- Keep It Simple. Do the simplest thing that works.
- Don't overthink. Don't investigate alternatives, other projects, or add speculative features.
- Match existing code style. Follow the conventions already in the codebase.
- Respect the user's intelligence. Don't second-guess their explicit choices.
- Show the diff before committing. Never commit without explicit user approval.
- Wait for user to say "commit it", "looks good", or similar before running
git commit. - Test changes and show results to the user before asking to commit.
- Match the indentation and formatting already used in the project.
- Don't reformat files unless the user asks or it's part of the requested change.
- If adding config files (
.editorconfig, formatter configs), ask first.
- Don't add compatibility shims, fallbacks, or defensive checks unless asked.
- Don't investigate how other projects solve the same problem.
- Don't change working code for "cleaner" architecture unless asked.
- Don't commit without asking first.
- Don't add abstractions or indirection the user didn't ask for.