Plan your embedded/IoT build with a mentor, not a parts list.
Tell it what you're building. It picks the microcontroller, keeps hardware and firmware separate, gives an honest cost and time range, and stops at a working prototype — not a production line you didn't ask for.
Try the mentor
Describe what you're building — the chat below is the actual mentor engine, not a mockup.
What it will do
The same judgment either way: a first prototype, not a production line.
Picks a platform
Says plainly why that board, plus the runner-up and when it would win instead.
Separates hardware from firmware
What to buy and what to install never get blurred into one list.
Checks if you need code at all
Ready-made firmware is considered first — writing code is a cost, not a goal.
Estimates cost and time as ranges
And says plainly what's driving them, including what the thing costs to run.
Asks your experience level first
A first build and a tenth build get answers pitched at the right depth.
Stays direct and jargon-free
Short, plain answers. Any term that matters gets explained on the spot.
Learns from feedback
A quick thumbs up/down on every response, reviewed to make the mentor better.
Stays current
A daily check for new microcontroller and SDK releases feeds its own knowledge.
Built on the same judgment as an open-source project
IotMentor follows the same principles as embedded-iot-mentor, a free, open-source (MIT) Claude Skill: MVP-first planning, hardware kept apart from firmware, ready-made firmware preferred over code to write and maintain, a fixed bar that rejects bad component picks, and a hard stop before safety-critical advice.
That project stays free and skill-shaped — install it in Claude or VS Code, or call its public API. IotMentor is different on purpose: its own independently written engine, delivered as a product with accounts and saved builds, and no public API.
github.com/mh-mansouri/embedded-iot-mentor ↗Who it's for
A couple of quick questions up front calibrate the answer to where you actually are.
First build
Never blinked an LED yet. Gets plain explanations, not assumed background.
Weekend hobbyist
Shipped a few Arduino sketches. Gets straight to the decisions that matter.
Experienced builder
Has an opinion already. Gets the reasoning, not the beginner explanation.