I have a live coding interview coming up for a senior-level role. I've done live coding interviews before, but this will be my first one where AI-assisted development is expected. My usual setup is the Claude CLI alongside VSCode, and I'm much more comfortable with it than with tools like Cursor or Copilot.
The interview instructions say: "You will work in a shared coding environment. Please plan to use an AI-assisted development tool throughout (e.g. Cursor, Copilot, or your preferred tool)."
Since they specifically mention using a preferred tool, is Claude CLI with VSCode a reasonable choice, or would interviewers expect a more typical editor-integrated tool? Should I spend the next few days learning Cursor, or focus on demonstrating how I plan problems, write prompts, evaluate AI-generated code, and explain my technical decisions?
5 Answers
A good approach is to use the AI for planning, implementation suggestions, acceptance criteria, and manual test ideas, while you remain responsible for checking the result. In a senior interview, showing that you can direct the tool and critically review its work will likely matter much more than demonstrating a particular set of features.
The shared coding environment may simply mean they’ll provide an online editor or collaborative workspace, so it would be worth confirming how your local VSCode setup is expected to connect. That logistical detail is more important than whether you use Claude, Cursor, or Copilot. Ask beforehand so there are no surprises on interview day.
Claude in the terminal with VSCode is a perfectly solid workflow. The interviewers are probably more interested in how you use AI than which product you selected: how you break down the task, provide context, review the output, and catch mistakes. Make sure you can explain your reasoning instead of treating the tool like a black box.
I’ve helped run several interviews like this, and the specific AI tool didn’t matter. We paid attention to how candidates framed prompts, supplied relevant context, and validated the generated code. We also wanted to see whether they understood the architecture, trade-offs, and implementation well enough to explain and defend their choices.
You should use the setup you already know. The wording explicitly says “your preferred tool,” so there’s no reason to switch to Cursor just to appear more current. If they wanted a specific platform, they should have named it in advance. You may even get a useful conversation out of explaining why your setup works for you.
That makes sense. I’d rather be comfortable with my tools than spend the interview figuring out a new interface.
I was confused by that wording too. I’ll ask what the shared environment supports and whether I can use my normal VSCode and Claude workflow.