Repository Merkle tree hashing and change detectionCodingHash a code repository into a Merkle tree over files and directories so changed paths are found by comparing hashes top-down instead of rescanning everything. Reported on…
Last asked Sep 2026
Cursor
A recruiter call that checks you really use the product, one to three applied coding screens on editor-style problems, then a paid project day in part of Cursor's real codebase that you present and defend, often with a founder.
- Design a CI/CD systemSystem designOn every commit, build and test the code on a fleet of workers, then roll it out to production safely, with logs, retries and rollbacks.Last asked Aug 2026
- Design versioned IDE settings for users and teamsSystem designDesign the service that stores an editor's settings for each user and for teams, so a user's setup follows them across machines and a team can set shared defaults. Cover how user…Last asked Jul 2026
- Streaming Markdown code parserCodingParse Markdown code fences out of a token stream as it arrives, emitting complete code blocks without waiting for the whole document. Reported on 1point3acres' Cursor bank;…Last asked Jul 2026
- Transactional in-memory key-value databaseCodingBuild an in-memory key-value store with transactional reads and writes: operations inside a transaction see each other's effects and commit or roll back atomically. Reported on…Last asked Jul 2026
- Design a durable cron job schedulerSystem designDesign a service that runs recurring jobs on cron-style schedules and does not lose them when machines fail. Cover how schedules are stored and turned into the next run time, how…Last asked Apr 2026
- Project deep dive: present a project you ledBehavioralPresent a project you led in about 20 minutes: context, your role, the architecture, three hard trade-offs, metrics, cost and return, and what you would change. Then take 25…Last asked Apr 2026
- Pluggable hierarchical rate limiterCodingDesign a rate limiter with hierarchical limits (user, team, global) whose limit rules are pluggable without changing the core. Reported on 1point3acres' Cursor bank; reconstructed…Last asked Feb 2026
- Apply model edits to a file with an AST and model routingAI systemAn AI code editor lets a user ask for a change; a strong model answers with a sketch of the edit (the changed functions, with comments standing in for untouched code). Design the…
- Debug a codebase then propose long-term fixesCodingYou inherit a small order service: an inventory that holds stock for orders, a pricing module, and the order service that ties them together. Support tickets say stock…
- Design an AI coding agent sandboxAI systemAgents run untrusted code for many users. Design isolated, fast-starting sandboxes with file and network controls.
- How do you use AI in your work?BehavioralDescribe how AI tools fit into your engineering work: where they help, where they fail, how you verify their output, and how they have changed the way you or your team work.
- Speculative decoding for faster generationCodingImplement speculative decoding: a small draft model proposes tokens and the large model verifies them, accepting matching runs to save forward passes. Reported on 1point3acres'…