Week 9: Coding with an AI agent

Author

Affiliations

Jelmer Poelstra

CFAES Bioinformatics Core, Ohio State University

Dept. of Plant Pathology, Ohio State University

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1 Overview

Building on last week’s introduction to genAI and LLMs, we will now get hands-on with agentic AI. You will use Claude Code in VS Code to help you with coding tasks at OSC.

2 Learning goals

Coding with an AI agent in VS Code

• Setting up and using the Claude extension in VS Code Server at OSC
• Using Claude to ask questions about, write, and edit code
• Letting Claude act as an “agent” that runs commands, and controlling what it may do with permission modes
• Giving Claude persistent instructions (ones that carry over between conversations) with a CLAUDE.md file
• Keeping a record of your AI use, with exported conversations and an AI diary
• Managing Claude’s context window and costs

3 Exercises & assignments

• Graded Assignment 4: Shell scripts with and without genAI (Due 10/25)

4 Optional self-study material

• Additional Claude Code features and strategies — Plan mode, skills, memory, and guardrails.
• GitHub Copilot in VS Code — Setup and use, including code completions, which Claude Code doesn’t offer.

5 Further resources

• What Are Data Centers Doing? A Mind-Boggling Amount of Math — New York Times, Oct 15, 2026.