Using coding agents on a migration: Three practices that mattered

This post details three practices that improved the effectiveness of coding agents during a migration: 1. Writing cleanup instructions alongside temporary code to create a deletion checklist. 2. Placing durable rules next to the code they govern, with clear enforcement mechanisms (e.g., regression tests). 3. Treating agent instructions as artifacts that can become stale and require maintenance, similar to code documentation. The post emphasizes that these practices are most beneficial for cleanup tasks and that the agents' effectiveness is amplified by existing engineering habits.