IBM BOB 

Get Started & Explore

Install · First Prompts · Core Modes

Your first two labs with IBM Bob — from install to confident daily use

Labs 1–2  •  Touchpoint Trackers  •  All Labs  •  Resources

By the end of the exercise you will: have IBM Bob installed and configured, understand all 5 modes, complete your first AI-assisted Docker build, and build a full Flask+JavaScript todo application using Plan mode and Code mode together.

•    Lab 1: Install, first prompts, Ask & Code modes, Docker, Literate Coding

•    Lab 2: Plan mode deep-dive, build a full app from scratch, Token Efficiency rules

Time commitment: 2–3 hours per week (4–6 hours total this fortnight)

Prerequisites: bob.ibm.com/download — Bob IDE, IBMid, Docker, Git

FN 1 ← NOW

Get Started

FN 2

Build & Review

FN 3

Modernize

FN 4

Ship & Scale

 Install, Explore & Your First Real Prompt

Install, Explore & Your First Real Prompt

Objective: Install Bob, sign in with IBMid, explore the interface, and complete your first AI-assisted coding task.

📖 Required Reading

•    Welcome to IBM Bob

•    Installing Bob — system requirements, download, IBMid, firewall rules

•    Best Practices — modes, prompting, checkpoints, .bobignore

•    Quickstart: Node.js 16→22 tutorial — official end-to-end hands-on tutorial

•    Modes reference — Code vs Ask vs Plan vs Advanced vs Orchestrator

🎬 Videos  (youtube.com/@ibm-bob)

•    Onboard to a New Codebase — understand an unfamiliar repo in minutes

•    Concept to Code: Architect a New Feature

🔬 Lab 1

•    First Contact — Install, clone IBM/bob-demo, explore express-todo-api, first Docker build, first literate coding change

✅ Checklist

□    Bob IDE installed, signed in with IBMid, Bobcoins balance visible

□    Cloned github.com/IBM/bob-demo, opened express-todo-api in Bob

□    Used Ask mode: "What is this application's purpose? How do I start it?"

□    Created Dockerfile with Code mode, built and tested with Docker

□    Toggled Literate Coding (Cmd/Ctrl+M) and generated code from a comment

□    Checked checkpoint panel and understood how to restore a previous state

□    Disabled auto-approval — read every action Bob proposed

  Plan Mode, Build From Scratch & Token Efficiency

Plan Mode, Build From Scratch & Token Efficiency

Objective: Use Plan mode then Code mode to build a complete application from scratch, and configure Bob with team-specific custom rules.

📖 Required Reading

•    Chat interface

•    Checkpoints — safe experimentation and rollback

•    Slash commands — /code, /ask, /plan, /review and more

•    Custom rules — enforce coding standards, token efficiency

•    Using .bobignore — protect sensitive files from Bob's access

🎬 Videos

•    Your Agentic AI Coding Partner

•    Code Review Simplified: Shift-Left Code Review

🔬 Lab 2

•    Todo App from Scratch — Plan mode architecture, Code mode implementation, Flask backend + JS frontend

📝 Token Efficiency — Add to .bob/rules

This rule is used by the IBM Bob team to keep responses concise in real sessions:

✅ Checklist

□    Used Plan mode to generate a full app architecture before writing code

□    Read the plan carefully before switching to Code mode

□    Flask backend running at localhost:5000

□    JavaScript frontend running at localhost:8000, todos created and deleted

□    Created .bob/rules/ with Token Efficiency guideline

□    Tested a checkpoint restore at least once

Overview

Time: ~45 min   |   Difficulty: Beginner   |   Modes: Ask, Code

Goal: Bob installed, first repo understood with AI, first Docker build, first literate coding change.

@/bob-get-started  What is this project? Give me an architectural overview.

@package.json  What Node.js version is this? What needs updating for Node 22?

@tsconfig.json  What module system is this? What changes for Node 22?

Create a Dockerfile for this Node.js TypeScript app. Use Node 16, build TypeScript, run on port 3000.

Build and test the application using Docker. Verify the API at /api/todos. Clean up afterwards.

// Change the sample todo title to "My First Bob Task"

✅ Success Criteria

•    Docker build succeeds, API returns updated title "My First Bob Task" at /api/todos

•    You can explain what Ask mode did versus what Code mode did in this lab

Overview

Time: ~60 min   |   Difficulty: Beginner–Intermediate   |   Modes: Plan, Code

Goal: Build a full Python Flask + JavaScript todo app. Real prompts from IBM Bob team lab sessions.

I want to create a todo application with a Python Flask backend and JavaScript frontend.

Please help me plan:

1. Project directory structure

2. API endpoints needed

3. Database schema

4. Technology stack recommendations

Create a Flask backend for the todo app with these files:

1. app.py - Main Flask application with CORS enabled

2. models.py - SQLAlchemy Todo model

3. database.py - Database initialization

4. requirements.txt - Python dependencies

The Todo model: id, title, description, completed (boolean), created_at (timestamp)

source venv/bin/activate

python app.py

python -m http.server 8000

✅ Success Criteria

•    Flask runs at localhost:5000, frontend at localhost:8000

•    Full CRUD works through the UI

•    You used Plan mode before writing a single line of code — this is the core habit

Key Resources

Docs: bob.ibm.com/docs   |   Download: bob.ibm.com/download

Demos: github.com/IBM/bob-demo   |   Tutorials: github.com/IBM/galaxium-travels

Videos: youtube.com/@ibm-bob   |   Product: ibm.com/products/bob

IBM Bob Customer Success Team