AI tools: introduction (Cursor & Antigravity)
This course explains what makes a coding assistant agentic. The answer is a loop: reading files, writing code, running commands and checking the result, without the developer typing each step. It describes two current examples, Cursor and Antigravity, shaped differently but built on the same loop. It breaks the loop into three permissions and names their limits. It covers the shift from typing code to directing and reviewing it. One example walks through a request against an Article model and shows how to read a plausible draft critically.
What you'll learn
- ✓The read-write-run-iterate loop that separates agentic tools from autocomplete
- ✓How Cursor and Antigravity are each built around that loop
- ✓The three permissions an agent uses: reading files, editing them and running commands
- ✓The limits of these tools and how to restrict what an agent may do
- ✓The shift from typing code to directing and reviewing it
- ✓Checking a generated Rails scope against a class's existing logic and business rules
What makes a coding assistant "agentic"
Type def published? inside Article, and an older autocomplete tool guesses the rest of the line, maybe published_at.present?, right in the editor, from patterns it has seen. It never opens another file, never runs anything and never checks whether the guess was right. You accept the suggestion or…
Read the full lesson free →Curriculum
7 lessonsWhat makes a coding assistant "agentic"
Contrasts older autocomplete with tools that read, write, run and check code in a repeated loop.
Cursor: an agentic editor
Cursor is a VS Code fork whose agents edit files, run tests and can work in parallel.
Antigravity: Google's agentic platform
Antigravity is Google's agentic platform, with an Agent Manager, a built-in browser and several model choices.
What these tools can touch
Breaks agentic power into reading, editing and running commands, then covers its limits and permission settings.
The shift: from typing to directing and reviewing
Explains how the developer's work moves from typing code toward precise requests and careful review.
Trying an agentic assistant on Article
Walks through a scope request on Article and checks the draft against published? and unstated rules.
Putting it together: the loop, two tools, one shift
Reviews the loop, the two tools and the shift, and why reviewing generated code matters.