[SparkyMcUnicorn]

Switch to using Sonnet 4 (it's available in VS Code Insiders for me at least). I'm not 100% sure but a Github org admin and/or you might need to enable this model in the Github web interface.

Write good base instructions for your agent[0][1] and keep them up to date. Have your agent help you write and critique it.

Start tasks by planning with your agent (e.g. "do not write any code."), and have your agent propose 2-3 ways to implement what you want. Jumping straight into something with a big prompt is hit or miss, especially with increased task complexity. Planning also gives your agent a chance to read and understand the context/files/code involved.

Apologies if I'm giving you info you're already aware of.

[0] https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/copilot-customiza...

[1] Claude Code `/init`

[andnand]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Im trying to give these tools a fair shot before I judge them. Ive had success with detailed prompts and letting the agent jump straight in when working on small/new projects. Ill give more planning prompts a shot.

Do you change models between planning and implementation? I've seen that recommended but it's been hard to judge if that's made a difference.

[SparkyMcUnicorn]

Glad I could help!

Sometimes I do planning in stronger models like Gemini 2.5 Pro (started giving o3 a shot at this the past couple days) with all the relevant files in context, but often times I default to Sonnet 4 for everything.

A common pattern is to have the agent write down plans into markdown files (which you can also iterate on) when you get beyond a certain task size. This helps with more complex tasks. For large plans, individual implementation-phase-specific markdown files.

Maybe these projects can provide some assistance and/or inspiration:

- https://www.task-master.dev/

- https://github.com/Helmi/claude-simone