Ramp Built Inspect (newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com)

Ramp, a fintech company, announced its proprietary AI coding agent, Inspect, now integral to its development process, accounting for 75% of merged pull requests (PRs). Unlike popular third-party tools like Codex and GitHub Copilot, Inspect features remote sandboxes that allow for unlimited session concurrency and centralized configurations, addressing the limitations Ramp's engineers faced with existing products. The internal design emphasizes robust integrations with Ramp's internal systems, enabling real-time backend and frontend change verification, something that current alternatives struggle with due to lack of internal context. The significance of Inspect lies in Ramp's shift from a "buy, don't build" mentality, demonstrating that custom solutions can outperform established tools if tailored to specific organizational needs. Enhanced tooling and the ability to work in remote environments streamlined processes for more than 150 Ramp engineers, fostering collaboration and efficiency. The platform also supports the creation of unique internal agents for various tasks, from code reviews to incident management, showcasing its adaptability. Inspect exemplifies how an internal AI tool, thoughtfully designed and developed, can enhance productivity and innovation in software engineering.