%20--%3e%3cline%20x1='52'%20y1='44'%20x2='76'%20y2='56'%20stroke='%23fff'%20stroke-width='1.5'%20stroke-dasharray='3,2'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
AI-Driven Development
For Real Codebases
Most AI coding content assumes you're starting fresh. But you're not. You're working in an existing codebase, with real constraints, varying team adoption, and legacy decisions. This is your field guide.
The Gap No One Talks About
There's no shortage of tutorials showing AI agents building todo apps from scratch. But when you try to apply those same patterns to your actual work—a sprawling monolith, a microservices maze, that Rails app from 2015—things fall apart. The context is different. The constraints are real. And your team isn't all-in on AI yet.
What This Guide Covers
Existing Codebase Patterns
Techniques for giving AI agents the context they need when you can't fit the whole codebase in a prompt. Navigation, chunking, and retrieval strategies that actually work.
Solo Practitioner Tactics
Your team isn't bought in yet. Maybe they never will be. How to leverage AI-driven development individually while still shipping code that passes review.
Tool & Workflow Integration
Integrating AI into your existing git workflow, CI/CD pipeline, and code review process without disrupting what already works.
Who This Is For
Developers working in established codebases
You have years of accumulated decisions, patterns, and technical debt. Starting over isn't an option.
Early adopters on skeptical teams
You see the potential, but you're navigating colleagues who range from curious to resistant. You need to prove value without evangelizing.
Pragmatists over purists
You want practical techniques that work today, not theoretical frameworks or hype about AGI.
Ready to Get Practical?
No fluff. No "just ask ChatGPT." Real patterns for integrating AI into how you actually work.
Browse the Field Guide