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Your First MonkeyCode Task Should Cross the Stack—and Leave Evidence

#ai #fullstack #testing #webdev

The first acceptance task for a coding agent should not be “build a dashboard.”

Use one request that crosses the stack and leaves evidence at every handoff:

Add an authenticated display-density preference, expose it through a minimal UI, persist it, and prove an unauthorized request cannot modify it.

This is a reusable test for MonkeyCode SaaS, not a report of completed integration.

Define the vertical slice 

PATCH /api/preferences/density
allowed values: compact | comfortable

Acceptance:
1. unauthenticated requests fail;
2. current user's value persists;
3. UI loads and changes the value;
4. API and UI tests cover success;
5. a test proves unauthorized writes are zero;
6. no unrelated dependency changes.
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Pin a base commit. Normalize the available evidence into a tool-independent envelope:

{
  "taskId": "evaluation-001",
  "baseCommit": "abc123",
  "requirementId": "density-preference",
  "event": "test-result",
  "command": "npm test -- preferences",
  "exitCode": 0,
  "artifact": "artifacts/preferences-test.txt"
}
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This is a proposed contract, not MonkeyCode's current event schema.

Require evidence at every transition 

CREATED -> ENVIRONMENT_READY -> CHANGE_PROPOSED
        -> TESTS_EXECUTED -> REVIEW_READY -> ACCEPTED
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Keep explicit failures: AUTH_TEST_FAILED, PERSISTENCE_TEST_FAILED, and EVIDENCE_INCOMPLETE. Never turn missing evidence into acceptance because the final explanation sounds confident.

Transition Evidence
Environment ready Base commit and install status
Change proposed Patch and file list
Tests executed Command, exit code, output
Review ready Criteria mapped to files/tests
Accepted Human reviewer and final commit

Force this request without authentication:

PATCH /api/preferences/density
Content-Type: application/json

{"density":"compact"}
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The key assertion is not only a client error; it is zero database writes. Also test an invalid value and ensure persisted state remains unchanged.

Disconnect the viewing client once during execution. On return, verify that durable task state, patch, and test artifacts can reconstruct the outcome and still refer to the pinned base. A stream of activity is not evidence unless it survives interruption.

MonkeyCode is relevant because its README documents managed server-side environments plus model, task, and requirement management. Try the SaaS with a disposable repository if your team wants to evaluate that workflow. The README does not claim the exact envelope or recovery semantics above.

Sources: MonkeyCode repository and SaaS.

Limitations: no live integration, latency measurement, security assessment, or product benchmark is claimed.

Disclosure: I'm a MonkeyCode user sharing my own experience, not affiliated with the project. This is one of several independently useful technical articles published by accounts managed by the same operator; it is not an independent endorsement.

Which handoff loses trustworthy evidence most often: UI-to-API, authorization, database write, or test result?

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