Article URL: AddyOsmani.com - Agent Skills Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item.id=48015397 Points: 108 # Comments: 33.
That “shortest path to done” line stings because it’s exactly what humans do under deadline too, just faster and with more confidence. One practical skill I want in agents is “show your work” in a boring, auditable way: a tiny change log that says what files changed and why, plus what it didn’t touch. Half my migration work is diff-reading and chasing side effects, and an agent that can’t narrate its own diff is basically an enthusiastic intern with a chainsaw. Something as plain as dropping a CHANGELOG. agent. md entry per run would already help:
# 2026-05-05 — "Fix date parsing in booking form"
Changed:
- src/booking/parseDate.ts — accept DD/MM/YYYY, keep existing ISO support
- src/booking/BookingForm.tsx — update helper text + error message copy
Not changed:
- API contract (/appointments) untouched
- Database schema untouched
- Routing/auth untouched
Checks run:
- unit: pnpm test parseDate
- lint: pnpm lint
I don’t need poetry. I need “here’s the diff, here’s the intent, here’s what I deliberately didn’t poke”. That’s the difference between “useful tool” and “mystery meat PR. ” I found a related kirupa. com article that can help you go deeper into this topic:
Fair
Bookmarked
The “show your work” bit makes me want one extra skill: agents should be able to write a tiny rollback plan before they touch anything.
