I built real software with Claude, Codex, and Grok — each with a different role,
coordinated using RUP/SCRUM principles.
It almost fell apart when Codex wrote 900 lines of GDScript where C++ should have been.
Not because it made a mistake. Because I gave it the wrong context.
The GDScript Incident
The SML Parser for Forge4D was already ported to C++. Factor 15 faster than the
original C# version. A good day.
Then I ended the session.
In the next session I told Codex to remove the old C# parser. What I forgot to say:
the new C++ version already exists.
In my mind, "remove the old" obviously implied "the new is there."
In Codex's context window, it did not.
Codex concluded: I need to write the SML Parser in C++.
And it did. In GDScript.
The logic was sound. The premise was wrong.
Codex was not wrong. The context was wrong.
The Rules That Came From This
Rule 1: At the start of every new session, tell Codex what exists — not just what you want to build.
Rule 2: Never assume "remove the old" implies "the new exists." Say both. Explicitly.
Rule 3: When something goes wrong, bring Claude in before Codex. Diagnosis before implementation.
Rule 4: Context is not memory. Memory is not the same as context. Context must be actively maintained by the human.
Rule 5: Shit happens. The question is how fast you recover.
We recovered in one session.
The Deeper Warning
AI coding assistants are extraordinarily powerful. They are also extraordinarily literal.
A confused human developer says: I'm not sure, let me check.
Codex in a confused state says: Here are 900 lines of GDScript.
With equal confidence.
The human in the loop isn't optional. It's the architecture.
I'm Just Art, an indie developer from Germany. I've been building software for 30+ years and currently work on Forge4D
and the HumanityTree - an open, uncensorable publishing platform built on IPFS.
Planted March 14, 2026. 42 years after 1984.
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