Pathwise

Manuals / AI Coding with Cursor / Chapter 2

A · Task Design · beginner · ~35 min · Chapter 2 of 11

Writing agent task briefs

Agents fail on vague tasks. A good brief: goal, scope (files/paths), constraints, acceptance criteria, and what NOT to touch.

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Brief template

Goal / Files / Constraints / Acceptance / Do-not-touch.

Brief templateDrag stickies · tap for tips
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Example

## Goal
Add client-side email validation to LoginForm.jsx

## Files
- src/components/LoginForm.jsx
- src/components/LoginForm.test.jsx (create if missing)

## Constraints
- Use existing form library (react-hook-form)
- Show inline error below field
- No new dependencies

## Acceptance
- Invalid email shows "Enter a valid email"
- Valid email clears error
- Test covers both cases

## Do NOT touch
- Auth logic in src/api/auth.js
- Routing

Do this now

Write a brief for "add input validation to the login form." Run it.

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Chapter learning outcomes
  • Task briefs
  • Scope control
  • Acceptance criteria

Clear these before you leave

Side quest

Bug fix brief

Write a brief for a real bug. Execute. Review diff before accepting.