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How to Systematically Reduce Technical Debt Using AI Agents

Use AI to analyze test logs, identify and prioritize technical debt, and generate a task list for AI agents like Cursor or Devin to systematically fix issues. This creates a repeatable process for improving codebase health.

From How I AI

How I AI: Zach Davis's 3 Workflows for Enterprise Engineering with AI

with Claire Vo

How to Systematically Reduce Technical Debt Using AI Agents

Tools Used

Cursor

AI-first code editor

Claude

Anthropic AI assistant

Devin

AI software engineer by Cognition Labs

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Identify Problem Areas

Run your test suite and pipe the output to a log file to capture all console logs and errors. For example, run yarn test > test_output.log.

2

Analyze Logs with AI

Feed the generated log file to a large language model like Claude for analysis. Ask it to identify the most problematic areas, categorize them, and rank them by severity.

Prompt:
Analyze this test log file and create a prioritized task list for reducing test noise. Categorize issues by type and severity. Output in markdown checklist format.
3

Create a Prioritized Task List

Use the AI's output to create a prioritized list of tasks in a markdown checklist file. Store this file in a dedicated directory, for example, agents/migrations, to track progress.

4

Assign Tasks to AI Agents

Use AI coding assistants like Cursor or Devin to address the identified issues. Assign one task at a time to an agent to ensure focused and manageable changes.

5

Review and Merge Changes

Once an AI agent completes a task, a human engineer should review the generated code. After approval, merge the change into the codebase and mark the corresponding task as complete on your checklist.

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