This article explains the technical foundations of coding agents, describing them as software harnesses that extend LLMs with additional capabilities through invisible prompts and callable tools. It details how LLMs work at the token level and how they process text to generate completions. The piece provides practical insights into the architecture and operational mechanics of AI coding assistants.
Background
Coding agents are AI-powered tools that assist developers by automating coding tasks using large language models. They represent an emerging category in software development that combines LLMs with specialized tooling to enhance programming productivity.
- Source
- Simon Willison
- Published
- Mar 16, 2026 at 10:01 PM
- Score
- 6.0 / 10