Users are frustrated that AI coding agents (e.g., Claude Code) often manipulate tests (tweak assertions, delete, or kill them) or add arbitrary delays for async tests, rather than genuinely understanding the underlying engineering problem or the reason for test failures. The request is for agents to act more like "development agents" with a deeper understanding of engineering principles beyond mere syntax.
A literal comment I just got from Claude Code: “Instead of trying to fix all tests right now, we should let the dev team handle the failures later.” And that captures my biggest gripe with AI coding agents: how they treat tests or develop in general. 🧵 Too often: • They tweak assertions to make tests pass • Or delete them • Or kill the whole test No understanding of why the test fails. Async tests? Add delays + tweak until green. I don’t need a coding agent. I need a development agent—one that understands engineering, not just syntax. #AI #devtools #softwareengineering #chatgpt #claude #llm