A little slob

There are moments when working with Claude Code or Openai Codex feels absolutely magical. Features get implemented faster than I could ever hope to accomplish. I see my project take shape with just the occasional prodding of my AI worker bees.

I envision, we plan, they implement. I dream, we strategize, they toil.

2FA? BAM!

Database migration? BAM!

Scraping of a relevant API? BAM!

Building a user interface? Custom Django admin interface? A change to the data model? BAM BAM BAM.

I reload the page and bask in the feeling of superhuman speed. It's like seeing a metropolis being built before my eyes in hyperlapse, and it feels incredible!

... and then I notice something in Claude's endless output. An innocuous function named update_constituencies. But wait, I think - didn't we already have another part of the code updating constituencies? I ask Claude about it.

Me: "Hey Claude, are we populating Constituencies here from the API?"

Claude: "Yup, this fetches the Constituencies we need to create our Representative instances."

Me: "Okay, but aren't we already creating these in update_constituencies over in TheOtherModule?"

Claude: "Let me look into that for you.... You're absolutely right update_constituencies does the same thing as update_constituencies, they are redundant!"

Cool, I think, let's refactor. We brainstorm, we plan.

Claude is off to the races and churns out commit after beautiful commit. With commit messages that would make any reviewer cry joys of tears - succinct and clear - it forges ahead with unerring confidence until the PR is ready.

I take a look. Nothing is fixed.

Me: "You sure this is fixed? I still see two functions that do basically the same thing"

Claude: "You're absolutely right! Let me fix that real quick."

It's infuriating. My personal AI hype train comes to a crashing halt. I start sorting through the soup my enthusiastic AI chefs have cooked. It's not appetizing, it stinks, and there is oh so much of it. I'm mad at Claude, I am mad at myself for believing in a beautiful future where I tell my computer what I want and it understands.

I go to the kitchen, make myself a coffee and look out the window.

The future is not here. Rome was not built in a day after all.

I sigh, walk back to my computer and CTRL+C twice. Goodnight Claude. I put on my favorite playlist, open up my editor and start from scratch. This is way more fun anyway.