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.

Join us for a hands-on workshop built for developers who want to move from idea to working software faster, using Claude Code, Anthropic's agentic coding tool. Unlike a typical autocomplete-style assistant, Claude Code lives in your terminal, IDE, or desktop app, reads and understands your entire codebase, and can take direct action: editing files, running commands, and handling git workflows, all through natural language.
In this workshop, you'll initialize a Next.js project from scratch and use Claude Code to plan, build, and iterate on a real, working application. You'll set up a `CLAUDE.md` file to give Claude persistent project context and conventions, so you're not repeating yourself in every prompt, and use Plan Mode to review an agent's approach before it touches any code, keeping you in control of multi-step changes. Along the way, you'll write effective prompts, delegate multi-step coding tasks, and let Claude Code handle the repetitive work of scaffolding, wiring up components, and debugging, so you can focus on product decisions and architecture instead of boilerplate.
By the end of the session, you'll have shipped a functioning Next.js application and gained a practical workflow for using Claude Code on your own projects, whether you're prototyping quickly or working within an existing codebase.
No prior experience with Claude Code is required. Some familiarity with React or Next.js is helpful but not essential; we'll cover what you need to know as we go.

Ready to go from a plain repo to a workflow that changes code, verifies it, and merges it — on its own?AI coding demos look magical, but most stop at the pull request — and leave you wondering how to actually trust one at scale. The moment you point an agent at real repos, the questions pile up: how do you know it didn't break something? What stops a retry loop from running forever? When do you pull in a human? And who actually clicks merge? This workshop is the part the demos skip. You'll take a real repo and build the missing machinery: verification first, then an agent that does the work, proves it, and closes the loop by merging the safe changes itself.The core lesson: an agent can only automate what it can verify — and the loop isn't real until it merges.What you'll build:A repo made agent-ready — real tests, CI, and a baseline checkYour own skill, from scratch, that makes a code change and proves it didn't break anythingA verification gate that lets the agent fix only what its change broke — no false positivesA bounded execution loop that retries, then hands off to a human instead of hiding failuresAn auto-merge step that closes the loop — merging the change on green, with no human in the seatTopics covered:Splitting a task into a deterministic lane (scripts, zero model cost) and a non-deterministic lane (real judgment)Writing tests and wiring CI so the agent has eyesight into the repoCapturing a baseline and chasing only the NEW failures your change introducedAuthoring an agentic skill from scratch: what it reads, what it does, what it writes backPutting the loop on a leash — bounded retries, stable-green checks, routing failures to a humanClosing the loop with auto-merge — gate on green, merge the safe changes, escalate the restDesigning the skill so it composes into a larger fleet later — one reliable unit first, scale secondThis isn't a demo — it's a build. You'll write TypeScript, add real tests, and wire up a workflow that runs end to end: change, verify, and merge, on its own. By the end you'll have a working skill and the confidence to point it at your own codebase on Monday morning.

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.