Best practices
Start with clear, specific goals
Start with clear, specific goals
Poolside Assistant works best with well-defined tasks. For example, instead of
improve the app, try add error handling to all API calls in src/api/.Plan before executing
Plan before executing
When dealing with complex tasks, agents are more effective when they plan first. Ask Poolside to help you create a plan, for example,
Write a product requirements document in Markdown that defines the tests to add to the API. Only ask Poolside to carry out the plan after you define it well.Use AGENTS.md for project context
Use AGENTS.md for project context
Help the agent understand your project by creating an AGENTS.md file with
coding standards, architecture decisions, and conventions. For more information, see Agent instructions.
Reference relevant files with @
Reference relevant files with @
Direct Poolside Assistant to the right starting point by using the
@ notation to reference key files or folders. For more information, see Context.Monitor first runs carefully
Monitor first runs carefully
When using the agent for the first time in a project, review each approval
request to understand what tools it needs.
Set up auto-approvals gradually
Set up auto-approvals gradually
When you’re comfortable with certain tools, enable auto-approval to speed up
the agent’s workflow while maintaining control.
Use Escape to interrupt
Use Escape to interrupt
If the agent is heading in the wrong direction, press
Escape to stop it from running and then provide clarifying instructions.