dignified-python

name	dignified-python
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "write Python code", "review Python", "refactor Python", "fix Python types", "improve error handling", "use pathlib", "create ABC interface", "fix mypy errors", "add type hints", "make this pythonic", "LBYL vs EAFP", or mentions "Python", ".py files", "type annotations", "pathlib", "subprocess", or Python CLI patterns. Provides opinionated production Python standards with automatic version detection (3.10-3.13), modern type syntax, explicit condition checks where practical, pathlib operations, interface guidance, and pragmatic production patterns.
references	["dignified-python-core","cli-patterns","versions/python-3.10","versions/python-3.11","versions/python-3.12","versions/python-3.13","references/advanced/api-design","references/advanced/exception-handling","references/advanced/interfaces","references/advanced/typing-advanced"]

Dignified Python

Opinionated Python guidance for writing clean, maintainable, modern Python code (versions 3.10-3.13).

When to Use This Skill

Auto-invoke when users ask about:

• "make this pythonic" / "is this good python"
• "type hints" / "type annotations" / "typing"
• "LBYL vs EAFP" / "exception handling"
• "pathlib vs os.path" / "path operations"
• "CLI patterns" / "click usage"
• "code review" / "improve this code"
• Any Python code quality or standards question

Note: This skill is general-purpose Python style guidance, not Dagster-specific. It captures one explicit, LBYL-leaning set of conventions; project conventions can override it when needed.

When to Use This Skill vs. Others

User Need	Use This Skill	Alternative Skill
"make this pythonic"	✅ Yes - Python standards
"is this good python"	✅ Yes - code quality
"type hints"	✅ Yes - typing guidance
"LBYL vs EAFP"	✅ Yes - exception patterns
"pathlib vs os.path"	✅ Yes - path handling
"best practices for dagster"	❌ No	/dagster-best-practices
"implement X pipeline"	❌ No	/dg for implementation
"which integration to use"	❌ No	/dagster-expert
"CLI argument parsing"	✅ Yes - CLI patterns

Core Knowledge (ALWAYS Loaded)

@dignified-python-core.md

Version Detection

Identify the project's minimum Python version by checking (in order):

1. pyproject.toml - Look for requires-python field (e.g., requires-python = ">=3.12")
2. setup.py or setup.cfg - Look for python_requires
3. .python-version file - Contains version like 3.12 or 3.12.0
4. Default to Python 3.12 if no version specifier found

Once identified, load the appropriate version-specific file:

• Python 3.10: Load versions/python-3.10.md
• Python 3.11: Load versions/python-3.11.md
• Python 3.12: Load versions/python-3.12.md
• Python 3.13: Load versions/python-3.13.md

Conditional Loading (Load Based on Task Patterns)

Core files above cover 80%+ of Python code patterns. Only load these additional files when you detect specific patterns:

Pattern detection examples:

• If task mentions "click" or "CLI" -> Load cli-patterns.md
• If task mentions "subprocess" -> Load subprocess.md

Reference Documentation Structure

This skill's reference material is organized by topic:

Core References

• dignified-python-core.md - Essential standards (always loaded)
• cli-patterns.md - Command-line interface patterns (click, argparse)

Version-Specific References (versions/)

• python-3.10.md - Features available in Python 3.10+
• python-3.11.md - Features available in Python 3.11+
• python-3.12.md - Features available in Python 3.12+
• python-3.13.md - Features available in Python 3.13+

Advanced Topics (references/advanced/)

• exception-handling.md - LBYL patterns, error boundaries
• interfaces.md - ABC and Protocol patterns
• typing-advanced.md - Advanced typing patterns
• api-design.md - API design principles

When to Read Each Reference Document

references/advanced/exception-handling.md

Read when:

• Writing try/except blocks
• Wrapping third-party APIs that may raise
• Seeing or writing from e or from None
• Unsure if LBYL alternative exists

references/advanced/interfaces.md

Read when:

• Creating ABC or Protocol classes
• Writing @abstractmethod decorators
• Designing gateway layer interfaces
• Choosing between ABC and Protocol

references/advanced/typing-advanced.md

Read when:

• Using typing.cast()
• Creating Literal type aliases
• Narrowing types in conditional blocks

references/module-design.md

Read when:

• Creating new Python modules
• Adding module-level code (beyond simple constants)
• Using @cache decorator at module level
• Seeing Path() or computation at module level
• Considering inline imports

references/advanced/api-design.md

Read when:

• Adding default parameter values to functions
• Defining functions with 5 or more parameters
• Using ThreadPoolExecutor.submit()
• Reviewing function signatures

references/checklists.md

Read when:

• Final review before committing Python code
• Unsure if you've followed all rules
• Need a quick lookup of requirements

How to Use This Skill

1. Core knowledge is loaded automatically (defaults, pathlib, imports, anti-patterns)
2. Version detection happens once - identify the minimum Python version and load the appropriate version file
3. Reference documents are loaded on-demand based on the triggers above
4. Additional patterns may require extra loading (CLI patterns, subprocess)
5. Each file is self-contained with complete guidance for its domain