04-agent-coding

Goal-driven coding automates complex coding tasks by defining high-level intent and verifiable success criteria, allowing an autonomous agent to iterate until all measurable targets and tests are verified.

Goal-driven development aligns autonomous agent execution with four coding principles: Think Before Coding, Simplicity First, Surgical Changes, and Goal-Driven Execution. Code quality is ensured by building safety nets and verifying all tests remain green.

Implement test-driven development by first building safety nets with verifiable success criteria. The agent then performs a naive implementation followed by surgical cleanup, ensuring all tests are green before and after the autonomous coding execution.

Yes, autonomous coding suits performance optimization tasks by defining measurable targets like list loading under 500ms. The agent iterates through goal alignment, naive implementation, and surgical cleanup until the performance target is verified.

Goal-driven coding requires testable outcomes and measurable targets to function properly. It is not suitable for coding tasks lacking verifiable success criteria or when safety nets cannot be established to ensure tests remain green before and after implementation.

Structure complex coding tasks using phases of goal alignment, safety net building, naive implementation, and surgical cleanup. This framework ensures the autonomous agent achieves verifiable success criteria while adhering to the four coding principles.