Harness engineering and context curation

Google Cloud Tech
8,346 views •

Try Google Antigravity → https://g.dev/cloud/antigravity-homepage Explore Google Skills on GitHub → https://goo.gle/3UN4MWQ What exactly is an agent harness, and why is it the secret to fully autonomous coding? If your coding agents are hitting a wall, the problem might not be the model you are using, it might be the stack. In this episode of The Agent Factory, we break down how to stop relying on manual prompting and start building environments where AI can dynamically solve complex software engineering challenges. First, we sit down with Ryan Lopopolo, the Google engineer who coined the term "agent harness". We will discuss why he hasn't manually written code since May, how to apply senior engineering principles to AI agents, and how agents are being deployed to operate Google Cloud. Then, Billy jumps into the code to demonstrate the difference between linear and closed-loop harnesses using the Agent Development Kit (ADK). Finally, Smitha reveals the three-layer stack you need to build high-performing agents today, featuring Gemini 3.8 Flash, Antigravity Boost, and the viral Google Skills GitHub repository. Whether you are a developer trying to build your own agent loop, or a technical leader looking to scale AI autonomy across your infrastructure, you'll learn exactly how to configure the memory, tools, and guardrails necessary to make your agents reliable. You'll walk away with a clear understanding of when to use lightweight models for high-frequency loops, when to deploy orchestrators like Boost, and how to give your agents the precise domain knowledge they need to succeed. More resources: The Anatomy of Harness Engineering: How to Evaluate, Iterate, and Guard AI Coding Agents → https://goo.gle/4j3lCKU Read Ryan's essay on Leveraging Codex → https://goo.gle/4inFlVv Learn more about Gemini 3.8 Flash → https://goo.gle/3TuVfmT Speakers: Ryan Lopopolo: GitHub → https://goo.gle/46T7sF0 hyperbola → https://goo.gle/4xIXqS5 Tilde Thurium: LinkedIn → https://goo.gle/4itBt5w Smitha Kolan: YouTube → https://goo.gle/Smitha-on-YouTube LinkedIn → https://goo.gle/Smitha-on-LinkedIn Luke Schlangen: Website → https://goo.gle/4h1VC1r LinkedIn →https://goo.gle/4iWWghS Billy Jacobson: LinkedIn → https://goo.gle/4cJk5WA Medium → https://goo.gle/4ydgpVX Watch more of The Agent Factory → https://goo.gle/4xi7qRL 🔔 Subscribe to Google Cloud Tech → https://goo.gle/GoogleCloudTech Products Mentioned: Gemini, Gemini Flash, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Google Antigravity, Antigravity Boost, Google Cloud, Agent Development Kit (ADK), Google Skills, Firebase, Flutter, Google Maps, GitHub

Keyboard shortcuts

On. Switch them off if they collide with your assistive tools; ? still opens this sheet.

Go to

Press g then the letter.

  • gh Latest
  • gs Sources
  • gm Media
  • gv Videos
  • gp Podcasts
  • gc Calendar
  • gd Decoder
  • gz Dataviz
  • ga Datasets
  • gb Blog
  • gk Markets
  • gj Careers
  • gn Prompt Notebook

On this page

  • / Focus search, where there is one
  • t Back to top
  • ? This list
  • Esc Close