Complete every item on this list before writing a single line of project code.

2.1 Tools to Install

Step 1 — Node.js v22 LTS

# Install fnm (Fast Node Manager)
curl -fsSL https://fnm.vercel.app/install | bash
fnm install 22 && fnm use 22 && fnm default 22
node --version   # should print v22.x.x

Step 2 — pnpm

npm install -g pnpm@latest
pnpm --version

Step 3 — Git global config

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
git config --global pull.rebase true

Step 4 — VS Code Extensions

• biomejs.biome — linter + formatter (mandatory)
• bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss — Tailwind v4 IntelliSense (mandatory)
• usernamehw.errorlens — inline errors (recommended)
• eamodio.gitlens — powerful Git history UI (recommended)
• Set Biome as default formatter and enable Format On Save.

Step 5 — Create your first Next.js 16 project

pnpm create next-app@latest my-portfolio \
  --typescript --tailwind --app --turbopack --import-alias "@/*"
cd my-portfolio
pnpm remove eslint eslint-config-next
pnpm add -D @biomejs/biome && pnpm biome init
pnpm dev   # → http://localhost:3000

2.2 Accounts to Create / Join

• GitHub — request team org access from your mentor
• Neon (neon.tech) — create a free project, copy DATABASE_URL
• Vercel — sign up with GitHub account
• Clerk — your mentor will share team credentials
• Google Chat — accept the team invitation

2.3 Your First PR (Do This Today)

• git checkout -b yourname/chore/hello-world
• Add a comment to any file: // Hello from [Your Name]
• git add . && git commit -m "chore: hello world from [Your Name]"
• git push -u origin yourname/chore/hello-world
• Open a PR on GitHub targeting main. Write two sentences in the description.
• Ask a fellow intern to leave a review comment. Reply to it. Merge.