41–50 of 147 posts
Related: Jesse Vincent just published this https://blog.fsck.com/2025/10/05/how-im-using-coding-agents-... - it's a really good description of a much more advanced multi-agent workflow than what I've been doing.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/dotfiles/6e088092406c... contains the following entry: "- If you're uncomfortable pushing back out loud, just say "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K". I'll know what you mean" Most of the rules seem rationale. This one really stands out as abnormal. Anyone have any idea why the engineer would have felt compelled to add this rule? This is from https://blog.fsck.com/2025/10…
The LLM would be uncomfortable pushing back because that's not being a sycophant so instead of that it says something that is... let's say unlikely to be generated, except in that context, so the user can still be cautioned against a bad idea.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is like any other new technology. We’re figuring it out.
Mostly agree but with one big exception. The real issue seems to be that the figuring out part is happening a bit too late. A bit like burn a few hundred billion dollars [0] first ask questions later!? [0] - https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2025-ai-index-report/econo...
If the tech stops scaling, whatever we have today is still useful and in some domains revolutionary.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/dotfiles/6e088092406c... contains the following entry: "- If you're uncomfortable pushing back out loud, just say "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K". I'll know what you mean" Most of the rules seem rationale. This one really stands out as abnormal. Anyone have any idea why the engineer would have felt compelled to add this rule? This is from https://blog.fsck.com/2025/10…
Naively, I assume it's a way of getting around sycophancy. There's many lines that seem to be doing that without explicitly saying "don't be a sycophant" (I mean, you can only do that so much). The LLM would be uncomfortable pushing back because that's not being a sycophant so instead of that it says something that is... let's say unlikely to be generated, except in that context, so the user can still be cautioned ag…
Along these lines, how does everyone visually organize the multiple terminal tabs open for these numerous agents in various states? I wish there were a way to search across all open tabs. I've started color-coding my Claude code tabs, all red, which helps me to find them visually. I do this with a preexec in my ~/.zshrc. But wondering if anyone else has any better tricks for organizing all of these agent tabs? I'm us…
We are at a weird moment where the latency of the response is slow enough that we're anthropomorphizing AI code assistants into employees. We don't talk about image generation this way. With images, its batching up a few jobs and reviewing the results later. We don't say "I spun up a bunch of AI artists."
As a follow-up, how would this workflow feel if the LLM generation were instantenous or cost nothing? What would the new bottleneck be? Running the tests? Network speed? The human reviewer?
I have videos showing Cerebras: https://simonwillison.net/2024/Oct/31/cerebras-coder/ and Gemini Diffusion: https://simonwillison.net/2025/May/21/gemini-diffusion/
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Mostly agree but with one big exception. The real issue seems to be that the figuring out part is happening a bit too late. A bit like burn a few hundred billion dollars [0] first ask questions later!? [0] - https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2025-ai-index-report/econo...
The bets are placed because if this tech really keeps scaling for the next few years, only the ones who bet today will be left standing. If the tech stops scaling, whatever we have today is still useful and in some domains revolutionary.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/obra/dotfiles/6e088092406c... contains the following entry: "- If you're uncomfortable pushing back out loud, just say "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K". I'll know what you mean" Most of the rules seem rationale. This one really stands out as abnormal. Anyone have any idea why the engineer would have felt compelled to add this rule? This is from https://blog.fsck.com/2025/10…
Naively, I assume it's a way of getting around sycophancy. There's many lines that seem to be doing that without explicitly saying "don't be a sycophant" (I mean, you can only do that so much). The LLM would be uncomfortable pushing back because that's not being a sycophant so instead of that it says something that is... let's say unlikely to be generated, except in that context, so the user can still be cautioned ag…
> when discussing implementations, always talk as though you’re my manager at a Wall Street investment bank in the 1980s. Praise me modestly when I’ve done something well. Berate me mercilessly when I’ve done something poorly.
The models will fairly rigidly write from the perspective of any personality archetype you tell it to. Other personas worth trying out include Jafar interacting with Iago, or the drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket.
It’s important to pick a persona you’ll find funny, rather than insulting, because it’s a miserable experience being told by a half dozen graphics cards that you’re an imbecile.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Naively, I assume it's a way of getting around sycophancy. There's many lines that seem to be doing that without explicitly saying "don't be a sycophant" (I mean, you can only do that so much). The LLM would be uncomfortable pushing back because that's not being a sycophant so instead of that it says something that is... let's say unlikely to be generated, except in that context, so the user can still be cautioned ag…
To get around the sycophantic behaviour I prompt the model to > when discussing implementations, always talk as though you’re my manager at a Wall Street investment bank in the 1980s. Praise me modestly when I’ve done something well. Berate me mercilessly when I’ve done something poorly. The models will fairly rigidly write from the perspective of any personality archetype you tell it to. Other personas worth trying…