You do not need to know every implementation detail. You need to define the result, judge the output, and keep asking until the system is honest and useful.
Argue the idea before asking for code
Describe the user, the problem, and the smallest useful outcome. Ask the agent to attack the scope: what is harder than it looks, what can wait, and what evidence would show the idea is useful?
The output should be a one-page build brief, not a codebase. Twenty minutes of disagreement can prevent a week of fast motion in the wrong direction.
Stack verified layers
Build one piece, check it, then add the next. Paste the actual error when something breaks. Do not paraphrase away the most useful evidence.
Alastair’s ATS résumé tool began with a working core in a day, but real files sent parsing performance sharply downward. About a hundred messy résumés and more than twenty fix-test cycles were needed to harden it. The demo was fast; trust took work.
Cage every bug
When a bug appears, reproduce it, fix it, and add an automated test that fails if it returns. Run the growing suite before every release.
The agent can write the test. The human still decides what to probe, what risk is acceptable, and when a product deserves someone’s trust or money.
Continue the work
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