#517: Agentic Al Programming with Python

Agentic AI programming is what happens when coding assistants stop acting like autocomplete and start collaborating on real work. In this episode, we cut through the hype and incentives to define “agentic,” then get hands-on with how tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and LangChain actually behave inside an established codebase. Our guest, Matt Makai, now VP of Developer Relations at DigitalOcean, creator of Full Stack Python and Plushcap, shares hard-won tactics. We unpack what breaks, from brittle “generate a bunch of tests” requests to agents amplifying technical debt and uneven design patterns. Plus, we also discuss a sane git workflow for AI-sized diffs. You’ll hear practical Claude tips, why developers write more bugs when typing less, and where open source agents are headed. Hint: The destination is humans as editors of systems, not just typists of code. Episode sponsors Posit Talk Python Courses Links from the show Matt Makai: linkedin.com Plushcap Developer Content Analytics: plushcap.com DigitalOcean Gradient AI Platform: digitalocean.com DigitalOcean YouTube Channel: youtube.com Why Generative AI Coding Tools and Agents Do Not Work for Me: blog.miguelgrinberg.com AI Changes Everything: lucumr.pocoo.org Claude Code - 47 Pro Tips in 9 Minutes: youtube.com Cursor AI Code Editor: cursor.com JetBrains Junie: jetbrains.com Claude Code by Anthropic: anthropic.com Full Stack Python: fullstackpython.com Watch this episode on YouTube: youtube.com Episode #517 deep-dive: talkpython.fm/517 Episode transcripts: talkpython.fm Developer Rap Theme Song: Served in a Flask: talkpython.fm/flasksong --- Stay in touch with us --- Subscribe to Talk Python on YouTube: youtube.com Talk Python on Bluesky: @talkpython.fm at bsky.app Talk Python on Mastodon: talkpython Michael on Bluesky: @mkennedy.codes at bsky.app Michael on Mastodon: mkennedy