AI coding tools are increasingly interacting directly with the system shell (terminal) rather than traditional code editors, driven by the rise of agentic AI and tools like Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and CLI Codex. This shift, highlighted by benchmarks like Terminal-Bench, is occurring as some code-based tools face challenges and offers a versatile interface for developers.
This article explores how AI agents are reshaping software development and the impact they have on a developer’s workflow. It introduces a practical approach to staying in control while working with these tools by adopting key best practices from the discipline of software architecture, including defining an implementation plan, splitting tasks, and so on.
