# Developers are attached to tools because tools encode trust

DevFeed: [Developers are attached to tools because tools encode trust](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/developers-are-attached-to-tools-because-tools-encode-trust-2197.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://stackoverflow.blog/2026/07/29/developers-are-attached-to-tools-because-tools-encode-trust/>)

Author: Ryan Donovan

Published: 2026-07-29T14:06:38Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Stack Overflow Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/stack-overflow-blog.md>)

Topics: [Developer Tools](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/developer-tools.md>), [AI-assisted coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-assisted-coding.md>)

Tags: [agentic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic.md>), [buiilding-software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/buiilding-software.md>), [dev-tools](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/dev-tools.md>), [developer-tooling](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer-tooling.md>), [developers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developers.md>), [ide](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ide.md>), [se-stackoverflow](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/se-stackoverflow.md>), [se-tech](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/se-tech.md>), [tools](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tools.md>)

## AI overview

An opinion piece on how developers build trust in customizable tools and workflows, contrasting established tools such as Vim and Emacs with rapidly changing coding agents.

## Source excerpt

The tools themselves are new and their capabilities are in constant flux. If your kitchen knife kept changing shape, weight, and edge, you'd have to relearn it every time; that's a hard tool to build trust in. But it also points to a flaw in how you use that tool, the process around it, and the way the tool reinforces the process.