# Use Blunt Prompts and Get Shit Done

> Source: <https://dev.to/suckup_de/use-blunt-prompts-and-get-shit-done-4mdd>
> Published: 2026-05-26 22:40:20+00:00

Do not ask a coding agent for “more tests.”

That is how you get coverage theater.

Ask for pressure:

```
Increase test coverage by at least 20%.

If you can’t find at least one real regression, your tests are shit anyway.
```

That prompt works because it has two parts.

First, it gives the agent a measurable floor:

```
Increase test coverage by at least 20%.
```

Not “add some tests.”

Not “improve coverage.”

At least 20%.

The number matters because it removes the cheap escape hatch.

Second, it blocks fake success:

```
If you can’t find at least one real regression...
```

That changes the job.

The agent is no longer writing tests to satisfy a report.

It is hunting for proof that the code can break.

That is the point.

Coverage alone only says:

This line was executed.

Regression hunting asks:

Did this test prove anything useful?

A weak test can execute code and still protect nothing:

```
self::assertNotNull($result);
```

That is not confidence.

That is noise.

A useful test catches broken behavior, exposes a missing edge case, kills a mutant, or forces you to clarify what the code is supposed to do.

The real question is:

What did the new tests actually discover?

If the answer is “nothing,” keep going.