karpathy-guidelines

name	karpathy-guidelines
description	Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes: think before coding, simplicity first, surgical changes, goal-driven execution. Use when writing, reviewing, or refactoring code.
version	1.0.0
author	Hermes Agent (adapted from karpathy-guidelines)
license	MIT
platforms	["linux","macos","windows"]
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["guidelines","quality","simplicity","coding-standards"],"related_skills":["ponytail","code-simplification","coding-standards"]}}

Karpathy Guidelines

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes, derived from Andrej Karpathy's observations on LLM coding pitfalls.

Tradeoff: These guidelines 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 your 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.

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 before executing. Verify each step before proceeding.

5. Surface Assumptions

Explicit is better than implicit. Wrong assumptions are the root of most bugs.

Before coding:

• "I'm assuming the API returns JSON."
• "I'm assuming this runs on Node 18+."
• "I'm assuming the database schema hasn't changed."

Surface these BEFORE the user discovers them through a bug.

Hermes Integration

• Apply before every write_file or replace_string_in_file
• Pair with ponytail for maximum simplicity enforcement
• Pair with systematic-debugging for bug fix discipline
• Use search_files to verify assumptions about existing patterns
• Use read_file to check conventions before editing