development-rules

Development Rules Skill

These rules were learned the hard way across v0.21.0-v0.21.3, where 70+ issues were discovered post-release. Each rule maps to a specific incident.

When to Use

• Every agent should read their domain section before writing code
• Reviewer must verify these rules during code review
• New agents must read this as part of onboarding

Universal Rules (ALL Agents)

#	Rule	Incident	Severity
U-1	Never swallow exceptions silently — log or re-raise with context	v0.21.2: clauses.json missing → silent {}	CRITICAL
U-2	Never use except Exception: without specific handling	v0.21.2: traceability.py hid failures	CRITICAL
U-3	All public functions must be in __all__ AND importable	v0.21.2: README claimed non-existent API	HIGH
U-4	Data files must be declared in pyproject.toml package-data	v0.21.2: clauses.json not in wheel	HIGH
U-5	README code examples must be tested in CI	v0.21.2: examples didn't work	HIGH
U-6	Version numbers must be consistent across all files	v0.21.x: version drift across docs	MEDIUM
U-7	Import-time side effects are forbidden (no warnings, no I/O)	v0.21.3 EA-2: import warnings	HIGH

Python Core Rules (Python/structural_lib/)

#	Rule	Incident	Agent
PY-1	All parameters use explicit units: b_mm, d_mm, fck_nmm2, Mu_knm	Historical confusion	@backend, @structural-math
PY-2	Division by zero must be guarded: x / y if y != 0 else 0	Edge case failures	@structural-math
PY-3	IS 456 clause reference required in docstring for every formula	Audit finding	@structural-math
PY-4	Every new function needs: unit test + edge test + SP:16 benchmark	v0.21.0: insufficient testing	@tester
PY-5	Return types must be dataclasses, not dicts (with .to_dict() method)	v0.21.3 EA-4: inconsistent returns	@backend
PY-6	Lazy imports for non-core modules (use __getattr__ pattern)	v0.21.3 EA-10: 382ms startup	@backend
PY-7	Never modify core/ from codes/ or services/	Architecture rule	@backend
PY-8	Deprecation warnings gated behind actual function call, not module load	v0.21.3 EA-2	@backend

FastAPI Rules (fastapi_app/)

#	Rule	Incident	Agent
FA-1	NEVER use str(e) in error responses — use generic messages, log original	v0.21.3 EA-18: 32 CWE-209 instances	@api-developer
FA-2	All endpoints must have rate limiting (global middleware)	v0.21.3 EA-17: only 2/59 had limits	@api-developer
FA-3	WebSocket inputs validated via Pydantic models	v0.21.3 EA-19: raw dict access	@api-developer
FA-4	CORS origins from config/env, never hardcoded	v0.21.3 EA-20	@api-developer
FA-5	Auth warning when disabled in production	v0.21.3 EA-16	@ops
FA-6	Routers import from structural_lib — never reimplement math	Architecture rule	@api-developer
FA-7	Error responses must not expose internal paths or stack traces	OWASP CWE-209	@api-developer, @security

React Rules (react_app/)

#	Rule	Incident	Agent
RE-1	Forms must have cross-field validation (not just HTML5)	v0.21.3 EA-15: depth > cover unchecked	@frontend
RE-2	All computations go through FastAPI — no local JS math	Architecture rule	@frontend
RE-3	Check react_app/src/hooks/ before creating a new hook	Historical duplication	@frontend
RE-4	Check react_app/src/components/ before creating a component	Historical duplication	@frontend
RE-5	Tailwind only — no custom CSS files	Project convention	@frontend
RE-6	Workflow guidance (WorkflowHint) on key pages	v0.21.3 EA-11: users lost	@frontend

Testing Rules (Python/tests/)

#	Rule	Incident	Agent
TE-1	NEVER use MagicMock for structural Result types (FlexureResult, ShearResult, etc.)	v0.21.0: ShearResult field bug masked by mock	@tester
TE-2	Use repo_only marker for tests needing full repo (not just package)	v0.21.3 EA-8: sdist tests broke	@tester
TE-3	E2E pipeline test required for each structural element	v0.21.3 EA-7: no chain testing	@tester
TE-4	API stability test: all __all__ members must be importable	v0.21.3 EA-9: phantom exports	@tester
TE-5	Import silence test: import structural_lib emits zero warnings	v0.21.3 EA-6	@tester
TE-6	SP:16 benchmark values must match within ±0.1%	IS 456 compliance requirement	@tester
TE-7	Packaging test: wheel must not contain tests/, scripts/, examples/	v0.21.2: leaked files	@tester

Documentation Rules

#	Rule	Incident	Agent
DO-1	WORKLOG.md: one line per code change, every time, no exceptions	Historical gaps	@doc-master
DO-2	next-session-brief.md: MUST be updated at session end	10+ hours rework from missing brief	@doc-master
DO-3	TASKS.md: mark done items, add discovered items	Tasks repeated when not tracked	@doc-master
DO-4	README code examples must match actual API exactly	v0.21.2: phantom function claims	@doc-master
DO-5	CHANGELOG: append-only, immutable past entries	Data integrity	@doc-master
DO-6	New docs need metadata header (Type, Audience, Status, etc.)	Governance requirement	@doc-master

Security Rules

#	Rule	Incident	Agent
SE-1	No internal error details in HTTP responses	v0.21.3: CWE-209	@security, @api-developer
SE-2	Rate limiting on all public endpoints	v0.21.3: DoS risk	@api-developer
SE-3	Input validation at system boundaries (Pydantic)	v0.21.3: WebSocket raw	@api-developer
SE-4	Dependencies audited before release	pip-audit recommended	@security
SE-5	Auth must warn in production when disabled	v0.21.3 EA-16	@ops

How to Enforce

1. Code review: Reviewer checks rules for changed domains
2. Quality gate: Level 1-3 automated checks (see /quality-gate skill)
3. Pre-release: Full checklist (see /release-preflight skill)
4. Agent evolution: Violations tracked by agent-evolver scoring