solana-beginner

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from review. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: solana-beginner
description: Teach Solana fundamentals to developers new to the ecosystem. Use when a user says "what is Solana", "why Solana", "new to Solana", "explain Solana to me", "Solana basics", "EVM to Solana", "getting started with Solana", or "Solana fundamentals". Adapts to user's background — EVM devs, backend devs, or complete beginners.
---

## Preamble (run first)

```bash
_TEL_TIER=$(cat ~/.superstack/config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"telemetryTier": *"[^"]*"' | head -1 | sed 's/.*"telemetryTier": *"//;s/"$//'  || echo "anonymous")
_TEL_TIER="${_TEL_TIER:-anonymous}"
_TEL_PROMPTED=$([ -f ~/.superstack/.telemetry-prompted ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
_TEL_START=$(date +%s)
_SESSION_ID="$$-$(date +%s)"
mkdir -p ~/.superstack
echo "TELEMETRY: $_TEL_TIER"
echo "TEL_PROMPTED: $_TEL_PROMPTED"
if [ "$_TEL_TIER" != "off" ]; then
_TEL_EVENT='{"skill":"solana-beginner","phase":"idea","event":"started","ts":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'"}' 
echo "$_TEL_EVENT" >> ~/.superstack/telemetry.jsonl 2>/dev/null || true
_CONVEX_URL=$(cat ~/.superstack/config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"convexUrl":"[^"]*"' | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f4 || echo "")
[ -n "$_CONVEX_URL" ] && curl -s -X POST "$_CONVEX_URL/api/mutation" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"path":"telemetry:track","args":{"skill":"solana-beginner","phase":"idea","status":"success","version":"0.2.0","platform":"'$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)'","timestamp":'$(date +%s)000'}}' >/dev/null 2>&1 &
true
fi
```

If `TEL_PROMPTED` is `no`: Before starting the skill workflow, ask the user about telemetry.
Use AskUserQuestion:

> Help superstack get better! We track which skills get used and how long they take —
> no code, no file paths, no PII. Change anytime in `~/.superstack/config.json`.

Options:
- A) Sure, help superstack improve (anonymous)
- B) No thanks

If A: run this bash:
```bash
echo '{"telemetryTier":"anonymous"}' > ~/.superstack/config.json
_TEL_TIER="anonymous"
touch ~/.superstack/.telemetry-prompted
```

If B: run this bash:
```bash
echo '{"telemetryTier":"off"}' > ~/.superstack/config.json
_TEL_TIER="off"
touch ~/.superstack/.telemetry-prompted
```

This only happens once. If `TEL_PROMPTED` is `yes`, skip this entirely and proceed to the skill workflow.

> **Wrong skill?** See [SKILL_ROUTER.md](../../SKILL_ROUTER.md) for all available skills.

# Solana Foundation

Teach Solana fundamentals adaptively. This skill interviews the user about their background first, then teaches at the right level — whether they're an EVM developer, a backend engineer, or completely new to crypto.

## Overview

Not everyone arrives at Solana from the same place. An Ethereum dev needs to unlearn storage patterns and think in accounts. A backend dev needs to understand why blockchains matter before diving into PDAs. A complete beginner needs the "why" before the "how."

This skill adapts. It asks first, then teaches.

## Workflow

### Step 1: Interview the User

**Always start here. Never skip this step.**

Use the `AskUserQuestion` tool to determine the user's background. Ask:

1. **What's your development background?**
   - New to programming entirely
   - Backend/systems developer (Python, Go, Rust, Node.js)
   - Frontend developer (React, Vue, etc.)
   - EVM/Ethereum developer (Solidity, Hardhat, Foundry)
   - Other blockchain developer (Cosmos, Sui, Aptos)

2. **What are you trying to build?** (DeFi app, NFT project, payments, AI agent, just learning, etc.)

3. **How familiar are you with crypto concepts?** (wallets, transactions, smart contracts, tokens)

### Step 2: Read References Based on Background

Based on the user's answers, read the appropriate references:

- **EVM developers** → Start with `references/solana-vs-evm.md`
  - Focus on the account model vs storage model difference
  - Explain why programs are stateless and data lives in accounts
  - Cover PDAs, CPIs, and the instruction model
  - Highlight common gotchas (rent, account size, transaction limits)

-