JSNation US 2026

AI is writing more code every day. The skill that won't get automated is knowing what to build and the system design thinking to make it happen at scale.

In this full-day workshop, you will develop the judgment that sits upstream and downstream of implementation: how to validate a problem before you commit to a solution, how to understand the users you are actually building for (not the ones you imagine), how to prioritize ruthlessly when everything feels urgent, and how to establish feedback loops that keep you building the right things after you ship.

These are not PM skills. They are the technical judgment that the best engineers have always had, and that becomes the defining skill as implementation gets faster and cheaper.

What you will learn:- Validate before you build: surface real user pain, not solution-shaped stories- Understand users in context: close the gap between your mental model and theirs- Prioritize what deserves to exist: apply the Kano model and know what to cut- Translate decisions for stakeholders: navigate contested requirements productively- Close the loop: establish post-ship feedback habits that drive continuous improvement
Who it's for: Software engineers with professional experience. No specific stack required. PMs and designers welcome.

In this workshop we'll dive into the latest advancements in React and best practices for building modern React apps. We'll take a look at modern NextJS and React Router 7 Framework along with React's "React Server Components". We'll also talk about improving the data-fetching strategies of your SPAs along with options for migrating your SPA to modern React Router.

Stop prompting. Start orchestrating. In four intense hours you'll go from using Claude Code like a faster autocomplete to commanding it like a senior engineer commands a team: engineering its context, deploying fleets of subagents, locking it down with hooks, and turning it loose on work that runs without you.Every Claude Code user hits a ceiling where the easy wins run out. The agent handles small stuff beautifully, then loses the thread on anything real. The difference between that ceiling and real mastery isn't better prompts. It's control. This workshop is about control.You'll spend the whole four hours inside CLASH, a real full-stack application, handed to you fully built so nothing stands between you and the hard parts. A serious codebase is the point: it's the only place agentic engineering shows you whether it actually holds up.The throughline is context. Treated carelessly, the context window fills with noise until the agent drifts. Treated as a resource you engineer, it becomes the biggest lever you have. From there the toolkit opens up. Repeatable work becomes a reusable Skill. Noisy, exploratory work goes to subagents that run in their own isolated context, several at once when the job allows. Hard rules become hooks the agent cannot cross. Your own systems come into reach through MCP.Then you let go of the wheel, carefully. The same agent that pairs with you can run headless in a pipeline, drive a long task to a defined finish on its own, or live inside your software through the Agent SDK. We close by setting two greenfield methodologies, Spec Kit and BMAD, side by side, so you leave knowing not just how to drive the agent but which approach fits which problem.Two ideas hold it together: context is king, and you push it, you own it. This was never about generating code faster. It's about staying in command while the agent does more.This is an advanced session for engineers, tech leads, and architects who already use Claude Code every day and want to reach the top of the curve. We move fast, and we start in the deep end.

AI coding assistants are evolving from simple autocomplete to autonomous agents that can interact with external systems. But how do you teach an agent to follow your workflows and use the right tools at the right time?In this hands-on workshop, you'll discover:What MCP (Model Context Protocol) is and how it standardizes tool integration for LLMsHow Agent Skills package domain-specific knowledge and workflows for AI agentsThe key differences between MCP servers and Skills, and when to use eachHow to create a custom Skill that orchestrates multiple MCP tools into a cohesive workflowBy the end of this session, you'll build your own AI Skill that uses MCP tools — a Matrix-themed Neo fighting skill.Who should attend: This workshop is ideal for software developers who use AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Cursor, or similar) and want to extend their capabilities with custom integrations and workflows. No prior MCP or Skills experience required — just bring your curiosity and a laptop.