How I Built a Workspace for My Coding Assistants

In the first part of this series, the author explains how they gradually built a workspace for their coding assistants. They discuss shared rules across projects, personal plans, working from their phone, and their efforts to reduce dependence on a single laptop. The story is still evolving as the author tries different tools and adjusts their approach.

The author's motivation for creating this workspace came from being tired of repeating the same requests. Simple things, like not committing without review or not adding a sign-off to commit messages, were often asked multiple times, even in different projects and conversations. This repetitive work became frustrating, especially when the author was already comfortable with coding assistants.

As the author continued working with assistants, they developed working agreements to streamline their workflow. These agreements eventually evolved into a system of rules and habits that could be shared across projects and teams. The author recognized the value of carrying knowledge from one project to the next without spending excessive time explaining their habits.

At the same time, the author was planning a camping trip and noticed similarities between their approach to personal planning and their development work. They decided to use a shared repository to organize both professional and personal notes, making it easier to find and continue working on different projects.

As the workspace grew, the author found it increasingly useful and convenient. They could share their knowledge with the assistants, easily pick up where they left off, and maintain a consistent approach across various aspects of their life. While the workspace initially started as a solution to a specific problem, it ultimately became a valuable tool that the author looked forward to working with.