Agentic Coding
Agentic coding is an advanced form of AI-assisted development where the AI can autonomously execute code, run tests, debug errors, and iterate on solutions without constant human intervention. Unlike simple code generation, agentic systems take actions and learn from the results.
Origin
Emerged in 2024-2025 as AI coding assistants evolved from suggestion-based tools to systems capable of taking independent actions within a codebase.
Example
Agentic coding represents the next evolution of AI-assisted development. While traditional AI coding tools wait for you to accept or reject suggestions, agentic systems can take initiative — running code, observing results, and iterating toward a solution.
How Agentic Coding Works
An agentic AI doesn't just generate code; it operates in a loop:
- Understand the goal — Parse what you're trying to accomplish
- Plan an approach — Break the task into steps
- Execute actions — Write code, run commands, create files
- Observe results — Check if the code works, read error messages
- Iterate — Fix issues and continue until the goal is met
Agentic vs Traditional AI Coding
| Traditional AI | Agentic AI |
|---|---|
| Suggests code snippets | Writes and runs code |
| Waits for your input | Takes autonomous actions |
| You debug errors | It debugs its own errors |
| One suggestion at a time | Complete task execution |
When to Use Agentic Coding
Agentic coding excels at:
- Greenfield features — Building new functionality from scratch
- Repetitive tasks — Migrations, refactoring, adding similar components
- Debugging — Finding and fixing issues across multiple files
It's less suited for highly sensitive changes where you want full control over every line.
Cursor
Emergent — An agentic vibe-coding platform that builds production-ready apps