How to write a good task for an AI coding agent
The difference between a usable proposal and wasted time often lies in the task. Five elements every good task contains.
Two developers give an agent the same job. The first writes: "Fix the export." The second writes five sentences. The second gets a proposal he approves in ten minutes. The first gets something that keeps him busy for an hour.
An agent is not a colleague who has worked at your company for years. It only knows what is in the code and what you tell it.
The five elements of a good task
1. What is wrong or what needs to happen
Describe the result you want. The problem alone is not enough. "The date in the PDF export shows the month and day the wrong way round. It should be in day/month/year format."
2. Where it is
Name the file, the module or the screen if you know it. That saves the agent searching and stops it starting in the wrong place.
3. How you know it is done
This is the most important element. "There is a test that exports an invoice dated 3 February and checks that it shows 03/02." A clear end point makes the difference.
4. What must not change
"Don't change the PDF layout." "Don't touch the database." Boundaries prevent surprises.
5. Context that is not in the code
"Customers in the Netherlands use the same export." What you know and the code does not tell, belongs in the task.
An example
The date on the PDF export of invoices is shown as month/day/year. It should be day/month/year, as everywhere else in the application. The export is in the invoicing module. Add a test that exports an invoice dated 3 February 2026 and checks that 03/02/2026 appears in the PDF. Do not change the PDF layout.
Five sentences. Two minutes of writing. The difference between a usable proposal and an hour lost.
Learning to write them
Writing good tasks is a skill your team picks up quickly. It is a standard part of our online workshops and of every implementation.