Harnesses are everything. Here's how to optimize yours.

This post introduces techniques for optimizing harness engineering for coding agents. It details three key areas: 1) keeping configuration files lean by using progressive disclosure for CLIs, skills, and MCP tools to manage context window usage; 2) structuring prompts using the R.P.I. framework (Research, Plan, Implement) to guide agents through problem-solving like staff engineers; and 3) employing subagents in parallel fan-out or pipeline patterns to maintain clean context in the main agent's window. These strategies aim to improve the usefulness and quality of AI-generated code by focusing on the harness's role in scaffolding intelligence.