Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaXCoding agents are revolutionizing software development, but are you getting the most out of them? Many AI coding tools struggle with complex, long-running tasks, often getting lost in the middle of a project. In this episode of Tool Use, we sit down with Kiran, one of the core contributors to Slate, a research-driven coding agent built for the toughest production-level challenges. Kiran shares a deep dive into how to properly set up your dev environment to maximize the performance of any coding agent. We discuss the critical role of feedback loops, clear development pipelines, and consistent codebase patterns in getting correct, reliable code from LLMs. You'll learn why models are great at following patterns but terrible at creating them, and how to structure your projects for AI success. We also explore what makes Slate different, including its unique approach to context management that keeps it on track during complex tasks, preventing the performance degradation common in other agents.Find Slate here:https://randomlabs.ai/Connect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcasthttps://x.com/MikeBirdTech00:00:00 - Intro00:00:54 - Setting Up Your Dev Environment for AI00:15:18 - Is Software Engineering Dead?00:18:20 - Why Coding Agents? The Origin of Slate00:21:52 - What Makes Slate Different?00:33:19 - The Bottleneck: LLMs vs Tooling00:44:30 - Why LLMs Get "Lost in the Middle"Subscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and coding agents.Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.
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A.I. For Non-Technical Founders (ft Marnie Wills)
Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaXUnlock the power of AI for your business, even if you're not a tech expert. In this episode, AI strategist Marni Wills reveals how non-technical founders can leverage AI as a new operating system to amplify their intelligence. Learn to build powerful AI workflows, create your own AI operating system, and personalize tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for massive business growth. Marni breaks down her exact process for using AI agents, developing custom instructions to avoid hallucinations, and building a "second brain" to automate tasks from email marketing to securing podcast interviews. This is your guide to making AI work for you, strategically, not technically.Connect with Marni Wills:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marnie-wills-entrepreneurWebsite: https://businesswithaistrategist.com/Instagram: https://instagram.com/businesswithai_strategist/Digital Store: https://stan.store/business_with_ai_strategistConnect with ushttps://x.com/ToolUsePodcasthttps://x.com/MikeBirdTech00:00:00 - Intro00:02:19 - First Steps for Non-Technical Founders00:08:13 - How to Avoid AI Hallucinations00:11:04 - Building a Custom Prompt Library00:27:17 - AI Agents vs. Automation (Lindy vs. Make)00:32:48 - Creative AI Workflows You Haven't Thought OfSubscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and workflows.Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.
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Are AI Agents Ready for the Internet? (ft Bobbie Chen)
Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaXAre you ready for AI agents to browse the web? We explore the future of AI agent authentication, web security, and API design in this deep dive. As AI agents proliferate, critical questions arise: how do we handle security without giving an agent your password? How can we make websites optimized for agent consumption? We're joined by Bobbie Chen, a product manager at Stytch specializing in bot and AI agent detection, to discuss the risks and opportunities.We cover how OAuth can provide safer, scoped permissions for agents, and the emerging open standard Web Bot Auth, which allows agents to cryptographically prove their identity. Bobbie breaks down Simon Willison's "lethal trifecta" of AI security risks and discusses strategies for mitigating malicious behavior. We also touch on the future of AI SEO, how API design must evolve for a hybrid human-agent world, and the potential impact of agents on web monetization and advertising.Learn more from Bobbie Chen: Stytch supports Web Bot Auth: https://stytch.com/blog/stytch-supports-web-bot-authStytch Connected Apps (OAuth for AI agents): https://stytch.com/connected-appsStytch Fraud and Risk Prevention: stytch.com/fraudAGI Builders Meetup: https://luma.com/agibuildersIsAgent SDK for agent identification: https://IsAgent.devAdditional Resources from the episode: Simon Willison's lethal trifecta: https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/16/the-lethal-trifectaIETF Web Bot Auth: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/bofreq-nottingham-web-bot-auth/Jon Postel as "benevolent dictator" of IANA: http://memex.org/meme4-01.htmlFreestyle Cloud: https://www.freestyle.shConnect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcasthttps://x.com/MikeBirdTech00:00:00 - Intro00:03:25 - The Risks of AI Agents Browsing the Web00:07:14 - A Bot Registry vs. Open Protocols00:18:04 - How AI Will Change Web Monetization & Ads00:35:03 - The "Lethal Trifecta" of AI Security00:41:25 - Practical Advice for Website Owners & Agent DevsSubscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and AI security.Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.
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Advanced AI Prompting (ft Michael Tiffany & Ty Fiero)
Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaXMaster advanced prompting techniques and meta prompting in this deep dive into AI context engineering. As AI models evolve, the way we interact with them becomes more critical than ever. Prompting is no longer about simple questions; it's a skill that separates mediocre results from magical ones. In Episode 57, we're joined by Michael Tiffany, founder and CEO of Fulcra, and AI consultant Ty Fiero to explore the strategies that unlock an AI's full potential.Discover why prompts are more important than ever, how to tailor your requests for specific models like GPT-5 and Claude, and why a "high agency" attitude is the key to getting great outputs. We discuss practical methods like iterative prompting, using one AI to critique another's work, and asking the model itself how to create the perfect prompt. Learn how to avoid AI sycophancy, the power of multimodal prompting with images, and how to right-size tasks for complex projects. Whether you're a developer using vibe coding or just want to get better answers from ChatGPT, this conversation will change how you talk to AI.Guests:Michael Tiffany, Founder and CEO of Fulcrahttps://www.fulcra.aihttps://x.com/kublaTy Fiero, AI Consultanthttps://x.com/FieroTyConnect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcasthttps://x.com/MikeBirdTech https://x.com/kublahttps://x.com/FieroTy00:00:00 - Intro00:06:02 - The High-Agency Prompting Mindset00:10:36 - Techniques for Reducing AI Bias00:19:10 - Meta-Prompting: Having AI Write Your Prompts00:23:12 - How to Build Prompting Intuition00:30:00 - AI for Spec-Driven DevelopmentSubscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and prompting.Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.
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Build A Full Stack App With One Prompt (ft. Richard Abrich)
Join the Tool Use Discord: https://discord.gg/PnEGyXpjaXBuild full-stack apps from a single prompt with Fastable, the revolutionary AI tool from AI consultant Richard Abrich. In this episode, we dive deep into how you can go from an idea to a deployed web application using AI, and learn how Richard built the tool to accelerate his own development workflows.Richard shares his expert approach to context engineering, hallucination mitigation, and creating a powerful feedback loop by piping logs directly into the AI agent to debug and iterate faster than ever. We explore Fastable's tech stack (FastAPI, Python, React, Postgres) and how it offers a more flexible, vanilla alternative to tools like Lovable, giving developers the control they need. If you're interested in AI-powered development, the future of disposable software, or building your own tools to solve real problems, this is a conversation you can't miss.Try Fastable for yourself: https://fastable.devConnect with us https://x.com/ToolUsePodcasthttps://x.com/MikeBirdTech https://x.com/abrichr00:00:00 - Intro00:03:57 - Fastable's Tech Stack vs Lovable00:07:33 - Context Engineering for Non-Technical Users00:17:32 - Fastable Demo00:31:08 - Mitigating AI Hallucination00:45:53 - The Future of Disposable SoftwareSubscribe for more insights on AI tools, productivity, and AI development.Tool Use is a weekly conversation with the top AI experts, brought to you by ToolHive.
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