{
  "$comment": "Canonical weekend start path. Plan CHECKLIST_DEFAULT, guides/#start, homepage path-lead, and llms.txt Start here must list these 11 slugs in this order. Optional lesson ids deep-link ByteRush as https://app.labthrift.com/?lesson=<id>. what-is-a-vm, boot-from-usb, and format-usb-for-backup stay in Also useful. lab-plan-passkeys is an optional CTA, not a step.",
  "steps": [
    {
      "slug": "start-with-what-you-have",
      "label": "Start with what you already have",
      "blurb": "Don't buy anything yet. Old laptop first, or a retired OptiPlex from Marketplace.",
      "lesson": "homelab-why"
    },
    {
      "slug": "wipe-marketplace-pc",
      "label": "Wipe a Marketplace PC before you install",
      "blurb": "A used OptiPlex may still have the last owner's Windows and logins. Wipe the disk with the installer before you plug it into the house network.",
      "lesson": "homelab-wipe"
    },
    {
      "slug": "make-boot-usb",
      "label": "Make a boot USB for the install",
      "blurb": "Write Ubuntu Server or Debian onto a USB stick so the old PC can boot the installer. Use Etcher or Rufus. Don't drag the ISO into a folder.",
      "lesson": "homelab-boot-usb"
    },
    {
      "slug": "what-os-to-pick",
      "label": "What OS to put on it",
      "blurb": "Debian or Ubuntu Server if you can dedicate the old PC. Leave Windows if you still use the laptop.",
      "lesson": "linux-fs"
    },
    {
      "slug": "first-weekend",
      "label": "Your first weekend",
      "blurb": "Install the OS, name it, and reach it from the couch. Don't buy anything this weekend.",
      "lesson": "homelab-first-service"
    },
    {
      "slug": "find-the-leftover-box",
      "label": "Find it on the house network",
      "blurb": "The computer has a number on your house network. You need that number to SSH from the couch. You don't need a new router.",
      "lesson": "homelab-find-box"
    },
    {
      "slug": "first-ssh",
      "label": "SSH from the couch",
      "blurb": "Type commands on the old PC from your laptop, on the house network. Password login first. Don't open this to the internet.",
      "lesson": "linux-ssh"
    },
    {
      "slug": "first-useful-service",
      "label": "The first useful thing",
      "blurb": "Put a house-wide ad block on the old PC. The rest of the house keeps using the internet as usual. You don't need a Raspberry Pi.",
      "lesson": "homelab-pihole"
    },
    {
      "slug": "first-file-share",
      "label": "A file share",
      "blurb": "A folder on the old PC that the house can open from a laptop or a phone. You don't need a NAS for this.",
      "lesson": "homelab-nas"
    },
    {
      "slug": "first-backup",
      "label": "A backup of the house folder",
      "blurb": "A second copy of the house folder, on a USB disk you already have, or on another old computer. You don't need a NAS for this.",
      "lesson": "homelab-backups"
    },
    {
      "slug": "local-chat-on-the-pc",
      "label": "Run a local chat on the old PC",
      "blurb": "Install Ollama, pull a small model, chat over SSH. Stays on the house network. CPU is fine for a first try. Don't buy a GPU this weekend.",
      "lesson": "homelab-ollama"
    }
  ]
}