When AI Writes the Code, What Replaces Design Patterns?
JnBrymn · x · 2026-10-10
Starting from the 1994 "Gang of Four" Design Patterns book and the 2004 Head First version, the author argues that classic software design patterns matter far less now that AI writes most of our code — you could even add a line to your software-factory skill telling agents to follow the Go4 patterns, and they probably would.
Software has jumped another layer of abstraction: transistors → assembly → compiled code → interpreted code → skill-based programs and metaprogramming. So where is the modern equivalent of design patterns?
He describes finally getting his own skills organized over the past month — crafting rather than copy-pasting them — and the patterns emerging:
- A software factory with modular components: it behaves differently per agent harness (each handles sub-agents differently), builds code differently per software type (web app, native Mac app, background service), and can manage tickets via GitHub or a directory of markdown files tied to a vibe-coded Obsidian kanban extension.
- The software-factory skill can deploy instances of itself into new projects; each repo's instance can diverge independently, and a meta-skill later does a semantic merge of all changes and redeploys the unified factory where it belongs.
- He is moving away from one giant skills directory, attaching skills and reminders to the assets that need them: the agent knows nothing about Obsidian until Obsidian is opened, nothing about OBS until OBS is opened.
He closes by asking readers what emerging patterns they see for the future of software design and skill usage.
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