Deven Jarvis · 2026-06-07 · notable
Lathe v0.3.0 — Open-Source CLI Uses Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex to Generate Hands-On Tutorials You Work Through by Hand in a Local UI at localhost:4242
MIT-licensed Go CLI that hooks into Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex via a `/lathe` skill to write multi-part technical tutorials, then serves them locally with search, table of contents, exercises, and verification.
Generate hands-on tutorials with an agent skill, then read and type the code yourself in a local UI built for it.
Key specs
| Version | v0.3.0 |
|---|---|
| License | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 383 |
| Hn points | 189 |
| Language | Go 1.25+ |
What is it?
Lathe is a Go CLI plus an LLM agent skill that turns 'teach me X' prompts into multi-part, source-backed tutorials. You install it from Homebrew, cargo, or a shell script, then run `/lathe build a 3D slicer in Erlang` from Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex and Lathe assembles a structured course with exercises into a local store.
How does it work?
The skill instructs the agent to scaffold lessons as markdown with embedded exercises, links to primary sources, and verification steps. `lathe serve` boots a local web UI at http://localhost:4242 with search, filtering, table of contents, and progress tracking. The author describes it as 'an experiment in using LLMs to teach you, rather than think for you' — the workflow forces the human to read and re-type code instead of accepting agent output.
Why does it matter?
Most agent skills automate work away from the human. Lathe inverts that: the LLM does the curation and scaffolding, the developer does the typing and the thinking. That makes it useful for picking up unfamiliar stacks (a new language, a new framework, a new domain) without the muscle-memory loss that comes from auto-completing your way through a project.
Who is it for?
Engineers learning a new stack who want curated, hands-on study materials instead of a chatbot Q&A.
Try it
brew install devenjarvis/tap/lathe && lathe serve