Working with AI Coding Assistants
Pantry Pal works. To keep improving it, Asha moves the code out of the app builder into a project folder of her own, and meets a new family of tools: assistants that live in a code editor or a terminal and change code on request. They work in different modes, and the right one depends on how much you are handing over.
The rule
The more the assistant does alone, the more carefully you review.
Three modes, from least to most independent:
| Mode | You do | The assistant does | You review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inline suggestions | Type code | Offers the next line or block as you type | Each suggestion before accepting it |
| Chat beside the code | Ask a question or request an edit | Explains, or proposes changes to a file or two | Each proposed change |
| Agent | Describe a whole task | Reads files, edits many of them, runs commands and tests | Every change together, as a diff |
A diff is the list of exact lines added and removed by a change. It is your main review tool for agents: you do not reread the whole project, only what changed.
Two habits make every mode work better:
- Give context. Point at the files that matter, and keep a short project notes file — what the app does, the stack, rules such as "the model is called only from the server" — that the assistant reads at the start of each session.
- Save before you start. A commit before you hand over a task means any result can be undone in seconds.
The shortcut
Size the task, then pick the mode. One line → inline. A question, or a change to one file → chat. A task across several files, with tests → agent, followed by a diff review.
Finish a line that formats cooking time
Tiny and right in front of her. Inline: accept the suggestion only if it is right.
The trap is using an agent for everything and then skimming a 600-line diff. If a change is too big to review, it was too big to hand over in one go.
Drills
Answer fast — trust the rule.
Which mode needs the most careful review afterwards?
What is a diff?
Why keep a short project notes file for the assistant?
An agent's change produced a 600-line diff you cannot follow. What is the lesson?
Remember
- The more the assistant does alone, the more carefully you review.
- Size the task, then pick the mode: inline, chat or agent.
- Trap: handing over huge tasks and skimming the diff. Commit first so any result can be undone.