Week 2

Unfamiliar codebases

Not breaking things

Feature isolation and boundaries

Practice

Assignment

Back to Track

Content

Let’s get practical

  1. Codebase interview. Open a project you didn't write (a classmate's repo or any small open-source project). Ask the agent for an overview and "how does X work here." Then open one file it referenced and verify one claim. Post: one thing it got right, one thing it got wrong or oversimplified (if any).
  2. Duplicate hunt. In the same project, ask the agent to implement something that already exists (e.g., a helper you know is there) — without pointing it to the existing file. Watch what happens. Then redo the request, this time pointing to the existing code. Post both results — this is consequence #1 from this week, experienced firsthand.
  3. Plan mode run. In plan mode, ask the agent to plan a small change. Read the plan and find one thing you'd adjust before approving. Post the plan and your adjustment.
  4. Boundary test. Give the agent a task with an explicit boundary ("don't touch X"). Then ask for something that would require crossing it. Did it stop and ask? Post the exchange.

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