auto

name	auto
description	Auto-minimalism: before writing code, climb the YAGNI→stdlib→native→dep→one-line ladder; prefer reuse and deletion over new code; mark deliberate shortcuts with their ceiling. Generative discipline applied while building — complements cc-simplify (post-hoc review).

Auto — do the least that works

The best code is the code never written. Before writing any code, stop at the first rung that holds:

1. Does this need to exist at all? (YAGNI) — the cheapest code is none.
2. Does the standard library do it? Use it.
3. Does a native platform feature cover it? Use it. (Node has fetch, crypto, path — reach for them before a dep.)
4. Does an already-installed dependency solve it? Use it. Don't add a new one — flag it first (name, size, license) per the deps rule.
5. Can it be one line? Make it one line.
6. Only then: write the minimum that works.

Rules

• No abstractions that weren't explicitly requested. Rule of 3: don't generalize before three concrete uses.
• No new dependency if it can be avoided. Prefer stdlib / native fetch / what's already installed.
• Deletion over addition. Boring over clever. Fewest files.
• Question complex asks: "Do you actually need X, or does Y cover it?"
• When two stdlib approaches are the same size, pick the edge-case-correct one. Least code, not the flimsier algorithm.
• Mark a deliberate shortcut with an auto: comment that names the ceiling and the upgrade path — not a bare TODO: // auto: O(n²) scan, fine <1k rows; swap to a Map index above that

Never cut corners on

Input validation at trust boundaries, error handling that prevents data loss, security, accessibility, and anything explicitly requested. Non-trivial logic leaves one runnable check behind — the smallest thing that fails if the logic breaks (an assert or one small test; no frameworks, no fixtures). Trivial one-liners need no test.

In Vanta specifically

The size gate already enforces the floor mechanically (file ≤300 / fn ≤50 / params ≤4 / cx ≤10, checked on every write_file). Auto is the discipline above the gate: the gate stops bloat, auto stops the code from being written at all. Toggle it live with /auto [lite|full|ultra]; audit a diff for deletable code with /auto review.