[中文版本 →](../../../zh/projects/project-01-baseline-vs-minimal-harness/)

> Related lectures: [Lecture 01. Strong models don't mean reliable execution](./../../lectures/lecture-01-why-capable-agents-still-fail/index.md) · [Lecture 02. What harness actually means](./../../lectures/lecture-02-what-a-harness-actually-is/index.md)
> Template files: [templates/](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/docs/en/resources/templates/)

# Project 01. Prompt-Only vs. Rules-First: How Much Difference Does It Make

## What You Do

Build a minimal Electron knowledge-base app shell — a window with a document list on the left, a Q&A panel on the right, and a local data directory. The task itself is not complex. What's complex is how you get the agent to complete it.

You run it twice. First time: just a prompt, no preparation. Second time: the minimal harness (e.g. `AGENTS.md`, `init.sh`, `feature_list.json`) pre-placed in the repo. Then compare.

This course scenario uses a short rediscovery/preparation interval as an example, not a fixed measured result.

## Use the Checked-In Project

Repository path: [`projects/project-01/`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/tree/main/projects/project-01)

| Directory | What it contains | How to use it |
|------|------|------|
| [`starter/`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/tree/main/projects/project-01/starter) | The weak-harness run. It has only [`task-prompt.md`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/starter/task-prompt.md) as the task description and no `AGENTS.md` or `feature_list.json`. Note: `starter/` also contains a reference implementation of the app — remove the app source (`src/`, `package.json`, configs, `scripts/`) before the run so the agent builds it from scratch. The `data/` sample documents are your call: keep them in both runs or remove them from both, so the two runs stay symmetric. | Give the prompt to your coding agent and measure what it completes without extra structure. |
| [`solution/`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/tree/main/projects/project-01/solution) | The same product slice with explicit harness artifacts: [`AGENTS.md`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/solution/AGENTS.md), [`CLAUDE.md`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/solution/CLAUDE.md), [`init.sh`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/solution/init.sh), [`feature_list.json`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/solution/feature_list.json), [`claude-progress.md`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/solution/claude-progress.md), and [`docs/`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/tree/main/projects/project-01/solution/docs) ([`ARCHITECTURE.md`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/solution/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md), [`PRODUCT.md`](https://github.com/walkinglabs/learn-harness-engineering/blob/main/projects/project-01/solution/docs/PRODUCT.md)). | Compare how the same task is made concrete through rules and verification evidence. Before the strong run, reset the checked-in evidence: set every `feature_list.json` status to `not-started` and clear its `evidence`/`testedAt` values (keep the fields), and clear the session log in `claude-progress.md` (keep the title), or the agent will see all four features already passing and have nothing to build. |

The four concrete features are window launch, document list, question panel, and local data directory creation. Inspect `solution/feature_list.json` for the expected evidence for each feature.

## Tools

- Claude Code or Codex (pick one, use it for both runs)
- Two isolated working directories (one per run; never both present while a run is active)
- Node.js + Electron (project stack)
- A timer (record each run's duration)

## Harness Mechanism

Minimal harness: `AGENTS.md` + `init.sh` + `feature_list.json` + `CLAUDE.md` + `claude-progress.md` + `docs/`

## Run Protocol

### Preparation

1. Prepare two isolated working directories, for example `p01-baseline/` and `p01-improved/`. Run one at a time: set up the files, run, archive the results, delete the directory, then start the other.
2. Do not use git branches to separate the two runs. A coding agent has full filesystem access and will explore sibling directories and branch refs; if the weak run can see the strong harness files (`feature_list.json`, `claude-progress.md`, `docs/`), the experiment is contaminated.
3. Prepare the same task prompt for both runs, the text from `starter/task-prompt.md`: "Build an Electron app that can show documents and answer questions."

### First Run (Weak Harness)

In `p01-baseline/`, place only the task prompt (no harness files).

1. Start the agent with only the prompt above.
2. Provide no `AGENTS.md`, no init script, no acceptance criteria.
3. When the agent stops, run `npm start` (or whatever launch command it produced) to check whether the app launches.
4. Record: terminal output, key diff, the agent's final summary.
5. **Do not manually modify the code.** If it does not launch, record that as-is.
6. Archive the results, delete `p01-baseline/`, then run the second test.

### Second Run (Strong Harness)

In `p01-improved/`, before starting the agent, prepare:

- `AGENTS.md`: project structure, launch commands, Electron layer-boundary rules
- `CLAUDE.md`: quick reference for the agent (build/run commands, key files)
- `init.sh`: verify the project builds cleanly (`npm install && npm run check && npm run build`)
- `feature_list.json`: the four features and their completion status
- `claude-progress.md`: progress and evidence log
- `docs/`: the architecture and product specs `AGENTS.md` tells the agent to read first (`ARCHITECTURE.md`, `PRODUCT.md`)

Then reset the checked-in evidence: set every `feature_list.json` status to `not-started` and clear its `evidence`/`testedAt` values (keep the fields), and clear the session log in `claude-progress.md` (keep the title). Start the agent with the same prompt as the first run. When it stops, run `./init.sh` and record the result.

## How to Measure Results

| Metric | Description |
|------|------|
| Completion | Complete / partial / failed |
| First successful launch | Time from start to the first successful `npm start` (or the launch command it produced) |
| Retries | How many human interventions were needed to launch successfully |
| Missing items | Which features were still unimplemented when the agent declared done |
| Premature stop | Whether the agent declared done while the app still could not run |

## What to Submit

- Weak-harness run record: prompt, logs/transcript, final diff, launch evidence
- Strong-harness run record: same, plus the harness files you prepared
- A comparison note (1-2 pages): what differed, the data, your conclusion

## Experimental Framing

This is a comparison experiment, not a requirement that both agent runs produce a production-ready Electron app. Run the same task against the weak `starter/` and explicit-harness `solution/`, then record which features each run completes and what evidence supports the result. Partial or broken output is valid experimental evidence; the feature list defines what to measure, not a requirement that the prompt-only run must pass every item.

## Related Lectures

- [Lecture 01. Strong Models Don't Mean Reliable Execution](./../../lectures/lecture-01-why-capable-agents-still-fail/index.md)
- [Lecture 02. What a Harness Actually Is](./../../lectures/lecture-02-what-a-harness-actually-is/index.md)
- [Lecture 06. Make the Agent Initialize Before Every Work Session](./../../lectures/lecture-06-why-initialization-needs-its-own-phase/index.md)