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docs(notes): add working directory importance guide
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‎_posts/en/2025-01-11-notes-en.md

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These 2133 notes are primarily generated by AI chatbots. I used them to summarize key points and will walk through them to enhance my understanding.
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These 2134 notes are primarily generated by AI chatbots. I used them to summarize key points and will walk through them to enhance my understanding.
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* [Core Essentials of LLM Applications](/notes/2025-09-05-core-llm-essentials-en)
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* [Spring Web Application Setup Without Boot](/notes/2025-09-05-spring-webapp-setup-en)
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* [Working Directory Importance for Coding Agents](/notes/2025-09-05-working-directory-importance-en)
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* [AI Model Context Window Capacities](/notes/2025-09-03-ai-model-context-window-en)
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* [Alphabet Hits $186.66B in H1 2025](/notes/2025-09-03-alphabet-h1-2025-revenue-en)
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* [Building Trust Takes Time and Consistency](/notes/2025-09-03-building-trust-consistency-en)

‎notes/2025-09-05-working-directory-importance-en.md

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---
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title: Working Directory Importance for Coding Agents
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lang: en
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layout: post
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audio: false
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translated: false
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generated: true
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image: false
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---
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Yes — you’ve got the right intuition.
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When you’re running **Claude Code**, **Codex**, or similar coding agents, the working directory matters a lot because:
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### 1. Context of File Operations
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If you run the agent from a parent directory, but your actual code is inside a subdirectory, you’ll constantly need to reference paths like `subdir/foo.py`. That’s extra friction. Running it directly in the subdirectory means relative paths (like `./foo.py`) just work.
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### 2. Dependency Resolution
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Many projects use `requirements.txt`, `pyproject.toml`, `package.json`, or `pom.xml` that assume the **current working directory** is the project root. If you start from the wrong directory:
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* Python/JavaScript may not find dependencies correctly.
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* Build tools like Maven/Gradle/NPM may fail.
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* Your virtual environment might not activate properly.
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### 3. Git & Version Control
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Git commands behave differently depending on where you are:
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* At project root → works as expected.
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* In a submodule or nested dir → may show incomplete history or wrong repo.
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### 4. Config & Agents
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Claude Code (and Codex, Copilot CLI, etc.) often read:
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* `.env` files
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* `.gitignore`
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* project configs (`.clauderc`, `.editorconfig`, etc.)
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If you’re not in the intended project root/subdir, the agent might not pick up the right settings.
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---
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✅ **Best practice:**
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* If the subdirectory is an **independent project** (own `package.json`, `pom.xml`, etc.), run the agent there.
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* If it’s just part of a bigger project (like `src/` under one root), run from the **root directory** so configs/dependencies are consistent.
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Would you like me to suggest a **workflow setup** where you can seamlessly jump between subprojects without having to `cd` manually every time?

‎original/2025-01-11-notes-en.md

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translated: false
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---
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10-
These 2133 notes are primarily generated by AI chatbots. I used them to summarize key points and will walk through them to enhance my understanding.
10+
These 2134 notes are primarily generated by AI chatbots. I used them to summarize key points and will walk through them to enhance my understanding.
1111

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* [Core Essentials of LLM Applications](/notes/2025-09-05-core-llm-essentials-en)
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* [Spring Web Application Setup Without Boot](/notes/2025-09-05-spring-webapp-setup-en)
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* [Working Directory Importance for Coding Agents](/notes/2025-09-05-working-directory-importance-en)
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* [AI Model Context Window Capacities](/notes/2025-09-03-ai-model-context-window-en)
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* [Alphabet Hits $186.66B in H1 2025](/notes/2025-09-03-alphabet-h1-2025-revenue-en)
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* [Building Trust Takes Time and Consistency](/notes/2025-09-03-building-trust-consistency-en)

‎playground-server/.claude/settings.local.json

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{
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"permissions": {
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"allow": [
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"Bash(mvn checkstyle:check:*)"
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"Bash(mvn checkstyle:check:*)",
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"Bash(mvn compile:*)"
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],
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"deny": [],
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"ask": []

‎playground-server/pom.xml

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<artifactId>spring-web</artifactId>
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<version>5.2.2.RELEASE</version>
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</dependency>
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<dependency>
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<groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
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<artifactId>spring-webmvc</artifactId>
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<version>5.2.2.RELEASE</version>
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</dependency>
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<dependency>
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<groupId>org.springframework</groupId>
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<artifactId>spring-core</artifactId>
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</execution>
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</executions>
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</plugin>
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<plugin>
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<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
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<artifactId>maven-war-plugin</artifactId>
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<version>3.4.0</version>
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<configuration>
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<failOnMissingWebXml>true</failOnMissingWebXml>
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</configuration>
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</plugin>
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<plugin>
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<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
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<artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>

‎playground-server/src/main/java/org/lzw/AppConfig.java

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package org.lzw;
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import org.springframework.context.annotation.ComponentScan;
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import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
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import org.springframework.web.servlet.config.annotation.EnableWebMvc;
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import org.springframework.web.servlet.config.annotation.WebMvcConfigurer;
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@Configuration
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@EnableWebMvc
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@ComponentScan(basePackages = "org.lzw")
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public class AppConfig implements WebMvcConfigurer {}

‎playground-server/src/main/java/org/lzw/Application.java

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import org.slf4j.Logger;
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import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
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import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
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public class Application {
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private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(Application.class);
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public static void main(String[] args) {
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log.info("Application started without Spring Boot");
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log.info("Starting Spring Web application...");
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// Initialize Spring Application Context
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AnnotationConfigApplicationContext context = new AnnotationConfigApplicationContext(AppConfig.class);
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context.registerShutdownHook();
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log.info("Spring Web application started successfully");
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}
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}

‎playground-server/src/main/java/org/lzw/MainController.java

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import org.slf4j.Logger;
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import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
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import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
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import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
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import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.CrossOrigin;
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import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
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import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
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import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestParam;
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import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;
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import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.ResponseBody;
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@RestController
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@Controller
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public class MainController {
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private static Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(MainController.class);
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@ResponseBody
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@CrossOrigin(origins = "*")
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@GetMapping("/bandwidth")
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@RequestMapping("/bandwidth")
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public ResponseEntity<String> getBandwidth(@RequestParam(value = "i", required = false) String networkInterface) {
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try {
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String osName = System.getProperty("os.name").toLowerCase();

‎playground-server/src/main/webapp/WEB-INF/web.xml

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<web-app xmlns="http://xmlns.jcp.org/xml/ns/javaee"
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xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
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xsi:schemaLocation="http://xmlns.jcp.org/xml/ns/javaee
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http://xmlns.jcp.org/xml/ns/javaee/web-app_3_1.xsd"
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version="3.1">
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<servlet>
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<servlet-name>dispatcher</servlet-name>
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<servlet-class>org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet</servlet-class>
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<init-param>
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<param-name>contextClass</param-name>
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<param-value>org.springframework.web.context.support.AnnotationConfigWebApplicationContext</param-value>
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</init-param>
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<init-param>
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<param-name>contextConfigLocation</param-name>
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<param-value>org.lzw.AppConfig</param-value>
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</init-param>
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<load-on-startup>1</load-on-startup>
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</servlet>
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<servlet-mapping>
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<servlet-name>dispatcher</servlet-name>
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<url-pattern>/</url-pattern>
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</servlet-mapping>
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</web-app>

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