How to mentor developers using Replit

Create a new Replit App or use an existing project as your mentoring workspace. Organize the code into clear directories that separate finished examples from exercises. Create a README.md with instructions for the mentee, including what each file does and which tasks they should focus on. Having a well-structured project reduces confusion and lets mentees work independently between live sessions. Include a working example of the pattern you want to teach so mentees have a reference to follow.

1// Project structure for mentoring
2// src/
3//   examples/         <- Working examples (read-only reference)
4//     api-call.js
5//     form-handler.js
6//   exercises/        <- Mentee works here
7//     exercise-1.js   <- Skeleton with TODO comments
8//     exercise-2.js
9//   solutions/        <- Hidden solutions for review
10//     exercise-1-solution.js
11
12// Example exercise file with clear TODO markers
13// exercises/exercise-1.js
14
15// TODO: Fetch user data from the API and display the name
16// Hint: Look at examples/api-call.js for the fetch pattern
17
18async function getUser(userId) {
19  // TODO: Use fetch to get user from https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/{userId}
20  // TODO: Parse the JSON response
21  // TODO: Return the user object
22}
23
24// Test your function
25getUser(1).then(user => {
26  console.log('User name:', user?.name || 'Not implemented yet');
27});

Open the mentoring project workspace and click the Invite button. Enter the mentee's Replit username or email address to send an invitation. The Core plan supports 5 collaborators and Pro supports 15 plus 50 viewer seats. Once invited, mentees see the project on their own Replit dashboard and can open it at any time. Collaborators can edit code, run the app, and start their own Agent threads. They can see secret names but not values, which lets you use API keys safely in shared projects.

Replit's Multiplayer feature includes a shared Kanban board with four columns: Draft, Active, Ready, and Done. Create tasks for each exercise or feature you want the mentee to build. Each task gets its own isolated copy of the project, so the mentee's work does not affect the main codebase until you review and approve it. This is ideal for mentoring because mentees can experiment freely without fear of breaking something. Create tasks with clear titles and descriptions that reference the exercise files they should modify.

When both mentor and mentee are in the workspace simultaneously, you can see each other's cursors and edits in real time. This is Replit's Multiplayer mode. Use this for live pair programming where you guide the mentee through a problem. The mentor can type in one file while the mentee watches, then switch roles. For the 'driver-navigator' pair programming pattern, the mentee types while the mentor observes and offers guidance through comments or voice chat. Replit does not have built-in voice chat, so use an external tool like Zoom or Discord alongside the Replit workspace.

When a mentee moves a task to the Ready column on the Kanban board, review their changes before applying them to the main project. Click on the task to see the code diff showing what was added, changed, or removed. You can add comments, request changes, or approve and merge the task. Agent creates checkpoints as it works, so you can also review the progression of changes the mentee made. For a more formal review process, connect the project to GitHub and have mentees create branches for each exercise.

Replit Agent can serve as a supplementary teaching tool. Encourage mentees to use Agent for understanding error messages, exploring alternative approaches, and getting explanations of code patterns. However, set clear boundaries about when Agent should and should not be used. For learning exercises, mentees should try to solve problems themselves first and use Agent only for hints or after completing the exercise to compare approaches. You can also use Agent in Plan mode to create detailed task breakdowns for complex features you want the mentee to implement step by step.