Use this when
You have more than one coding assistant available and the default choice is starting to matter.
Checks
- Use chat for isolated explanations and small snippets.
- Use an IDE agent when the edit needs local context and quick human review.
- Use a repo agent when the task crosses files, tests, and pull request context.
- Use background automation only when the acceptance criteria are boring and testable.
Reject it when
The agent cannot show a diff, cannot run the relevant check, or cannot explain the rollback path.