Start clean:

git status      # must be clean

The request

Add card storage to this project.

Goal:
Store study cards in a SQLite database file, and show them on a page at /cards.

Limits:
- TypeScript.
- SQLite, using Node's built-in node:sqlite module. No other libraries.
- The database file is recall.db in the project root.
- Add recall.db to .gitignore.
- Do not change the server setup from step 1 more than you must.

The cards table needs:
- id
- question (text)
- answer (text)
- gap_days (number, how many days until the next review)
- next_review (a date, stored as YYYY-MM-DD text)
- created_at

Also add a small script I can run to insert one card by hand, so I can test
without a form.

Done when:
- Running the insert script puts a card in recall.db.
- Opening /cards shows that card's question and answer.
- recall.db is not tracked by git.

Notice what that request does

It names the exact columns. This is not because the agent could not design a table — it
could, easily. It is because you need to know what the columns are, since your
scheduling rules depend on gap_days and next_review being exactly those things.

Handing over a decision you have already made is how projects drift away from you.

Watch for these

  • Does it read your existing files before changing them? (Lesson 3.2, warning sign 1)
  • Does it add a library you said not to add?
  • Does it actually run the insert script and load the page, or just say it works?

Check it yourself

npm start
# open /cards in the browser
git status        # recall.db must NOT be listed
git diff

Read the whole change. It is still small. Build the habit while it is easy.

Commit

git add -A
git commit -m "Step 2-3: cards table, insert script, /cards page"

Try this before the next lesson

  1. Add two more cards with the script. Does /cards show all three?
  2. Open recall.db. Are the columns what you asked for?
  3. Delete recall.db and run the script again. Does the app recreate it, or break? Which
    would you prefer, and did you ever say?
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