An AI computer science tutor that lets you type
DuckyHelper is an AI computer science tutor that teaches code by letting you write it. Run your function against tests and see what was expected and what you got. Step through it line by line and watch the variables, arrays and pointers change. Ask why it breaks and you get a hint, not the solution. In the Eddy tab, or, with Ducky, the next small chunk can appear as grey letters at your own caret.
“What is this for loop actually doing?”
Watch it run. Step through it one line at a time and watch i, the total and the array change. Reading code is easier when you can see it run.
Run it. Step through it.
Ask Eddy to run your code against a few tests and each one ticks in with what was expected and what you got. Ask what a loop does and a step-by-step player shows each line as it runs, with the variables, the arrays and their index pointers. In the Eddy tab it is a Code card on Eddy's desk; with Ducky it opens in the pill.
Code runs in a sandbox with no internet, so trying something cannot break anything on your machine.
After a failing test, step to the line where the values go wrong and ask why. You get a hint about that line, not a rewritten program.
Write it yourself, one chunk at a time
In VS Code, on a practice site or in any text box, say walk me through writing this. Ducky says what the next small chunk does, then ghosts that code at your caret for you to type over. When you have typed it, the next step follows. The program is not pasted in for you: you type it.
Learning a new editor or terminal? Ask how to do something and Ducky shows each step on your real screen and waits until you have done it.
Hold fn and cmd and move the mouse over the error message: Ducky gets a picture with your path on it and explains that exact line.
Five habits for learning to code
What a session with a tutor looks like when the goal is that you can do it alone next time.
- 1. Say your plan first
Before any code, say in plain words what the program should do. Ducky asks about the case you skipped.
- 2. Predict, then run
Guess the output, then run it. The gap between your guess and the result is where the learning is.
- 3. Step through the surprise
When a test fails, step to the line where a value changes in a way you didn't expect.
- 4. Take one hint at a time
Ask for a nudge, not the fix. Then try again yourself.
- 5. Explain it back
When it works, explain why in your own words. Ducky asks about the line you glossed over.
Keep going
Ask Eddy
Say one of these out loud.
How to use it
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI tutor teach me to code without writing it for me?
Yes. DuckyHelper explains the next step, gives hints one at a time and checks your code by running it. In the Mac app, a code walkthrough ghosts one small chunk at your caret for you to type, so your hands write every line.
Can it run my code?
Yes. Ask Eddy to run your code against tests and each test shows what was expected and what you got. It runs in a sandbox with no internet, and a step-by-step player shows each line, the variables and the arrays.
Does it work in my editor?
On a Mac, yes: press fn in VS Code, on a practice site or in any text box, and Ducky sees your screen while the pill is open and can ghost code at your caret. In the Eddy tab, paste the code into Eddy.
Does it work on a Chromebook?
Not right now: DuckyHelper is a Mac app (macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon). There is no Chromebook or web version. On a Mac, the Code card runs and steps through code in the Eddy tab, and Ducky helps inside other apps.
More subjects
Write your next line yourself
Get the Mac app and paste your code into Eddy, or press fn in your editor.
