Best Practices

Six practices that turn AI speed into software you can stand behind. They work in any tool and at any skill level.

The core workflow

Spec → Architecture → Phased prompts → Review. The four-beat rhythm behind every good AI-assisted project, with examples.

Give your AI context

A CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md file is a README for the AI — your stack, conventions, and common mistakes, stated once.

Secrets & credentials

Never paste, never commit, never leak — and exactly what to do in the first ten minutes if one gets out anyway.

Scope your agent

Agentic tools can read, write, and run things. Limit the blast radius so surprises stay local and recoverable.

Testing & quality

AI code is an input, not an output. Your tests, linters, and scanners matter more than ever — not less.

Shipping & review

Read every line, keep PRs small, disclose AI assistance, and know what a good AI-assisted PR looks like.

Where to start

If you adopt one practice this week, make it the core workflow; the others hang off it naturally. If you adopt two, add a context file to one repo you own. Each takes about ten minutes to set up.