Everyday productivity
Safe overnight tasks for coding assistants
You will have a safe set-up, a task with clear limits and a morning checklist for reviewing the result.
Before you start
- A project under version control
- A coding assistant you already use
- A small task with a clear finish line
Which tasks fit
- Small and well defined, such as adding tests or fixing a list of typos.
- Easy to check, with tests that pass or fail.
- Easy to undo.
Do not use this for anything involving customer data, payments, security settings or deleting things.
Step 1: Prepare
- Commit or back up everything.
- Create a new branch for the work.
- Make sure the tests run before you start.
- Remove any real keys or passwords from the project folder.
Step 2: Write the task
Prompt you can copy
Task: [one clear task]. Work only in the files [list]. Run the tests after each change. Make small commits with clear messages. Do not change settings files, delete files, install new packages or contact outside services. If anything is unclear, stop and write your question in NOTES.md. Stop after [number] hours or when the tests pass.
Step 3: Review in the morning
- Read NOTES.md first.
- Read the full list of changes.
- Run the tests yourself.
- Merge only what you understand, and delete the rest.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Giving it a vague task
- Skipping the backup
- Leaving real keys in the folder
- Merging without reading the changes
Final checklist
- Everything was committed first
- The task had limits and a stop point
- I read every change
- I ran the tests myself