A working handbook for using AI as an engineer: which tool for which job, which model for which task, and the review discipline that keeps the output honest.
Plain markdown, no website, no build step. Copy a block, fill the {{placeholders}},
get on with the day.
Written by a C++ game-engine R&D engineer, so the hard examples are systems code — but most of it is process, and process transfers.
foundations
| page | what it answers |
|---|---|
| tool_stack | which tool for which job, and the real limitation of each |
| model_selection | how to pick a model without reading marketing |
hard mode
| page | what it answers |
|---|---|
| local_models | private, offline, and high-volume cheap work |
| mcp | the common plug shape for tools, and how not to misuse it |
reference
| page | what it answers |
|---|---|
| glossary | every term, one line each |
| more_skills | where to find an existing skill before writing one |
Drop-in procedures an agent loads only when the task matches, in the portable
SKILL.md format — index and install steps in skills.
| skill | use when |
|---|---|
| cmake | targets, presets, install, packaging, compilation database |
| cpp20 | modern C++23 in namespace tb: fixed-width ints, value semantics, reuse-first |
| python | stdlib first, black, ruff, type hints |
| code_review | review with plain git, on any host |
| tb_engine | a DAVA-derived engine fork under a tb:: namespace |
| android_studio | adb, profilers, Perfetto, native crashes, Gradle/NDK |
| wwise | events, soundbanks, RTPCs, profiler-driven audio debugging |
| rnd | spikes that end in a decision: hypothesis, timebox, kill criteria |
| agent_workflow | keeping an editor-agent session reviewable |
| caveman | terse reply mode: code first, facts only, no filler |
1. Say what "done" means, as something a machine can check.
2. Let the model work, inside stated limits.
3. Verify with a test, a build, a number, or a primary source.
4. Write down what wasted time today, and change one thing tomorrow.
- Lowercase file names with underscores:
code_review.md. - One topic per file; pages link instead of repeating.
- Prompts in fenced blocks;
{{date}}means today in ISO form, e.g.2026-07-26. - Every tool claim states the limitation, not only the benefit.
- Every non-obvious fact carries the link it came from.
Markdown style and every internal link are verified on each pull request; external links are audited weekly and a dead one opens an issue.