Phase 3: The Generate-Validate Loop · 40 min · Claude Code · Python
The Generate Phase: Steering Agents Effectively
Prompt from the spec, not from the vibe. Review the plan before there's any code to get attached to.
Real-world application: The gap between 'make it better' and a specific, actionable correction is exactly what separates engineers who steer agents effectively from those who just re-roll the dice on the same vague prompt.
What you will learn
- Prompt an agent from a written spec's acceptance criteria rather than an unstructured description
- Explain why reviewing an architecture plan before code exists catches problems more cheaply than reviewing after
- Break a large spec into buildable chunks sized for one generation pass
- Distinguish specific, actionable feedback from vague feedback that just triggers another guess
Introduction
The Generate Phase: Steering Agents Effectively
Objective
Score iterative correction prompts on whether they contain concrete, actionable information versus vague, non-actionable language.
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You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers The Problem, The Concept, Build, Check Yourself, Key Terms & Next — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.
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