| name | core-coding-standards |
| description | Universal code quality rules — KISS, DRY, clean code, code review. Base skill every project should include. Use when writing or reviewing any code. |
| allowed-tools | ["Bash","Read","Write","Edit","Grep","Glob","Agent"] |
| metadata | {"category":"universal","tags":["code-quality","review","fundamentals"],"status":"ready","version":4} |
Principles
- Keep it simple (KISS) — prefer the simplest solution that works
- Don't repeat yourself (DRY) — extract when you see three duplicates, not before
- Single Responsibility — each module/function does one thing
- Use descriptive, intention-revealing names
- Use kebab-case for files and folders
- Functions should have clear inputs and outputs with minimal side effects
- Keep functions right-sized — extract when logic needs a comment to explain
- Delete dead code — don't comment it out
- Never swallow errors silently
- Measure before optimizing — no premature performance work
- No premature abstraction — wait for three concrete duplicates before extracting
Rules
See rules index for detailed patterns.
Examples
Positive Trigger
User: "Review this service and remove duplication while keeping behavior unchanged."
Expected behavior: Use core-coding-standards guidance, follow its workflow, and return actionable output.
Non-Trigger
User: "Generate a one-off product marketing tagline."
Expected behavior: Do not prioritize core-coding-standards; choose a more relevant skill or proceed without it.
Troubleshooting
Skill Does Not Trigger
- Error: The skill is not selected when expected.
- Cause: Request wording does not clearly match the description trigger conditions.
- Solution: Rephrase with explicit domain/task keywords from the description and retry.
Guidance Conflicts With Another Skill
- Error: Instructions from multiple skills conflict in one task.
- Cause: Overlapping scope across loaded skills.
- Solution: State which skill is authoritative for the current step and apply that workflow first.
Output Is Too Generic
- Error: Result lacks concrete, actionable detail.
- Cause: Task input omitted context, constraints, or target format.
- Solution: Add specific constraints (environment, scope, format, success criteria) and rerun.
Workflow
- Identify whether the request clearly matches
core-coding-standards scope and triggers.
- Apply the skill rules and referenced guidance to produce a concrete result.
- Validate output quality against constraints; if gaps remain, refine once with explicit assumptions.
