Develop Skill

Core Principles

• •Clean Code: Follow readable, maintainable patterns.
• •Fail Early: Assert or throw on unexpected conditions. Do not be defensive - if something unexpected happens (e.g., invalid JSON that should be valid), crash immediately rather than silently handling it.
• •Simplicity: Prefer the simplest working solution.

Planning

For non-trivial changes:

• •Present a plan with at least 3 clarifying questions (and proposed answers).
• •Wait for explicit approval before implementation.
• •For complex strategy, use the plan skill.

Implementation & Git

Git Safety

• •Permission First: Always ask before initializing repos or switching branches.
• •Atomic Commits: Group related changes logically.

Code Quality

• •Focus on WHY: Document intent, not mechanics.
• •Edge Cases: Consider and test error scenarios.
• •Existing Style: Match existing patterns and formatting.

Language-Specific References

When working with specific languages, consult the following references:

• •C++: Refer to references/cpp.md.
• •Python: Refer to references/python.md.

File Operations

• •Prefer edit_file: Use for targeted changes; avoid rewriting full files.
• •Verification: Always verify changes after editing.
• •Tools: Use fd and rg for exploration; standard shell tools for navigation.
• •Reading: Use shell tools like cat, sed, etc. for reading file contents.