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The Van Halen Test can check if an agent knows it's context

·100 words·1 min

Here’s a trick from the 80s that’s still useful, today: Van Halen’s live shows were potentially dangerous. To make sure the local crew read the rooster, they asked for a candy bowl with M&Ms and added:

Warning: Absolutely no brown ones.

The Van Halen Test
The Van Halen Test via Left hand writes

One day in 1982, they trashed their backstage area because David Lee Roth found a brown M&M.

With coding agents, it’s also not always clear, if they still know all the context. Adding an easy-to-check piece of information helps finding out. I hope that won’t make you trash your office, though.