The best mental model for working with AI coding agents isn’t automation. It’s collaboration.
When I use Claude Code, I’m not delegating. I’m pairing. I bring the taste, the context, the judgment about what matters. The agent brings speed, breadth of knowledge, and the willingness to try things I’d be too lazy to attempt.
This is pair programming in the truest sense. Two different kinds of intelligence, working on the same problem, at the same time.
The people who get the most out of agentic coding tools are the ones who treat them like a very fast, very knowledgeable partner, not a code generator you prompt and forget.