Windows 11 Vibe Coding and AI Agent Environment Setup

This module prepares a Vibe Coding and AI Agent environment on a Windows 11 laptop. Install the ChatGPT desktop app first, then use the setup script for the developer tools. Finally, choose Chat, ChatGPT Work, or Codex for the appropriate verification task.

Learning Objectives

After this module, participants can:

• Set up a working Vibe Coding and AI Agent environment on a Windows 11 laptop.
• Choose Chat, ChatGPT Work, or Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app for the task at hand.
• Use VS Code with Codex CLI and the Codex extension to create, edit, and review code.
• Use uv and npm to manage Python and Node.js packages and project environments.
• Use the GitHub CLI (gh) to sign in to GitHub through the browser, then clone, push, and deploy to GitHub Pages.
• Use the checklist to verify the environment independently and troubleshoot common setup issues.

Prerequisites

Minimum Computer Requirements

This workshop keeps VS Code, Node.js, Python, a terminal, and browser sign-in pages open at the same time, so the laptop should meet at least the specs below. The "Recommended" column marks the threshold for a smoother experience.

8 GB of RAM is enough to complete every task, but 16 GB is noticeably smoother once VS Code, a browser, and several terminals are open at the same time. The disk-space estimate includes the toolchain plus each project's node_modules and Python packages.

Toolchain

The Windows 11 setup script and follow-up guide prepare these tools on the laptop:

Install Method 1: Manual Download and Installation

If the one-click install fails, or the laptop is restricted by school IT policy, install manually instead. Still try the winget command first; if winget isn't available, install from the official download pages.

You can install the VS Code extensions by searching in the Extensions panel, or run these commands one by one in a terminal:

code --install-extension ms-python.python
code --install-extension ms-toolsai.jupyter
code --install-extension eamodio.gitlens
code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint
code --install-extension openai.chatgpt

After a manual install, close and reopen the terminal too, then run the version checks:

code --version
git --version
node --version
npm --version
uv --version
gh --version
codex --version

Install Method 2: Install via an AI Agent Prompt (ChatGPT Work, Full Access)

Instead of running the batch file or installing manually, you can also open the ChatGPT desktop app and use a natural-language prompt so the agent checks what is missing on the laptop, installs it, and reports back.

⚠️ Full access lets the agent run terminal commands without asking for approval on each step. Switch back to Ask for approval once the install is finished.

Suggested steps:

• Open the ChatGPT desktop app, choose ChatGPT, then switch to Work.
• In the task settings, change the access level to Full access.
• Paste the prompt below and send it, and watch the output the whole time:

I'm on a Windows 11 laptop with administrator rights, and App Installer (winget) is already installed.
Please check and install the following developer tools, skipping anything already installed. After everything is installed, run the version-check commands and report the results back to me:

1. VS Code (winget id: Microsoft.VisualStudioCode)
2. Git for Windows (winget id: Git.Git)
3. Node.js LTS + npm (winget id: OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS)
4. uv (winget id: astral-sh.uv)
5. GitHub CLI (winget id: GitHub.cli)
6. Codex CLI (confirm Node.js is installed first, then run npm install -g "@openai/codex")
7. These VS Code extensions:
   - ms-python.python
   - ms-toolsai.jupyter
   - eamodio.gitlens
   - dbaeumer.vscode-eslint
   - openai.chatgpt

Rules:
- Before installing each tool, check whether it already exists (e.g. run "tool --version" or "winget list --id ..."); skip it if it's already installed, don't reinstall.
- When using winget, add --source winget --exact (for VS Code extensions, use code --install-extension instead).
- After everything is installed, open a new terminal window, run the following commands in order, and paste the results back to me:
  code --version
  git --version
  node --version
  npm --version
  uv --version
  gh --version
  codex --version
- If any install step fails, stop and tell me the error message; don't skip it or work around it another way.
- Don't install anything outside this list, and don't change system settings or user account permissions.

Once the agent finishes, compare its output against the Toolchain table above to confirm each command prints a version number. If a check fails, go back to "Install Method 1: Manual Download and Installation" to fix that tool individually.

Install Method 3: One-Click Setup with module1-setup-windows.bat

Start with the supplied module1-setup-windows.bat. It checks winget, then installs VS Code, Git, Node.js LTS, uv, GitHub CLI, the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and common VS Code extensions. The script is safe to run again; installed items are skipped.

Suggested steps:

• Download module1-setup-windows.bat, or move the file somewhere easy to find, such as Downloads.
• Double-click to run it, or run it in PowerShell:

& "$HOME\Downloads\module1-setup-windows.bat"

• If using Command Prompt, run:

"%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\module1-setup-windows.bat"

• After the script finishes, close and reopen PowerShell or Command Prompt so the PATH changes take effect.
• Run the following checks again to confirm the system can find each tool:

code --version
git --version
node --version
npm --version
uv --version
gh --version
codex --version

If the script prints winget not found, install or update Windows App Installer first, then run the batch file again.

Apply for a GitHub Account and Join GitHub Education (Free GitHub Copilot)

Both students and college faculty can apply for a free GitHub account, then verify their academic status through GitHub Education (GitHub Global Campus) to unlock the education tier of GitHub Copilot Pro and other normally paid tools at no cost. Complete the three steps below before class starts.

1. Create a GitHub Account

• Open a browser and go to https://github.com/join.
• Enter an email address. Using your school-issued edu email (e.g., xxx@your-school.edu.tw) makes the later GitHub Education verification more likely to auto-approve. If you don't have one yet, sign up with a personal email and verify later during the GitHub Education application.
• Set a password, choose a username, complete the human-verification puzzle, then check your inbox and confirm the verification email.
• After signing in, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA), and add your school email under Settings → Emails (Add email address) so it's ready for verification.

2. Join GitHub Education (GitHub Global Campus)

GitHub Education has two application paths: the Student Developer Pack for students, and Teacher/Educator Benefits for faculty. Once verified, the account shows a confirmed academic status and unlocks GitHub Copilot Pro and other paid features for free.

Application steps:

1. Sign in with the GitHub account created above (or an existing one).
2. Go to education.github.com and click "Get student benefits" or "Get teacher benefits" depending on your role.
3. Select your school; if it isn't listed, type the school name manually.
4. Choose a verification method: a school edu email is usually verified automatically within minutes; without one, upload document verification instead — a clear photo or scan of a student ID, enrollment certificate, faculty ID, or employment letter showing your name, school, and date.
5. After submitting, watch the inbox tied to your GitHub account for a status update; review time ranges from a few minutes to several business days depending on the verification method.
6. Once approved, return to education.github.com and confirm the status shows "Verified."

Faculty verification sometimes needs manual review and can take longer than student verification. If there's no response after a week, check progress through the GitHub Education support form. Benefits expire when a student graduates or a faculty member's employment changes, and re-verification is required to continue.

3. Activate and Confirm Free Copilot Access

• Go to github.com/settings/copilot and confirm the plan shows the education-tier free license (Copilot Pro via GitHub Education).
• Install the GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions in VS Code, and sign in with the same verified GitHub account:

code --install-extension GitHub.copilot
code --install-extension GitHub.copilot-chat

• Open any code file to confirm Copilot offers suggestions, or ask a question in the Copilot Chat panel to confirm it responds.

4. Common Issues

• School email doesn't end in .edu: Still fine — use document verification instead. GitHub Education doesn't require a specific email domain.
• Verification rejected or stuck: Make sure the uploaded document clearly shows your name, school, and date; try a different proof of enrollment/employment if needed.
• Already paying for Copilot: Approval usually credits or replaces the paid subscription; check the GitHub billing page if anything looks off.
• After graduating or leaving the school: GitHub Education benefits stop once academic status expires; keep your enrollment/employment current and re-verify as GitHub prompts.

Hands-on Activities

1. Set up ChatGPT Work and Codex

• Open the ChatGPT desktop app and sign in. Use Chat for quick questions; select ChatGPT, then Work for a multi-step, reviewable outcome; select Codex for a course project, code, commands, and diffs.
• In Codex, open only the intended course project folder. Before the first task, choose Ask for approval; do not enable Full access by default. Review approval requests, diffs, and output files.
• For a terminal workflow, run codex and sign in through the browser with the same ChatGPT account. The VS Code Codex extension can use that account too.
• If a later task needs browser automation, let the AI agent install and configure whatever tools it needs on its own; this module doesn't pre-install any browser automation add-ons.
• Run the guided "Hello, AI Agent" task (ask the agent to create a hello.txt file) to confirm the AI agent can receive instructions, produce a file, and report back.

2. Connect GitHub and Deploy GitHub Pages

• Run gh auth login and sign in entirely through the browser with a one-time code — no SSH keys or passwords typed into the terminal — which also sets up git credentials and your commit identity (user.name / user.email) in one step.
• Practice cloning a project with gh repo clone, and use gh repo create … --push together with GitHub Pages to publish a static site to a public URL.

3. Four Verification Tasks