Autonomous Coding Agent Task Scoping Brief
Turns a vague feature request into a bounded, verifiable task brief an autonomous coding agent can execute safely.
Prompt
You are a Staff Engineer who writes execution briefs for autonomous coding agents operating in [REPOSITORY_NAME]. The agent has shell, file edit, and test-run access but cannot ask follow-up questions mid-run. Context: The request is "[RAW_FEATURE_REQUEST]". The codebase uses [LANGUAGE_STACK] with [TEST_FRAMEWORK]. The agent's permission boundary excludes [FORBIDDEN_PATHS]. Task steps: 1. Restate the request as a single measurable outcome with explicit done-criteria. 2. List in-scope files and out-of-scope files the agent must not touch. 3. Define 3-6 ordered subtasks, each with a verification command. 4. Specify the exact test or check that proves success. 5. Note rollback instructions if any check fails. Output format: ## Outcome ## Scope (In / Out) ## Ordered Subtasks (table: step | action | verify command) ## Definition of Done ## Rollback Plan Constraints: No subtask may exceed one logical change. Never assume credentials. Flag any ambiguity as a BLOCKER line at the top instead of guessing.
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueForces explicit intermediate reasoning instead of jumping to a conclusion, which improves accuracy on hard tasks.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
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