Notes from the build

News

Releases, decisions, and what we are learning about learning. One letter a month while we build.

Why we built Sapling

Four students, one library table, and a nagging question: what if AI made you understand more, not less? The origin story, missteps included.

Our line in the sand on AI and education: guidance over answers, process over shortcuts, and why "just give me the solution" is the wrong deal.

Nodes, edges, and mastery scores: how a semester of studying becomes a living map, and why the cross-unit edges matter most.

The mode that flips the desk. You explain the concept, Sapling names the step you skipped, and mastery counts for more than reading.

Why ten minutes, one day, and four days are the intervals we shipped, and what happened when we tested longer gaps on our own courses.

Calendar extraction went from a manual paste to a single drop. Every exam, pset, and quiz dated and synced before week one is over.

The Sapling Journal

One letter a month, written by the four of us. First issue lands with the beta.