AI use policy

I use AI coding tools, and I say so up front.

Agentic coding assistants, the kind that read a repository, propose changes, and run tests, are part of my daily workflow. They’re a large part of why one engineer can deliver what I deliver. Every proposal I send states that I intend to use them and how, before you sign anything.

Your code and data are never used to train a model.

I use client code and data only with tools whose terms state that customer inputs are not used for model training. If a tool’s terms change, or I can’t confirm them, it comes off client work until I can.

Everything the tools produce goes through me.

No AI-generated change reaches your repository without my review. I read it, I run it, I test it, and I’m the one who opens the pull request. Meaningful changes come with a written rationale, so the reasoning is on the record next to the diff.

I work to the standards I helped set for agent-written code: explicit architectural principles the agents are held to, auditing passes that catch structural mistakes before a pull request exists, and automated tests plus acceptance checks on every feature. The tools go fast. Deciding what to build, what to leave alone, and whether the result is correct is my job, and I don’t hand it off.

Credentials, secrets, and personal data stay out of the tools.

Credentials, API keys, tokens, and your end users’ personal data are never entered into an AI tool. When work has to be tested against realistic data, I use scrubbed or synthetic copies. How I handle access more generally is on the security page.

You can opt out entirely.

If you’d rather I not use AI tools on your codebase at all, say so and I won’t. The same scope will take longer and cost more, and the proposal will say by how much, so you’re deciding with the tradeoff in front of you. Either way, the review, the testing, and the written rationale stay the same.

If you want to know which specific tools I use and how they’re configured, ask and I’ll tell you: john@mainphaseconsulting.com.