Nate B Jones argues that a convincing interface is not enough to reproduce useful software behavior. He describes REA, short for Reverse Engineer AnythingReverse engineering studies an existing system's structure or behavior to understand how it works without relying on its original implementation documentation., as a tool that helps coding agentsAn AI coding agent is a tool-using AI system that can inspect, modify, and validate software within a repository. inspect accessible application code and explain implementation decisions. An authenticator example illustrates how observing a working system can make hidden requirements understandable.
Nate B Jones uses clipboard behavior, a calculator’s context-dependent percentage operation and an accounting application investigation to show why data relationships and edge cases matter. He distinguishes learning how a behavior works from simply copying a screen or adopting another application’s entire architecture. Domain knowledge remains necessary to decide what a new system should preserve and how to verify itAgent completion verification checks observable evidence that an agent achieved the requested result instead of accepting its claim that the work is finished..
Nate B Jones recommends narrowing each investigation to a concrete question rather than requesting an exhaustive explanation. He discusses both browser and compiled-client examples, notes that private server-side code is not made visible by inspecting a client, and explicitly rejects trying to obtain it. Promotion of an accompanying Substack post and community is omitted.
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