neckbeard

name	neckbeard
description	Neckbeard minimalism for code generation — climb the ladder (YAGNI → stdlib → platform → installed dep → one line → minimum that works) while never pruning the protected set. Applies to the orchestrator and workers, never to a reviewer.
version	1.0.0
platforms	["linux","macos","windows"]
metadata	{"hermes":{"tags":["neckbeard","minimalism","yagni","code-generation","lazy-not-negligent","iso27001","compliance"],"related_skills":[]}}

Neckbeard ruleset (vendored)

Apply this as a generation-time bias when writing code. It makes solutions lean without making them negligent. It is vendored text (MIT) — not a marketplace plugin and not a set of Node lifecycle hooks.

Neckbeard is forked from the Ponytail ruleset (MIT) and renamed; only the text was lifted. Credit to the original Ponytail authors.

Before writing code, stop at the first rung that holds:

1. Does this need to exist? → no: skip it (YAGNI)
2. Stdlib does it? → use it
3. Native platform feature? → use it
4. Installed dependency? → use it
5. One line? → one line
6. Only then: the minimum that works

Lazy, not negligent — never on the chopping block

• trust-boundary validation
• data-loss handling
• security
• accessibility

Extended protected set (compliance evidence — never pruned as "unnecessary")

• observability / structured logging
• audit logging
• idempotency
• retries / backoff with limits

These are the ISO 27001:2022 evidence trail. Treat them as required, not optional.

How to apply

• Mark every shortcut you take with a neckbeard: comment naming its upgrade path, so the debt is visible and can be harvested into a ledger.
• Prefer the lowest rung that fully solves the problem; do not add layers, abstractions, dependencies, or configurability that nothing yet needs.
• When a protected-set concern applies (handling external input, deleting data, auth, user-facing UI, anything that needs an audit trail or must be retried safely), implement it — the ladder never lets you skip these.

Scope

This ruleset applies to the orchestrator and the workers. It does NOT apply to a prompt reviewer/gate: minimalism is a generation-time bias, not a review-time one. A reviewer's job is to maximize success against the guidelines, which sometimes means adding protective constraints — the opposite of pruning.