MATT NIGH'S BLOG
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Every essay, note, and external piece I've published. Filter by tag.
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ai
11
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6
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Run multiple agents at once with /fleet in Copilot CLI
↗
APR 2026
ai
engineering
copilot
TL;DR ↗
/fleet dispatches multiple sub-agents simultaneously, with an orchestrator planning work decomposition and coordinating parallel execution
Well-structured prompts with specific deliverables and clear file boundaries enable effective parallelization
Sub-agents share a filesystem but lack direct communication — declaring dependencies and partitioning files prevents conflicts
Custom agents defined in .github/agents/ can be specialized for different tasks with different models and tool access
Fleet maximizes efficiency for multi-file refactors, documentation generation, and feature implementations spanning API, UI, and tests
What makes something 'GitHubby'
NOV 2025
favorite
personal
TL;DR
Action (Shipping): We value progress over perfection. We ship to learn, preferring demos over memos.
Openness (Sharing): We default to transparency. If it doesn't have a URL, it didn't happen.
Passion (Nerding): We obsess over details, our passions, and celebrate technical depth.
Respect (Trusting): We expect our peers to be experts in their own area of responsibility.
How to write a great agents.md: Lessons from over 2,500 repositories
↗
NOV 2025
engineering
ai
copilot
TL;DR ↗
A great agents.md file is the key to getting useful output from AI coding agents
Analyzed over 2,500 repositories to find what makes instruction files effective
Successful files are specific about architecture, conventions, and testing expectations
Clarity and structure in your instructions directly correlates with agent output quality
Playbook series: Right-fit tooling
↗
NOV 2025
ai
engineering
TL;DR ↗
The right AI tools match your team's actual workflows, not the latest hype
Evaluate tools against real use cases, not feature checklists
Start narrow with one tool well-integrated, then expand based on feedback
Tool selection should involve the developers who will actually use them
Playbook series: Executive support
↗
NOV 2025
ai
engineering
TL;DR ↗
Executive support is the single biggest predictor of AI adoption success
Leaders must visibly champion AI, not just approve budget for it
Exec sponsorship creates psychological safety for teams to experiment
Top-down and bottom-up alignment accelerates meaningful adoption
How Copilot helps build the GitHub platform
↗
NOV 2025
engineering
TL;DR ↗
GitHub uses Copilot coding agent internally to build and maintain the GitHub platform
AI-assisted development has shifted how GitHub's own engineers work day-to-day
Real-world internal usage surfaces insights that shape the product for all developers
Dogfooding at scale proves the value and reveals the friction points
Playbook series: Creating clear AI policies and guardrails
↗
OCT 2025
ai
engineering
TL;DR ↗
Clear AI policies remove ambiguity and give teams confidence to move fast
Guardrails should enable experimentation, not block it
Address data privacy, IP, and acceptable use upfront to prevent paralysis
Policies should evolve as the technology and your team's maturity grow
Playbook series: Why you need a DRI for your AI program
↗
SEP 2025
ai
engineering
TL;DR ↗
AI adoption without a dedicated owner drifts and stalls
A DRI (directly responsible individual) keeps the AI program focused and accountable
The DRI bridges the gap between executive vision and on-the-ground execution
Ownership clarity prevents duplication of effort and conflicting initiatives
Playbook series: Fostering AI learning opportunities
↗
SEP 2025
ai
engineering
TL;DR ↗
AI fluency requires ongoing learning opportunities, not a one-time training
Create safe spaces for experimentation where failure is expected
Pair structured programs with organic peer-to-peer knowledge sharing
Learning is most effective when tied to real work, not hypothetical exercises
Playbook series: Activating your internal AI champions
↗
AUG 2025
ai
engineering
TL;DR ↗
Internal champions are your secret weapon for AI adoption at scale
Find advocates who are already experimenting with AI organically
Empower champions with resources, visibility, and a feedback loop to leadership
Grassroots enthusiasm drives adoption faster than top-down mandates
GitHub’s internal playbook for building an AI-powered workforce
↗
JUL 2025
engineering
TL;DR ↗
GitHub scaled AI fluency by focusing on people and culture, not just deploying tools
Successful AI adoption requires executive sponsorship, a DRI, and internal champions
Clear policies and guardrails give teams confidence to experiment with AI
Continuous learning and right-fit tooling beat one-size-fits-all mandates
Thoughts on AI Pair Programming
FEB 2025
ai
future-of-work
TL;DR
AI pair programming excels at rapid prototyping, documentation lookup, and pattern recognition
Over-reliance on suggestions is a real risk, especially when tired
Knowing what needs careful verification vs. what doesn't is a key skill to develop
Context limitations have improved dramatically — file limits are mostly gone now
Useful Self-Hosted AI
FEB 2025
ai
TL;DR
Running AI locally with Open WebUI, LM Studio, and self-hosted tools
Web search powered by SearXNG for privacy-respecting AI queries
Whisper for local speech-to-text transcription
Home Assistant integration via Assist for smart home AI control
Using GitHub Copilot to Write Blogs
FEB 2025
ai
copilot
prompts
TL;DR
Copilot can scan PRs, issues, and commits to generate blog ideas and outlines
Includes prompts for brainstorming angles, drafting full posts, and refining tone
Use Copilot to combine multiple PRs/issues into a cohesive narrative
Works for everything from deep technical dives to contributor shout-outs
The art of engineering team focus: less is more
↗
FEB 2025
engineering
TL;DR ↗
Teams that try to do everything end up shipping nothing well
The key to shipping more is ruthlessly reducing work-in-progress
Leaders must protect focus by saying no to low-impact requests
Less parallel work means faster delivery and happier engineers
A template for a team brag post
JAN 2025
template
TL;DR
Keep brag posts to 1-2 pages — capture attention fast with a strong TL;DR up top
Always highlight the people behind the success and give credit by name
Structure: what you did, the impact, contributors, and next steps
Promote your post after publishing — share on Slack, tag people, ask for feedback
Managing Engineering Reorganizations
JAN 2025
management
TL;DR
Over 80% of reorgs don't deliver expected value — have a damn good reason before starting
Justify the reorg by documenting problems, proposed structure, and success criteria
Empower people with choices via Yellow Sticky exercises instead of only directing moves
Communication is your lifeline — nail it or drown in backlash
Post-reorg: invest in team building, training, and honest lessons learned
Protips for Achieving Flow: A Guide to Deep Work
JAN 2025
neurodiversity
productivity
TL;DR
Schedule dedicated 2-3 hour time blocks — flow needs runway to take off
Eliminate distractions: dark office, noise-canceling headphones, Slack on pause
Energize first with breaks, snacks, and motivating content before diving in
Managers: use async communication, no-meeting days, and limit tasks to 1-3 at a time
Why developer satisfaction is your best productivity metric
↗
DEC 2024
engineering
TL;DR ↗
Developer satisfaction is the strongest proxy for engineering productivity
Happy developers ship faster, stay longer, and produce higher-quality code
Measure satisfaction directly instead of relying on output metrics like lines of code
Friction, tooling gaps, and unclear priorities are the biggest satisfaction killers
Engineering Management Reading List
MAR 2024
resources
reading
management
TL;DR
Essential reads: The Manager's Path, High Output Management, and Team Topologies
Top online resources: LeadDev, StaffEng, and Engineering Ladders
Key articles on what distinguishes great engineers, managing tech debt, and inclusive teams
A growing, curated list shaped by real engineering management experience
The Five Types of A Corporate Chief of Staff: Exploring archetypes of the Chief of Staff role
↗
OCT 2023
chief-of-staff
TL;DR ↗
The Chief of Staff role varies wildly — there are five distinct archetypes
Each archetype serves different organizational needs and leadership styles
Understanding which type you are (or need) prevents role confusion
The role is most effective when scope and expectations are explicitly defined
Technical Stewardship: A Must-Have for Engineering Managers
↗
NOV 2022
engineering
TL;DR ↗
Engineering managers must act as stewards and architects of their areas of responsibility
Technical stewardship means owning the health of your systems, not just your people
Managers who ignore technical debt create compounding problems for their teams
Stewardship bridges the gap between business priorities and technical sustainability
How to Create User Personas for Data Engineering
↗
NOV 2022
engineering
TL;DR ↗
Data engineering teams benefit from creating user personas for their stakeholders
Understanding who consumes your data pipelines shapes better design decisions
Personas clarify priorities when competing requests come from different teams
Treat internal consumers with the same rigor as product teams treat external users
LinearB Podcast on Why an Autistic Developer is Your Next Great Hire
↗
JAN 2022
neurodiversity
TL;DR ↗
Autistic developers bring unique strengths like deep focus, pattern recognition, and honesty
Neurodiversity in engineering teams drives innovation and different problem-solving approaches
Simple accommodations (async communication, clear expectations) unlock massive potential
Hiring and retaining neurodivergent talent is a competitive advantage, not a checkbox
I’m an Engineering Manager who can’t code
↗
DEC 2021
engineering
favorite
management
TL;DR ↗
You don't need a software engineering background to be an effective EM
Being 'technical' means systems thinking and understanding complexity, not writing code
Focus on what makes work visible — you can't ignore reality when everything is written down
Managed 50+ developers directly and oversaw 450+ without ever writing meaningful code
Your first 90 days as an Engineering Manager
↗
NOV 2021
engineering
management
TL;DR ↗
Your first 90 days set the tone for your entire tenure as an engineering manager
Listen first — understand the team's pain points before proposing changes
Build trust through 1:1s, transparency, and following through on commitments
Quick wins build credibility, but avoid making sweeping changes too early
How COVID-19 Has Changed the Future of Low-Code
↗
JUN 2020
engineering
TL;DR ↗
COVID-19 accelerated low-code adoption as organizations needed to build solutions fast
Speed-to-market became critical when traditional development timelines were too slow
Low-code democratized development, empowering non-engineers to solve urgent problems
The crisis proved that pragmatic tooling choices matter more than technical purity
3 Common Pitfalls of New Engineering Managers
↗
FEB 2020
engineering
management
TL;DR ↗
New engineering managers often fall into avoidable traps in their first year
Avoid doing the work yourself instead of empowering your team
Don't skip 1:1s or treat them as status updates — they're for your people
Recognize that the skills that got you promoted aren't the skills you need now
Leaders: Be the dumbest in the room
JAN 2019
management
TL;DR
Focus on fundamentals over exciting projects — it doubled profit and improved team happiness
Great leaders coach; they don't try to out-throw the quarterback
Ask 'dumb' questions like 'remind me, why are we here?' to sharpen team focus
Stop being the loudest in the room — encourage and develop others' ideas
If the business relies on you for success, build a leadership team around you
Running a Software Company: What My Dog Taught Me
JAN 2019
personal
TL;DR
Run into the danger — smart career risks led from Project Coordinator to VP
Take your ego out of the equation; let others feel ownership of ideas
Your employees are serving your clients — take care of them first
Only 33% of US employees are engaged; their direct manager is the key factor
Embrace radical transparency and encourage positive conflict to grow teams