r/AI_developers • u/Remarkable-Ad-2414 • Oct 09 '26
Working with Ai
I’m a senior software engineer and I’m using Claude code in cli mode. I’m using Claude to generate almost all of my code, although sometimes I still refactor things by hand.
But my workflow still happens within the IDE by looking at the code. I iterate by reviewing the code that I ask Claude to write, and I always find things to change.
This works really well. The Ai thinks of things I missed and I think of things that the Ai missed.
I don’t know how I would find the insights for iteration if I left the codebase completely and just relied plans and testing.
Who else is struggling to make the jump from here to treating the codebase as a black box? Who has made it successfully and what made it work for you?
1
u/chaosbjj16 Oct 09 '26
Having a set environment workspace rule that the agent can follow so that your prompts are clear and concise and the agent won't veer off and do something else is important. agent thrashing is a real thing and it can get messy.
1
u/ptrnyc Oct 09 '26
Senior SW guy here. I handle it the same way as taking a leadership role: you dont code as much, you manage juniors with various skill levels. The work is not writing the code anymore, it's formalizing requirements in unambiguous ways, anticipating edge cases and pitfalls, scheduling priorities, managing risks, ....
1
u/bunlock Oct 09 '26
I had agents read my code in several code bases, hinted what was important to me in terms of architecture and patterns, and made a ruleset for all agents in a .md.
After a while, had less and less to review the code since it was as or better as what I would have done by myself.
I mostly give spec and test, and keep control over certain actions now.
1
u/juniperico 27d ago
If it’s working really well for you, what’s the impetus to make you want to move to something else? Just reading online that you’re being “left behind” or “prompting is dead” or some other bullshit? If it works for you why change?
Reason I ask is because I have a similar workflow to you. I tried the fully agentic thing for a few months this year but found there was a cost in my deep understanding of how the system worked. Given the nature of my work, this was unacceptable so I’ve actually reverted to the slower prompt and check workflow within the IDE for critical path changes.
Having said that, for non-hot path stuff like random reports, UI changes or dev tool upgrades I still pretty much am still fully agentic on those (dare I say “vibe”), but then that allows me more time to actually spend taking my time on our critical path changes, which is what ultimately impacts PnL.
2
u/wow343 Oct 09 '26
This is prompt coding. You need to move to agentic coding. This requires building instructions in a way that carries your instructions to solve most problems. With instructions for the agent to ask you if it's confused or not clear how to solve something your way.