[ordering-review] workshop order graph: 2 confirmed early-instruction problems, 3 cycle false positives

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Assessment

Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Newbie friendliness
76/100
Issue type
Documentation
Clarity
Clearly specified
Activity status
Active
Tech stack
github-actions, markdown
Domain
documentation

Research direction

Read workshop/side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md and workshop/05-agentic-workflows-intro.md, then check the setup sequence in 02a-setup-codespace.md, 06-install-gh-aw.md and 07-your-first-workflow.md. Update both activities and checkpoints so learners can complete them at that point in the workshop. Run npx --yes markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md"; done means the terminal check is introduced after setup and the Step 05 activity uses a lock file learners can access.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

Summary

The heuristics reviewed 97 workshop pages (338 edges, 57 potential findings, 3 cycles, 3 feedback loops, 3 weird cycles). Spot-checking against the workshop files confirmed 2 real ordering problems. The remaining findings are false positives (details below). The graph is condensed here to the core path. The full generated graph and all 338 constraints are in the run artifacts (/tmp/gh-aw/data/order-review-report.md).

Graph (core path, condensed)

graph TD
  W00["00 welcome"] --> P01["01 prerequisites"]
  P01 --> S02a["02a setup codespace"]
  P01 -.before.-> SQ0201["02-SQ01 local terminal"]
  P01 -.branch.-> SQ0102["01-SQ02 environment reference"]
  S02a --> A04["04 actions intro"]
  SQ0201 --> A04
  A04 --> A05["05 agentic workflows intro"]
  A05 --> A05b["05b security"]
  A05b --> A05c["05c practice"]
  A05c --> I06["06 install gh-aw"]
  I06 --> W07["07 first workflow"]
  W07 --> M07d["07d confirm model access"]
  M07d --> R08["08 run workflow"]
  R08 --> R08b["08b interpret run"]
  R08b --> E09["09 agentic editing"]

Ordering constraints (key ones)

  • 00 → 01 → 02a (or 02-SQ01) → 04 → 05 → 05b → 05c → 06 → 07 → 07d → 08 → 08b → 09
  • 02a (or 02-SQ01) must provide the terminal, gh, and authentication before any gh/gh aw command is used.
  • 06 must provide gh aw before any gh aw ... command is used.
  • 07 must create daily-report-status.md and its .lock.yml before any page asks the learner to open a .lock.yml file.

Cycles / feedback loops / weird cycles

All three reported cycles are not real ordering problems:

  • 05 ↔ 05b: 05's "Before You Start" lists only 04. 05b's prerequisite is 05, and 05 links forward to 05b as the next step. That is normal next/previous navigation.
  • 07 ↔ 07d: this is intentional. 07d documents an "error recovery" entry (return to 07) and a "normal flow" entry (arrive from 07).
  • 02a ↔ 02-SQ01: these are alternative setup paths that cross-link each other. They are not mutual prerequisites.

The 50 missing_prerequisite_link findings for gh_authenticated and gh_installed are generic heuristic output. The core pages follow 02a and 06 in sequence, so they are false positives. This covers pages such as 07, 08, 09 and the later steps, and the side quests that carry no explicit link.

Verified ordering problems

1. Environment Reference side quest asks for a terminal before setup
  • File reviewed: workshop/side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md
  • Quoted instruction: "Open a terminal in your Codespace and run: gh --version / git --version", repeated in the checkpoint ("You ran gh --version in your terminal..."). The page ends with "When you're done here, return to What You Need Before We Start."
  • Missing earlier step: 02a-setup-codespace.md (or side-quest-02-01-local-terminal.md). The page branches from Step 1, which comes before any Codespace exists. It also says "No terminal required to read this page," yet the Checkpoint requires one.
  • Why it confuses learners: A learner following the Step 1 branch has no Codespace to open. Failing the check sends them back to 02a-setup-codespace.md, which they haven't done yet, so the branch loops on itself.
  • Suggested fix: Mark the "Verify your tools are ready" subsection and its checkpoint items as "after you complete Set Up a Codespace". Alternatively, move them to a post-setup return note. Change the final line so learners return to Step 1 / 02a without requiring a terminal.
2. Step 05 activity asks the learner to open a .lock.yml they haven't created
  • File reviewed: workshop/05-agentic-workflows-intro.md
  • Quoted instruction: "Activity 1 — identify the parts: Open any .lock.yml file in your repo and find the on: key." The checkpoint repeats it: "You identified the on: key in a compiled .lock.yml file".
  • Missing earlier step: 07-your-first-workflow.md is where the learner first runs gh aw compile and gets a .lock.yml. 06-install-gh-aw.md installs the tool needed to produce one. A fresh practice repository has no lock files at Step 05.
  • Why it confuses learners: They are told to inspect a file that doesn't exist in their repo yet, and a checkpoint item cannot be satisfied.
  • Suggested fix: Point the activity at a sample snippet or an existing public repository's .lock.yml (for example, .github/workflows/*.lock.yml in githubnext/gh-aw-workshop). Alternatively, move the "find the on: key" activity into Step 07 after compile, and adjust the checkpoint.

Note

This issue is ready for an agent to resolve. After editing, run npx --yes markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md", and consider whether the golden-ticket-workshop branch needs a matching update.

Generated by 🧭 Workshop Order Review · copilot · auto · ~30 AIC · ⌖ ~1 AIC · ⊞ 4.8K · ◷

  • expires on Nov 10, 2026, 11:02 AM UTC
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