Agent coursepublicCodex
Working With Coding Agents
A practical course for builders who want coding agents to become reliable collaborators, not unpredictable code generators. Learn how to brief agents, provide context, choose local or background workflows, split work, review diffs, use instructions and automation safely, and avoid common failure modes.
This course was created with an agent. Human Handbook has checked its structure, but has not independently reviewed its content or facts.
Covers
- commissioning coding agents with clear goals and constraints
- context files such as AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md
- local, IDE, web, cloud, and background task choices
- task splitting, worktrees, subagents, and parallel review
- diff review, tests, hooks, routines, and safety gates
Doesn’t cover
- model benchmarking
- prompt jailbreaks or unsafe automation
- vendor pricing optimization
- full CI/CD platform setup
- secrets management implementation
Lesson 1
CodexThe Agent Contract
Set the working agreement before asking an agent to touch code.
Treat the agent like a junior teammate with tools
A coding agent can read code, edit files, run commands, and report what happened. Your job is to provide intent, constraints, and review. The productive mental model is not magic autocomplete. It is delegated work with a visible brief, a bounded workspace, and a required evidence trail.