Reasoning effort, not tool access, buys first-try reliability in agentic code generation: an observational study
Agentic coding assistants are increasingly given extra capabilities, such as browser based testing tools and design oriented system prompts, on the assumption that more capability yields better software. This study tested that assumption directly. Ninety independent agent runs built the same application, a real time retrospective board, from one detailed specification, each scored on a fixed 14 criterion functional rubric (42 point maximum) and a visual quality review. The runs spanned several model generations, two agent harnesses, two reasoning effort levels, a testing tool, and two design oriented prompts. Capability tier dominated: frontier models clustered near the ceiling while a lo...
| Authors | Achint Mehta |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.SE |
| Published | 2 July 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 5 September 2026 |
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