medassist-karpathy-core

name	medassist-karpathy-core
description	Apply assumption clarity, simplicity-first implementation, surgical diffs, and goal-driven verification for non-trivial coding tasks.

Skill Instructions

Use this skill as an execution style layer for implementation tasks where overengineering, broad refactors, or unclear assumptions are likely.

Use When

• The request is ambiguous and assumptions must be made explicit.
• The change can easily balloon in scope.
• A bug fix or feature needs explicit success criteria and verification.
• You need to keep diffs minimal and directly tied to the request.

Do Not Use When

• The task is trivial and can be completed safely without extra process overhead.
• The task is only about ownership routing (use medassist-testing-handoff / medassist-release-handoff).
• The task is only about domain guardrails already covered by specialized skills (architecture, DB, i18n, UI, security, config, observability).

Core Principles

1. Think Before Coding

• Do not assume silently.
• State assumptions explicitly.
• If multiple interpretations exist, present them instead of picking one invisibly.
• If uncertain or blocked by ambiguity, stop and ask.
• If a simpler approach exists, call it out.

2. Simplicity First

• Implement the minimum code required to solve the asked problem.
• Do not add speculative features, abstractions, or configurability.
• Avoid defensive handling for impossible scenarios.
• If the solution feels overcomplicated, simplify before finalizing.

3. Surgical Changes

• Touch only lines required for the request.
• Do not refactor unrelated areas.
• Match existing local style and patterns.
• Remove only unused code introduced by your own change.
• If unrelated dead code is discovered, mention it but do not remove it unless requested.

4. Goal-Driven Execution

• Translate requests into verifiable outcomes before implementation.
• For multi-step tasks, define short steps with checks.
• Verify the requested behavior explicitly before declaring done.

Example execution frame:

1. [Step] -> verify: [check]
2. [Step] -> verify: [check]
3. [Step] -> verify: [check]

Response Format

When this skill is used, report briefly:

• Assumptions made (or clarifications requested)
• Why the chosen approach is the simplest viable one
• What was changed (and what was intentionally not changed)
• Verification performed and result