# Clean Code in the age of coding agents

# Clean Code in the age of coding agents

**Author:** yanist.com (unattributed)
**Date:** April 2026
**Source:** https://www.yanist.com/clean-code-in-the-age-of-coding-agents/

## Summary

Short post arguing that code quality matters more, not less, when working with coding agents. LLMs have context windows analogous to human cognitive load — messy code forces agents to read more files than necessary, polluting context and wasting tokens. Structure is no longer just for human readers; it's for machine readers too.

## Key points

- References Robert Martin's *Clean Architecture* distinction between code's **value** (functionality, performance) and **structure** (organization). Value is immediately visible; poor structure is a slow-moving cost.
- Clean code characteristics: readable, simple, modular, testable.
- "Poorly organized code means agents need to read more files than necessary—polluting their context and costing you tokens."
- Practical tips: (1) explain desired code organization alongside task requirements, (2) maintain consistent repo style for agent pickup, (3) review agent output for structure, not just correctness.