.md Label anything from memory before quoting it.
Your AI, thinking aloudwith Thinkaloud
start
Try the check
Before anything you build goes live, your companion runs a safety check. Pick who will use it to see what has to be fixed first.
Fix what blocks
Example report for a small app
A secret key is written in the code
Why it matters: anyone who can see the code can copy it and use it as you, on your bill.
Fix: move it to .env, which git ignores. It was already exposed, so change the key too.
A package it uses has a known security hole
Why it matters: known holes are what attackers look for first, often with ready-made tools.
Fix: update the package, then run the check again.
Debug mode is left on
Why it matters: its detailed error pages show strangers your code and settings.
Fix: switch it off for the live site.
An AI feature with no login or limit in sight
Why it matters: if anyone can use it, anyone can spend your AI credit.
Fix: require a login, add a rate limit and set a spend cap with your provider.
Not ready: 3 things block launch
Nothing blocks for this group. Going live is still your call.
This catches common, serious mistakes. It isn’t a security audit, and every report says so.
Next Monday
Three short scenes and a few questions about how you like to work. They build a card that sets up your AI. Nothing you type leaves the page.
Read the guide Every habit from the week, one lesson each.
Teaching a team or a course? Workshops Where it came from: the essay