# Coding Agent

> A coding agent is an AI agent that works in a software repository by reading files, editing code, running commands and tests, and iterating on the results to complete programming tasks.

- Identifier: PTL-0145
- Category: Agents & Orchestration
- Canonical URL: https://protologue.com/t/coding-agent/
- Also known as: software engineering agent, agentic coding, AI coding assistant
- Introduced: 2024

## Description

Research found that the interface matters as much as the model. Tools designed for a model, with concise file viewers, search, and editing commands that report errors, improved results over a raw shell. Coding agents are commonly evaluated on SWE-bench, which asks them to resolve real GitHub issues so that hidden tests pass.

## Broader terms

- [AI Agent](https://protologue.com/t/ai-agent/)

## Related terms

- [Code Execution Tool](https://protologue.com/t/code-execution-tool/)
- [Vibe Coding](https://protologue.com/t/vibe-coding/)
- [Function Calling](https://protologue.com/t/function-calling/)

## Sources

- Yang et al. (2024). SWE-agent: Agent-Computer Interfaces Enable Automated Software Engineering. https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15793
- Jimenez et al. (2023). SWE-bench: Can Language Models Resolve Real-World GitHub Issues?. https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.06770

## Cite this entry

Protologue. (2026). Coding Agent. In Protologue: A Taxonomy of Prompting and LLM Techniques (v1.4.0, PTL-0145). https://protologue.com/t/coding-agent/

License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)