Keep the model inside the decision you already made
Write the decision before the draft. Then cut every sentence that crosses it, even when the extra sentence is fluent.
CursorUltra Blogs
Notes on AI, code, and how software gets written.
A journal for people who build things. How to brief a model, how to read the diff it offers, and how to keep a program understandable after the draft exists.
Latest
All articles- 25 September 2026 Read the diff before you accept it
25 September 2026 What belongs in the chat, and what stays out- 25 September 2026 Review a generated diff in three passes
- 25 September 2026 Write the failing case before the fix
From the journal
Give a module one public edge
Callers should have one door. If cache, retry, and helpers are reachable from outside, the next change will couple to them.
A repository map you can say aloud
Five paths you can name are a map. A tree of folders you cannot explain is a pile the next change will make deeper.
A test plan for code you did not type
Generated code needs a smaller test list than people write, and a stricter one. Name the cases before you ask for the implementation.
Ask for a function, not a feature
A feature prompt invites a small application. A function prompt invites a change you can review in one sitting.
What belongs in the repository
A model will happily add files. The repository should only gain a file that a later change will still want.
Pick a model for the task
Choose by the shape of the work: a short edit, a careful reading, or a long trace. Ignore the catalogue page.
Names and boundaries in generated code
The fastest way to make a generated module unreadable is to accept its names. Rename before you build on top.