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Qwen Code

Qwen Code is Alibaba's coding-optimized AI model, designed for efficient code generation and understanding.

Overview​

Qwen Code provides:

  • Coding optimization - Trained specifically for code
  • Efficiency - Good balance of speed and quality
  • Cost-effective - Competitive pricing
  • Large context - Handle big codebases

When to Use Qwen​

Ideal For​

  • ✅ Code generation tasks
  • ✅ Code completion
  • ✅ Quick bug fixes
  • ✅ Code explanations
  • ✅ Documentation generation

Less Ideal For​

  • ⚠️ Complex architectural decisions
  • ⚠️ Security-sensitive code
  • ⚠️ Tasks requiring deep reasoning

Setup​

API Key​

export QWEN_API_KEY="your-qwen-api-key"

Configuration​

{
  "agents": {
    "qwen": {
      "enabled": true,
      "model": "qwen-coder-plus",
      "autonomy": "workspace-write"
    }
  }
}

Usage​

From UI​

  1. Open task
  2. Click "Run Agent"
  3. Select "Qwen Code"
  4. Start

From CLI​

friday-dev run --task 123 --agent qwen

Code Generation​

Qwen excels at generating clean, functional code:

Example Task​

## Task
Create a debounce utility function

## Requirements
- TypeScript with generics
- Configurable delay
- Cancel method
- Leading/trailing edge options

Output​

interface DebounceOptions {
  leading?: boolean;
  trailing?: boolean;
}

interface DebouncedFunction<T extends (...args: any[]) => any> {
  (...args: Parameters<T>): void;
  cancel: () => void;
  flush: () => void;
}

export function debounce<T extends (...args: any[]) => any>(
  func: T,
  wait: number,
  options: DebounceOptions = {}
): DebouncedFunction<T> {
  const { leading = false, trailing = true } = options;

  let timeoutId: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
  let lastArgs: Parameters<T> | null = null;
  let lastCallTime: number | null = null;
  let result: ReturnType<T>;

  function invokeFunc(time: number): void {
    const args = lastArgs!;
    lastArgs = null;
    lastCallTime = time;
    result = func.apply(null, args);
  }

  function startTimer(pendingFunc: () => void, wait: number): void {
    timeoutId = setTimeout(pendingFunc, wait);
  }

  function cancelTimer(): void {
    if (timeoutId !== null) {
      clearTimeout(timeoutId);
      timeoutId = null;
    }
  }

  function debounced(...args: Parameters<T>): void {
    const time = Date.now();
    const isInvoking = shouldInvoke(time);

    lastArgs = args;

    if (isInvoking) {
      if (timeoutId === null && leading) {
        invokeFunc(time);
      }
      startTimer(timerExpired, wait);
    }
  }

  function shouldInvoke(time: number): boolean {
    return (
      lastCallTime === null ||
      time - lastCallTime >= wait ||
      time < lastCallTime
    );
  }

  function timerExpired(): void {
    const time = Date.now();
    if (trailing && lastArgs) {
      invokeFunc(time);
    }
    timeoutId = null;
  }

  debounced.cancel = (): void => {
    cancelTimer();
    lastArgs = null;
    lastCallTime = null;
  };

  debounced.flush = (): void => {
    if (timeoutId !== null && lastArgs) {
      timerExpired();
      cancelTimer();
    }
  };

  return debounced;
}

Best Practices​

Clear Instructions​

## Task
Implement pagination component

## Specifications
- Current page, total pages as props
- Previous/Next buttons
- Page number buttons (max 5 visible)
- Ellipsis for hidden pages
- Callback on page change

Code Style Hints​

## Task
Add error handling to API calls

## Style
- Use try/catch blocks
- Create custom error classes
- Log errors with context
- Return typed error responses

Comparison​

FeatureQwenGLMGemini
Coding⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Speed⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cost$$$$Free/$
ContextLargeMediumHuge

Pricing​

  • Competitive per-token pricing
  • Check Alibaba Cloud for details
  • Volume discounts available

Troubleshooting​

Connection Issues​

  1. Verify API key
  2. Check network access
  3. Verify account status

Quality Issues​

  1. Add more context
  2. Be specific about requirements
  3. Try a larger model variant

Next Steps​