Astra model rolls out: dev shares four hands-on coding workflows
HowDevelop · x · 2026-09-05
The Astra model is rolling out to users. Developer theo says it's extremely powerful, though you need to push it a bit to see the difference from existing models, and shares several things to try in real codebases:
- Slop audits: have Astra go through all your codebases hunting for useless tests, unnecessary function wrappers and the like — surprisingly effective.
- Performance wins: Astra found many performance improvements in his apps and can make hard cuts and verify the results, provided you give it the tools it needs to verify its changes.
- Better agent DX and verification loops: the model is surprisingly self-aware about what it can do — ask it what it needs to verify its own work, and let it suggest improvements to setup, worktree flows, debug access, and end-to-end QA flows.
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