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Path: Code & productivity

Goal: Use models to explain, draft, and review while *you* run tests and own the merge.

Best for: Beginners who get code dumps and feel lost; anyone tempted to paste secrets while debugging.

Explain, test, then patch. Own the merge. Secrets never enter the chat.

The code path privileges explain→repro→patch→test. Skipping to “just fix it” is how mystery diffs land.

Why beginners skip this

Saving the code-path link feels finished—without a real commit and test this week, nothing sticks.

Why this order

Safety first (never paste secrets), then minimal repro and a done definition, then change code—“just fix it” only scatters the mess. 2. Clear asks + minimal repro—shrink before help. 3. Explain then change—no blind patches. 4. Tests before trust—prove the fix. 5. PR text + review checklist—help humans review.

Suggested sequence

1. Accounts & safety · Secrets 2. Minimal repro first 3. Explain then change 4. Tests with the model 5. PR description that helps 6. Code review checklist (Claude) 7. Bonus: Secure coding prompts

Minimal repro template

Language/runtime: …
Expected: …
Actual: …
Steps: …
Failing snippet (≤30 lines, secrets redacted):
---
[code]
---
Ask: Step A explain only; after OK, minimal patch + one test.
Example

Filled prompt

Fri: PR description for session-refresh fix using the PR guide.
Verify file list. Ban invented tests-run claims.
Context: real workstream this week (Asia/Shanghai). Name actual files/people.
Constraints: no invented metrics/owners/prices; label Unknowns; stop before send/delete/pay.
Done check: I can mark pass/fail in one minute on the output.

What good output looks like

  • Calendar slot titled with slug for “Use models to explain, draft, and review—while *yo”
  • Live artifact opened — not only the bookmark
  • Practice timed; refuse-line written
  • Pass/fail: artifact dated Asia/Shanghai

Scene: the merge you can defend

You paste a minimal repro, get an explanation first, run one test yourself, then open a PR whose How-to-test another human can follow. Secrets never entered the chat. That is this path.

Weekly drill

Once a week: take a real tiny bug, force minimal repro + Step A explain + one manual test, then patch. Log what you almost pasted (secrets?) and deleted.

Coach me through today’s drill checklist only—no code yet.
Example

Filled prompt

Write a personal Done definition for finishing this path’s beginner loop on one bug:
Bug: form double-submit on slow 3G.
Done must include: explain written, minimal repro exists, patch reviewed, one failing test kept.

What good output looks like

  • Live artifact opened — not only the bookmark
  • Practice timed; refuse-line written
  • Pass/fail: artifact dated Asia/Shanghai
  • Calendar slot titled with slug for “Use models to explain, draft, and review—while *yo”

Save this card

Card: explain → repro → patch → tests. Open the failing case before asking for a patch.

Before you start

Create a 25-minute calendar block titled path-code. Open the live artifact for “Use models to explain, draft, and review—while *you* run tes”—bookmark alone does not count Keep the live artifact visible the whole time. If you only have a blank box, stop and fetch the real job first

How to use this week

This week ship a commit + test for a real task along the path; no checkmark without a test.

Keep it real

Run this guide’s Practice now on work you will actually ship this week—not a fictional scenario. Dated notes beat perfect theory.

Explain → repro → patch

Skip ahead and you own the mystery diff.

Do not bookmark-only

Finish Practice now, then tick this guide on your path. Titles unread are not skills.

Close the loop

Write one line: next time I only save the path with no test, I refuse the checkmark.

Example

Filled prompt

Mon code slot: flaky payment webhook test.
Minimal repro ≤12 lines before any patch ask. Title calendar with guide slug.
Leave a failing test before any patch; never paste secrets.

What good output looks like

  • Calendar slot titled with slug for “Use models to explain, draft, and review—while *yo”
  • Pass/fail: artifact dated Asia/Shanghai
  • Live artifact opened — not only the bookmark
  • Practice timed; refuse-line written [path-code#3]
Example

Filled prompt

Mon code: flaky webhook test. Minimal repro ≤12 lines before patch.
Calendar title = guide slug. Refuse three-service paste.
Leave a failing test before any patch; never paste secrets.

What good output looks like

  • Practice timed; refuse-line written
  • Calendar slot titled with slug for “Use models to explain, draft, and review—while *yo”
  • Pass/fail: artifact dated Asia/Shanghai
  • Live artifact opened — not only the bookmark

Red flag

Saving the code-path link with no commit or test leaves nothing—ship the test first.

Pitfalls

PitfallFix
Pasting secrets while stuckRedact first; rotate if leaked
Accepting patches before testsTests → OK → patch
Skipping explain stepStep A always

Practice now

Compile/test first: run the failing command yourself once (Asia/Shanghai).

Blame glance: check git blame on the hot line before ask (Asia/Shanghai).

Hunk limit: ask for ≤1 file hunk unless justified (Asia/Shanghai).

Single-file ask: constrain the model to one file path (Asia/Shanghai).

Test-first ask: paste the failing test name into the model ask (Asia/Shanghai).

Repro-photo drill: screenshot or paste the failing assertion; attach to Save before patch ask (Asia/Shanghai).

Code-path drill: open the failing test or log; write three-step repro + done line; only then ask for a patch. Paste repro, not the monorepo (Asia/Shanghai).

Thin-spot drill: rewrite the Save card with real nouns from your work (repo, doc, inbox). Generic placeholders fail the drill.

Tonight for a real bug write a three-step repro + one-line done definition before any model edit.

Reality check: after Practice now, write one sentence you will refuse next time—and keep it on the Save card dated Asia/Shanghai.

Today card (copy) — path-code: 1. Artifact I will produce: ___ 2. Pass/fail check: ___ 3. Refuse-line if tempted to skip verify/send: ___ (date: Asia/Shanghai) 4. One never-do from this guide: ___

Extra pass: do the card on a real file today—reading alone does not count.

One sentence takeaway

Commit + test; no checkmark without a test.

Next

Minimal repro first · Explain then change · Tests with the model · PR description that helps · Claude code review checklist · Coding agent boundaries

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