# How I'm Using Agents for Development - January 2026

DevFeed: [How I'm Using Agents for Development - January 2026](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/how-i-m-using-agents-for-development-january-2026-25131.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://handstandsam.com/2026/01/07/how-im-using-agents-for-development-january-2026/>)

Author: Sam Edwards

Published: 2026-01-07T16:23:40Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Handstand Sam](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/handstand-sam.md>)

Topics: [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [Claude](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/claude.md>), [IntelliJ IDEA](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/intellij-idea.md>), [ide](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ide.md>), [context window](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/context-window.md>), [Compose](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/compose.md>), [GUI](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/gui.md>), [YAML](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/yaml.md>), [Test automation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/test-automation.md>)

Tags: [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [claude](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/claude.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [compose](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/compose.md>), [context-window](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/context-window.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [gui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gui.md>), [ide](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ide.md>), [idea](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/idea.md>), [intellij](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/intellij.md>), [intellij-idea](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/intellij-idea.md>), [junit](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/junit.md>), [review](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/review.md>), [test-automation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/test-automation.md>), [updates](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/updates.md>), [yaml](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/yaml.md>)

## AI overview

A developer describes using agents with IntelliJ IDEA, Firebender, and Claude Sonnet 4.5 across Trailblaze projects. The article explains a Research, Plan, Implement workflow, including incremental commits, progress handoffs when the context window fills, refactoring, UI test automation, and building a Compose-based YAML editor.

## Source excerpt

I'm currently sitting here with Intellij IDEA IDE open with 3 workspaces (different clones of the Trailblaze project). In each one of them I'm using Firebender with the Claude Sonnet 4.5 model. As I'm writing this I just toggled back over to IDE and made sure all my agents are still running. I've been hesitant [...]