mirror of
https://github.com/Sea-Haven-Industries/open-swe.git
synced 2026-09-30 13:53:15 +00:00
83 lines
2.8 KiB
Text
83 lines
2.8 KiB
Text
---
|
|
title: Best Practices
|
|
description: Guidelines for effective use of Open SWE
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# Best Practices
|
|
|
|
Follow these guidelines to get the best results from Open SWE.
|
|
|
|
## Prompting Tips
|
|
|
|
### Be Clear and Direct
|
|
|
|
- Include specific file paths and function names in your requests. Open SWE preforms best when its given a clear starting point.
|
|
- Provide concrete examples of what you want to achieve. Describe the end state you want to reach so Open SWE knows what it's working towards.
|
|
|
|
### Create Custom Rules
|
|
|
|
Create an `AGENTS.md` file in your repository root to provide project-specific context. This helps Open SWE understand your codebase conventions and requirements.
|
|
|
|
<Tip>
|
|
See the [Custom Rules](/labs/swe/usage/custom-rules) page for detailed guidance on
|
|
setting up your `AGENTS.md` file.
|
|
</Tip>
|
|
|
|
### Keep Tasks Well-Scoped
|
|
|
|
- Focus on one specific feature or fix per request
|
|
- Break large changes into smaller, manageable tasks
|
|
- Avoid combining multiple unrelated changes in a single request
|
|
|
|
### Avoid Multiple Tasks
|
|
|
|
Submit separate requests for different features or fixes. This allows Open SWE to:
|
|
|
|
- Generate more focused plans
|
|
- Provide better error handling
|
|
- Make changes easier to review
|
|
|
|
## Model Selection
|
|
|
|
- **Claude Sonnet 4 (Default)**: The default model for planning, writing code, and reviewing changes. This model offers the best balance of performance, speed and cost.
|
|
- **Claude Opus 4.1**: A larger, more powerful model for difficult, or open-ended tasks. Opus 4.1 is more expensive and slower, but will provide better results for complex tasks.
|
|
|
|
### Avoid Other Models
|
|
|
|
Although Open SWE allows you to select any model from Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, its prompts are tuned specifically for Anthropic models, and other providers will not preform as well.
|
|
|
|
## Mode Selection
|
|
|
|
### `open-swe` vs `open-swe-max`
|
|
|
|
**`open-swe`**: Uses Claude Sonnet 4
|
|
|
|
- Suitable for most development tasks
|
|
- Faster execution
|
|
- Cost-effective
|
|
|
|
**`open-swe-max`**: Uses Claude Opus 4 (only for the planning and code writing agents)
|
|
|
|
- For complex tasks requiring advanced reasoning
|
|
- Higher quality output for challenging problems
|
|
- More expensive but better for difficult tasks
|
|
|
|
### Auto vs Manual Labels
|
|
|
|
**Auto Mode (`-auto` labels)**
|
|
|
|
It's recommended to use the auto mode for most tasks. Open SWE is very good at planning, and in most cases it does not need a manual review before execution.
|
|
|
|
If you're running Open SWE against an open-ended or very complex task, you may want to use manual mode to review the plan before execution.
|
|
|
|
## Label Reference
|
|
|
|
- `open-swe`: Manual mode with Sonnet 4
|
|
- `open-swe-auto`: Auto mode with Sonnet 4
|
|
- `open-swe-max`: Manual mode with Opus 4.1
|
|
- `open-swe-max-auto`: Auto mode with Opus 4.1
|
|
|
|
<Note>
|
|
In development environments, append `-dev` to all labels (e.g.,
|
|
`open-swe-dev`, `open-swe-auto-dev`).
|
|
</Note>
|