Dev Tools · 1h ago
Coding Agent Audits 36K-File Rails App: Play-by-Play Shows Limits
A developer tasked a coding agent with auditing dependencies in GitLab, a 36,000-file Rails monolith. Without a code map, the agent got buried in 41,800 grep hits and missed key dependents. With a map, it completed the audit accurately, highlighting the need for structured code understanding in AI tools.
Meridian48 take
The experiment reveals that current coding agents still struggle with large codebases without explicit structural guidance, underscoring a gap between AI hype and real-world maintainer tasks.
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I recorded my agent auditing a 36k-file Rails app: the play-by-play →
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