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<header class="topbar"><a class="brand" href="#top"><span class="mark">A</span> field guide</a><span class="edition">AI ENGINEERING <i></i> 01 / 2026</span></header>
<section class="hero" id="top"><p class="eyebrow">A presentation for humans who ship</p><h1>AI for<br /><em>dummies.</em></h1><p class="lede">You do not need an army of models. You need a system: one mind to frame the work, several hands to execute it, and a clean boundary between every task.</p></section>
<section class="thesis"><div><span>RULE ZERO</span><strong>Strong model for ambiguity.<br />Light model for bounded work.</strong></div><div class="signal" aria-hidden="true"><b>THINK</b><i></i><i></i><i></i><b>MAKE</b></div></section>
<section class="fleet"><div class="section-label"><span>A small fleet</span><span>coordination before parallelism</span></div><div class="fleet-grid"><article class="captain"><span>ORCHESTRATOR</span><h2>Decides what<br />needs to happen.</h2><code>Opus / reasoning</code></article><div class="arrow">→</div><div class="workers"><article><span>UI</span><strong>Component and visual states</strong><code>agent/ui</code></article><article><span>TEST</span><strong>Acceptance cases</strong><code>agent/tests</code></article><article><span>DOCS</span><strong>Guide and examples</strong><code>agent/docs</code></article></div></div><p class="caption">The orchestrator preserves intent, writes small contracts, and gathers results that can be verified. It does not need to type every line.</p></section>
<section class="workflow" aria-labelledby="workflow-title"><div class="copy"><p class="eyebrow">The subagent loop</p><h2 id="workflow-title">Click a phase.<br /><em>See the handoff.</em></h2><p>Delegation means moving one bounded task into a smaller context—not giving away responsibility.</p></div><div class="phase-tabs" role="tablist" aria-label="Workflow phases"><button class="active" data-phase="plan" role="tab" aria-selected="true"><b>01</b> PLAN</button><button data-phase="build" role="tab" aria-selected="false"><b>02</b> BUILD</button><button data-phase="review" role="tab" aria-selected="false"><b>03</b> REVIEW</button></div><article class="phase-panel" id="phase-panel" aria-live="polite"></article></section>
<section class="handoff"><div class="section-label"><span>What crosses contexts</span><span>brief → diff → evidence</span></div><table><thead><tr><th>Package</th><th>Contains</th><th>Why it matters</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th scope="row">Brief</th><td>goal, files, boundaries</td><td>stops the worker inventing the problem</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Worktree</th><td>branch and isolated checkout</td><td>parallel edits do not collide</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Checks</th><td>tests, build, criteria</td><td>turns “looks good” into evidence</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">Diff</th><td>small, reviewable change</td><td>integration and discard stay cheap</td></tr></tbody></table></section>
<section class="worktrees"><div><p class="eyebrow">Git worktrees</p><h2>One branch<br />per <em>hand.</em></h2><p>A worktree is another directory linked to the same repository. Each agent gets its own checkout and index; history remains shared.</p><pre><code>git worktree add ../task-ui -b agent/ui · git worktree add ../task-tests -b agent/tests · git worktree list</code></pre></div><div class="map"><div class="repo"><span>REPOSITORY</span><strong>main</strong><small>shared history</small></div><div><span>UI</span><strong>agent/ui</strong><small>isolated checkout</small></div><div><span>TEST</span><strong>agent/tests</strong><small>isolated checkout</small></div><div><span>DOCS</span><strong>agent/docs</strong><small>isolated checkout</small></div></div></section>
<section class="routing"><div><p class="eyebrow">Model routing</p><h2>Do not pay for<br />reasoning where<br />you need <em>rhythm.</em></h2></div><div class="route-table"><div class="head"><span>Work</span><span>Profile</span><span>Prompt shape</span></div><div><strong>Plan</strong><b>strong / broad</b><small>What changes? What can break?</small></div><div><strong>Build</strong><b>fast / focused</b><small>Implement this slice. Run these checks.</small></div><div><strong>Explore</strong><b>read-only / light</b><small>Find where this contract is used.</small></div><div><strong>Review</strong><b>independent</b><small>Does the diff satisfy the brief?</small></div></div></section>
<section class="skills"><div><p class="eyebrow">Skills</p><h2>Write the right way<br /><em>once.</em></h2><p>A skill is a reusable procedure. It can carry instructions, references, scripts, and assets. It is not magical memory, and it does not replace acceptance criteria.</p></div><div class="skill-package"><span>SKILL PACKAGE</span><div><code>SKILL.md</code><small>procedure and limits</small></div><div><code>references/</code><small>facts to consult</small></div><div><code>scripts/</code><small>repeatable checks</small></div><div><code>assets/</code><small>templates and examples</small></div></div><pre><code>name: review-ui · check focus, mobile, reduced motion · run verification · return evidence</code></pre></section>
<aside class="rule"><span>THE HUMAN JOB</span><strong>The agent may be autonomous in execution. Intent, boundaries, and evidence remain yours.</strong></aside><aside class="callout"><span>START HERE</span><strong>Begin with one agent and one skill. Add parallelism only when the tasks are truly independent.</strong></aside>
<section class="sources"><div class="section-label"><span>Keep learning</span><span>sources bundled locally</span></div><p>Based on Claude Code, Codex, Git, and agent-workflow research. <a href="docs/references/">Open the reference bundle →</a></p></section>
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