Custom Harnesses are the Real Key for Agents
hwchase17 · x · 2026-07-14
The author argues that to build a successful agent for spreadsheet tasks, the key is to focus on the harness, not just the model itself.
Key conclusions include:
- Shortcut's core competitive edge is its agentic performance on spreadsheet tasks
- To beat the big model providers, building a custom harness is mandatory
- The post includes an article on how to build a harness, quoting discussions on why "startups still hold a structural advantage"
Related event: Agent Differentiation Shifts From Models to Harness Design(8 posts)→
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