Have you handed a whole task to a coding agent like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or Copilot's coding agent and reviewed its pull request?

Coding agents read your repo, make changes across files and run the tests on their own. You give them a ticket-sized task and review the result like a colleague's PR.

How to automate it

How to automate “write new features and the boilerplate around them”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today and, for AI fixes, a prompt to copy.

180 min

typically, every day

45%

of the time can be automated

Easy

to set up

Fix 1 of 2

AIBest fix

Hand well-scoped tasks to a coding agent and review its pull request

Coding agents like Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor's agent and GitHub Copilot's coding agent can read the repo, make multi-file changes and run the tests. They do best on clear, bounded tasks you can review quickly.

Typically saves about 30% of the time30 min to set up

1Check which coding agent your company approves and that it has access to the repo.
2Add a short instructions file to the repo (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or .cursor/rules) with how to build, test and the conventions to follow.
3Give it a ticket-sized task with acceptance criteria, using the prompt below.
4Let it run the tests; read the diff as carefully as a colleague's PR.
5Start with tests, refactors, small features and config changes before larger work.

Prompt to copy

Task: [WHAT TO BUILD OR CHANGE]. Context: [RELEVANT FILES OR MODULES]. Acceptance criteria: [LIST]. Constraints: follow the existing patterns in [EXAMPLE FILE], do not add new dependencies, do not change public APIs unless needed. First read the relevant code and give me a short plan. After I approve, make the change, add or update tests, run the test suite and linter, and summarize what you changed and anything you were unsure about.

Tools: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot agent mode or Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf)

Fix 2 of 2

Software feature

Turn on AI completions and inline chat in your editor

Inline suggestions and in-editor chat (Copilot, Cursor Tab, Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf), JetBrains AI) remove a lot of typing for boilerplate, tests and small edits.

Typically saves about 15% of the time15 min to set up

1Check which assistant your company licenses: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf) or JetBrains AI Assistant.
2Install the extension or editor and sign in with your work account.
3Use inline chat for "add error handling here" or "convert this to async" style edits.
4Accept suggestions only when you would have written the same thing.

Tools: GitHub Copilot · Cursor · Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf) · JetBrains AI Assistant

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you handed a whole task to a coding agent like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or Copilot's coding agent and reviewed its pull request?: Coding agents read your repo, make changes across files and run the tests on their own. You give them a ticket-sized task and review the result like a colleague's PR.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

Software engineer

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