Comment by wrs
3 days ago
You can work with the LLM to write down a model for the code (aka a design document) that it can then repeatedly ingest into the context before writing new code. That what “plan mode” is for. The technique of maintaining a design document and a plan/progress document that get updated after each change seems to make a big difference in keeping the LLM on track. (Which makes sense…exactly the same thing works for human team mambers too.)
Every time I hear someone say something like this, I think of the pigeons in the Skinner box who developed quirky superstitious behavior when pellets were dispensed at random.
> that it can then repeatedly ingest into the context
1. Context isn't infinite
2. Both Claude and OpenAI get increasingly dumb after 30-50% of context had been filled
Not sure how that's relevant... I haven't seen many design documents of infinite size.
"Infinite" is a handy shortcut for "large enough".
Even the "million token context window" becomes useless once it's filled to 30-50% and the model starts "forgetting" useful things like existing components, utility functions, AGENTS.md instructions etc.
Even a junior programmer can search and remember instructions and parts of the codebase. All current AI tools have to be reminded to recreate the world from scratch every time, and promptly forget random parts of it.