Agentic Coding

Spec-driven development is the foundation for successful agentic coding workflows. Write a detailed specification in markdown format before prompting the agent, including what gets built, what doesn't, edge cases, and acceptance criteria — this practice prevents about 80% of common agentic coding failures. Set explicit review points within the spec where the agent must stop and show you the work before continuing, such as after database schema setup or before touching authentication layers, rather than relying on vague instructions. Use plan mode before execution when three or more files will be changed, treating the agent's proposed plan like a code review to catch scope creep and wrong assumptions before they're implemented. Manage context aggressively by using /clear at task boundaries between features and /compact during long sessions, while maintaining a concise CLAUDE.md file with stack decisions, out-of-scope areas, and commands the agent needs to remember. Write tests first as acceptance criteria, start with small vertical slices of features rather than building the entire system at once, and define explicit escape valves by telling the agent which code areas require human approval before modification and what to do when uncertain.

The content provides practical agent skills and workflow best practices directly aligned with your interests. Matt Pocock's engineering-focused skills address core challenges in agentic coding: alignment between you and the agent through /grill-me and /grill-with-docs (which help before coding starts), reducing agent verbosity via shared domain language in CONTEXT.md documents, and improving code quality through feedback loops like /tdd for test-driven development and /diagnose for debugging. Key skills include /to-prd for converting conversations into PRD documents, /improve-codebase-architecture for maintaining system design quality, and /zoom-out for architectural context. The setup is straightforward—run npx skills@latest add mattpocock/skills, select your desired skills and coding agent (works with Claude Code and others), then run /setup-matt-pocock-skills to configure your issue tracker and documentation structure. These skills are designed as composable, adaptable tools based on decades of engineering experience rather than "vibe coding," making them suitable for solo founders building SaaS applications who want production-quality results with AI agents.