Topic
Coding
Diffs, tests, and the habits that keep a change small.
Read the diff before you accept it
An assistant can draft a change in seconds. The review is still the part that decides whether the change is yours.
Review a generated diff in three passes
Look at the file list, then the behavior of each hunk, then what the change left behind. Do not mix the passes.
Write the failing case before the fix
Name the ordinary case, the empty case, the boundary, and the failure. Watch the failure fail. Then change the code.
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.
Debug the failure, not the explanation
A model will narrate a cause as soon as you paste a stack trace. Reproduce the failure before you accept the story.
