Helix Trainer

Master Helix editor keybindings through scientifically-optimized spaced repetition and gamified training.

Stop learning commands in isolation. Train real development workflows with FSRS-powered spaced repetition (20-30% faster mastery), daily quests, XP progression, and anti-farming mechanics that ensure genuine skill development.

Important

100% Offline & Privacy-First — No internet required, no telemetry, no cloud sync. All data stays on your machine in ~/.config/helix-trainer/

Features

Smart Learning System

• FSRS Spaced Repetition — 20-30% fewer reviews than traditional methods (research-proven)
• Interactive Review Sessions — Practice due commands with instant feedback and XP rewards
• Scenario Mastery Tracking — Three-tier progression (Learning → Proficient → Mastered) with graduated XP scaling
• Daily Quest System — Duolingo-style challenges with streak tracking
• Anti-Farming Protection — Session penalties prevent XP exploitation
• Profile & Statistics — Track your progress, view mastery levels, and see performance analytics

Mini-Games Mode

• Arcade Training — 60-second timed sessions with automatic scenario progression
• Streak Multiplier — Build combos up to 5x for consecutive completions
• Lives System — Start with 3 lives, earn bonus lives at score milestones
• XP Integration — Per-scenario XP awards with streak bonuses
• Pause & Resume — Access profile/stats mid-game

Training Features

• Smart Scenario Discovery — Filter by category, difficulty, commands, or completion status with 6 sort modes
• Rich Metadata — Every scenario tagged with category, difficulty, taught commands, and practice focus
• Real Helix Accuracy — Uses official helix-core library (v25.07.1)
• 45+ Commands — Movement, editing, clipboard, undo/redo, repeat
• 78 Training Scenarios — From basics to intermediate workflows with difficulty indicators
• 55 Daily Quests — Easy, medium, and hard challenges across all commands
• 100% Offline — No cloud, no tracking, all data stays local (~/.config/helix-trainer/)

Installation

Note

Requirements: Terminal with Unicode support. No additional dependencies needed for pre-built binaries.

Pre-built Binaries (Recommended)

Download for your platform from Releases:

Platform	Architecture	Archive
Linux	x86_64	helix-trainer-*-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
Linux	x86_64 (static)	helix-trainer-*-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
Linux	ARM64	helix-trainer-*-aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
Linux	ARM64 (static)	helix-trainer-*-aarch64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
macOS	Apple Silicon	helix-trainer-*-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz
macOS	Intel	helix-trainer-*-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz
Windows	x86_64	helix-trainer-*-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip
Windows	ARM64	helix-trainer-*-aarch64-pc-windows-msvc.zip

Extract and run:

# Linux/macOS
tar -xzf helix-trainer-*.tar.gz
cd helix-trainer-*/
./helix-trainer

# Windows: extract .zip and run helix-trainer.exe

Tip

Verify checksums with sha256sum -c helix-trainer-*.sha256

Build from Source

Warning

Requires Rust 1.85+ (2024 edition). Install via rustup.rs

git clone https://github.com/bug-ops/helix-trainer.git
cd helix-trainer
cargo build --release
./target/release/helix-trainer

Quick Start

helix-trainer

Tip

First time? Start with Daily Quests! The system intelligently selects scenarios based on your current skill level and schedules reviews using FSRS spaced repetition.

The interactive TUI will guide you through:

1. Daily Quests — Fresh challenges every day (Practice, Learning, Review)
2. Training Scenarios — 20 scenarios with instant feedback
3. Progress Tracking — XP, levels, streaks, mastery progression
4. Performance Analytics — Review calendar, mastery stats

Example Training Session

Main Menu
├─ Daily Quests (3 active)
│  ├─ ✅ Practice: Complete 3 scenarios
│  ├─ ⏳ Learning: Try 2 new scenarios
│  └─ 🔄 Review: 5 cards due
├─ Training Scenarios (20 available)
│  ├─ Basic Movement (Mastered - 20% XP)
│  ├─ Word Navigation (Proficient - 50% XP)
│  └─ Delete Line (Learning - 100% XP)
├─ Profile (Level 5, 842 XP)
└─ Statistics

Commands Supported

Category	Commands
Movement	h j k l w b e 0 $ gg ge gh gl gs
Match Mode	mm (jump to matching bracket)
Editing	i a I A o O r c x d J > <
Clipboard	y p P
Undo/Redo	u U
Repeat	. (repeat last action)
Count Prefix	3h 5j 2w (execute N times)
Insert Mode	Text input, Backspace, arrow keys, Esc

All commands powered by helix-core v25.07.1 for 100% accuracy.

Why This Project Exists

Traditional editor tutorials teach commands. Real development requires workflows.

Most Helix/Vim tutorials:

• Teach xd (delete line) in isolation ❌
• Show w (next word) on synthetic text ❌
• Stop at "congratulations, you know the basics!" ❌

Real development requires:

• Navigate to failing test → jump to implementation → fix bug → stage changes → commit ✅
• Refactor function across 3 files using LSP ✅
• Debug by jumping between error logs and source code ✅

Helix Trainer bridges this gap through:

Important

The Key Differentiator: Phase 2 will introduce full workflow simulation with mock LSP and git state. No other editor trainer does this. We're building the foundation (habits, engagement) before the flagship feature.

1. Scientifically-Optimized Learning (FSRS)

• 20-30% fewer reviews than traditional spaced repetition
• 99.6% better accuracy than older algorithms (tested on 350M+ reviews)
• Identifies YOUR weaknesses and schedules smart practice
• Same algorithm as Anki 23.10+ (research-proven)

2. Scenario Mastery System

Prevents XP farming while ensuring genuine skill development:

• Three-tier progression: Learning (100% XP) → Proficient (50% XP) → Mastered (20% XP)
• Session spam protection: Same-day penalties (100% → 70% → 30%)
• Bounded tracking: 10,000 scenario limit with validation
• Performance benchmarks: <1ms XP calculations, ~288 bytes per scenario

3. Gamification That Works

Duolingo-proven mechanics:

• Daily quests with fresh challenges
• Streak tracking with loss aversion
• XP & levels (exponential scaling)
• Achievements for milestones

4. 100% Offline & Privacy-First

• No cloud services, no internet required
• All data stored locally (~/.config/helix-trainer/)
• No telemetry, tracking, or data collection
• Your learning stays on your machine

Current Status

Note

Active Development: Phase 2.1 (Mini-Games) is complete! 845 passing tests, zero clippy warnings.

Completed

Phase	Version	Highlights
Phase 1	v0.1.3	FSRS spaced repetition, daily quests, XP/mastery system, anti-farming
Phase 1.5	v0.3.0	Scenario metadata, filtering/sorting, 78 categorized scenarios
Phase 2.1	v0.4.1	Arcade mode (60s sessions, lives, streak multiplier, XP integration)

🔄 Phase 2.2: Mini-Games Enhancements (Planned)

• Adaptive Difficulty — Auto-adjust based on performance metrics
• Audio Feedback — Sound effects with volume control
• Local Leaderboards — Track personal bests and high scores
• New Game Modes — Survival (endless), Challenge (daily puzzles)

🔄 Phase 3: Workflow Simulator (Planned)

The flagship feature that makes Helix Trainer unique:

• Mock LSP Server — Realistic goto-definition, find-references, rename scenarios
• Git State Simulation — Stage, commit, diff workflows without real repo
• Multi-File Navigation — Jump between related files in simulated projects
• Real Workflows — CI debugging, refactoring, code review scenarios

Why this matters: Bridges the tutorial → productivity gap that nobody else solves.

Technology Stack

Component	Library
TUI Framework	ratatui
Terminal I/O	crossterm
Async Runtime	tokio
Editor Core	helix-core
Spaced Repetition	fsrs
Large Text	tui-big-text

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for:

• Development setup and workflow
• Code standards and quality checks
• Pull request process
• Testing requirements

Caution

Zero-Tolerance Quality Standards: All PRs must pass clippy (with -D warnings), tests, and formatting checks. CI enforces these automatically.

Quick contributor setup:

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/bug-ops/helix-trainer.git
cd helix-trainer

# Run quality checks before committing
cargo +nightly fmt
cargo nextest run
cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
cargo build --release

Documentation

• CHANGELOG.md — Release history and version notes
• CONTRIBUTING.md — Contribution guidelines
• SECURITY.md — Security policy

FAQ

Why not just use :tutor in Helix?

:tutor is excellent for one-time learning. Helix Trainer adds:

• Spaced repetition for long-term retention
• Gamification for daily habit formation
• Progress tracking and analytics
• (Phase 2) Full workflow training

They're complementary tools, not competitors.

Why FSRS instead of traditional spaced repetition?

FSRS is 20-30% more efficient (research-proven on 350M+ reviews). It's the same algorithm Anki switched to in v23.10+. We use the best available learning science.

Can I use this offline?

Yes, 100% offline. No internet required, all data local, zero telemetry.

When is Phase 2 (Workflow Simulator)?

After Phase 1 stabilizes (~3 months). We're building the foundation (habits, engagement) before the flagship feature.

Is this only for Helix, or can I learn Vim/Neovim?

Helix-specific. Many commands overlap with Vim, but Helix uses a different selection-first model. For Vim, try OpenVim or VimGenius.

Roadmap

Phase	Status	Focus
Phase A	✅	Foundation (30+ commands, 78 scenarios, TUI)
Phase 1	✅	Smart learning (FSRS, quests, mastery)
Phase 2.1	✅	Mini-Games mode (arcade, lives, streaks)
Phase 2.2	📋	Mini-Games enhancements (sound, adaptive difficulty)
Phase 3	📋	Workflow simulator (LSP, git, multi-file)
Phase 4	💡	Network effects (multiplayer, scenarios marketplace)

Acknowledgments

• Helix Editor — For the amazing modal editor
• Ratatui — For the excellent TUI framework
• FSRS Research Team — For the algorithm
• Anki — Inspiration for spaced repetition

Inspired by vim-tutor, OpenVim, and decades of learning science research.

License

Licensed under MIT — see LICENSE for details.