coding-guidelines
Enforces strict coding principles to prevent common LLM mistakes and ensure maintainable code.
Install
mkdir -p .claude/skills/coding-guidelines && curl -L -o skill.zip "https://agentskills.codes/api/skills/download/8671" && unzip -o skill.zip -d .claude/skills/coding-guidelines && rm skill.zipInstalls to .claude/skills/coding-guidelines
Activation
This is the description your AI agent reads to decide when to run this skill — the better it matches your request, the more reliably it fires.
Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Use when writing, modifying, or reviewing code — implementation tasks, code changes, refactoring, bug fixes, or feature development. Do NOT use for architecture design, documentation, or non-code tasks.Key capabilities
- →Surface assumptions before coding
- →Enforce simplicity in implementation
- →Restrict changes to surgical edits
- →Define verifiable success criteria
How it works
Applies behavioral rules to bias toward caution, requiring explicit assumptions and minimal code changes.
Inputs & outputs
When to use coding-guidelines
- →Refactor code with minimal disruption
- →Ensure code matches existing style
- →Review implementation plans for clarity
About this skill
Coding Guidelines
Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. These principles bias toward caution over speed—for trivial tasks, use judgment.
1. Think Before Coding
Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.
Before implementing:
- State assumptions explicitly. If uncertain, ask.
- If multiple interpretations exist, present them—don't pick silently.
- If a simpler approach exists, say so. Push back when warranted.
- If something is unclear, stop. Name what's confusing. Ask.
- Disagree honestly. If the user's approach seems wrong, say so—don't be sycophantic.
2. Simplicity First
Minimum code that solves the problem. Nothing speculative.
- No features beyond what was asked.
- No abstractions for single-use code.
- No "flexibility" or "configurability" that wasn't requested.
- No error handling for impossible scenarios.
- If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.
Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.
3. Surgical Changes
Touch only what you must. Clean up only your own mess.
When editing existing code:
- Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.
- Don't refactor things that aren't broken.
- Match existing style, even if you'd do it differently.
- If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it—don't delete it.
When your changes create orphans:
- Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.
- Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.
The test: Every changed line should trace directly to the user's request.
4. Goal-Driven Execution
Define success criteria. Loop until verified.
Transform tasks into verifiable goals:
- "Add validation" → "Write tests for invalid inputs, then make them pass"
- "Fix the bug" → "Write a test that reproduces it, then make it pass"
- "Refactor X" → "Ensure tests pass before and after"
For multi-step tasks, state a brief plan:
1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]
3. [Step] → verify: [check]
Strong success criteria let you loop independently. Weak criteria ("make it work") require constant clarification.
When not to use it
- →Architecture design
- →Documentation tasks
- →Non-code tasks
Limitations
- →Not suitable for architecture design
- →Requires judgment for trivial tasks
How it compares
Prioritizes simplicity and surgical precision over speculative features or broad refactoring.
Compared to similar skills
coding-guidelines side by side with the closest alternatives in the catalog.
| Skill | Installs | Updated | Safety | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| coding-guidelines (this skill) | 0 | 5mo | No flags | Beginner |
| effective-go | 323 | 9mo | No flags | Beginner |
| solid-principles | 57 | 9mo | No flags | Intermediate |
| typescript-review | 39 | 2mo | No flags | Intermediate |
Try saying
Example prompts that trigger this skill in your AI assistant.
More by tech-leads-club
View all by tech-leads-club →You might also like
effective-go
openshift
Apply Go best practices, idioms, and conventions from golang.org/doc/effective_go. Use when writing, reviewing, or refactoring Go code to ensure idiomatic, clean, and efficient implementations.
solid-principles
SmidigStorm
Enforce SOLID principles (Single Responsibility, Open/Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Segregation, Dependency Inversion) in object-oriented design. Use when writing or reviewing classes and modules.
typescript-review
metabase
Review TypeScript and JavaScript code changes for compliance with Metabase coding standards, style violations, and code quality issues. Use when reviewing pull requests or diffs containing TypeScript/JavaScript code.
ast-grep
ast-grep
Guide for writing ast-grep rules to perform structural code search and analysis. Use when users need to search codebases using Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) patterns, find specific code structures, or perform complex code queries that go beyond simple text search. This skill should be used when users ask to search for code patterns, find specific language constructs, or locate code with particular structural characteristics.
serena
massgen
This skill provides symbol-level code understanding and navigation using Language Server Protocol (LSP). Enables IDE-like capabilities for finding symbols, tracking references, and making precise code edits at the symbol level.
typescript
lobehub
TypeScript code style and optimization guidelines. Use when writing TypeScript code (.ts, .tsx, .mts files), reviewing code quality, or implementing type-safe patterns. Triggers on TypeScript development, type safety questions, or code style discussions.