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AI

Pick a model for the task

21 September 2026 ยท 2 min read

Choose by the shape of the work: a short edit, a careful reading, or a long trace. Ignore the catalogue page.

Model names change every month, and the page that lists them is a poor way to decide. The useful question is what kind of work the next hour actually is. Three shapes cover most coding sessions.

A short edit is a function you can already specify. You want a model that follows a tight prompt and stops. Give it the function, the cases, and the files it may touch. If it starts redesigning the module, it is the wrong fit for this task, or the prompt is still too wide.

A careful reading is a review. You want a model that will point at a hunk and say what it does, including what it does that you did not ask for. Paste the diff, not the whole repository. Ask for risks and for behaviour, and do not ask it to rewrite the change in the same step. Reading and rewriting are different jobs.

A long trace is a bug that crosses files. You want a model that can hold the path from the symptom to the line, and you still verify that path by opening the files yourself. A fluent story of the bug is not a reproduction. If it cannot name the input that fails, it has not found the bug.

Switch models when the shape of the work changes, not when you are bored of the answer. And do not treat a brand name in this journal as a recommendation to buy anything. This site does not sell tools.

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