boilerplate-global-patterns

name	boilerplate-global-patterns
description	Global patterns for the Boilerplate repo (API + Next.js app). Use when starting work in the repo or when applying repo-wide code quality, structure, or plan/history conventions.
version	1.1.0

Global Patterns

Structure

• API: apps/api/ – Standalone Express HTTP API
• Web: apps/web/ – Next.js app
• Sidecar: apps/web/sidecar/ – Runtime-config server for the Next.js app

TypeScript

• Extend tsconfig.base.json in apps. Use ESM (NodeNext). Avoid type assertions (as) when a better approach exists.

Plan Management

• Plans go in .llm/plans/active/ (not .cursor/plans/).
• 300 line limit per plan. Split into sub-plans in the same directory if larger.

Documentation

• Documentation naming rules are canonical in .cursor/skills/documentation-conventions/SKILL.md.

LLM History

• Follow .cursor/skills/llm-history/SKILL.md as the canonical history process (timing, format, and split rules).
• See .llm/LLM.md for the full system documentation.

Code Quality

• Import path casing: Relative import paths must match the exact casing of files and directories on disk so builds pass on Linux/CI. See .cursor/skills/path-casing-imports/SKILL.md and .cursor/rules/path-casing-imports.mdc.
• Strict equality (=== / !== only). Semicolons in JS/TS. Prefer import type for type-only imports.
• Exports: Do not re-export symbols from app code (e.g. lib/validation.ts) when they are already exported by a shared package (e.g. @boilerplate/helpers). Callers should import from the canonical source; unnecessary re-exports add indirection and maintenance cost.
• Catch blocks: If the error value is not used, use catch { ... } (no variable). See .cursor/skills/catch-unused-error/SKILL.md.
• Unused props/vars: Remove them; do not keep and destructure as _unused. See .cursor/skills/avoid-unused-props-vars/SKILL.md.
• Component props: Do not pass undefined explicitly to components. Allow null as a value for optional props so callers can pass prop={value} directly; components treat null (and undefined) as "not set" / default behavior. When checking optional string props (e.g. error messages) for "has value", use a simple falsy check (Boolean(value) or if (value)) instead of explicit !== undefined && !== null && !== ''.
• No inline styles: Do not use style={{ ... }} for layout or appearance. Use CSS classes instead: component or page SCSS modules (e.g. ComponentName.module.scss), or shared utility classes where appropriate. Keeps styling maintainable and consistent.

Agent/plan work: do not run tests

• Do not run tests or verification commands (e.g. make e2e_test_web, npm run test, make e2e_test_web_signup_enabled) during agent or plan implementation work.
• Only instruct the user to run those commands after your work is done. Provide the exact command(s) in a fenced bash block so the user can copy and run them.
• See response-ending-make-verify for which commands to suggest.

Testing: no rate-limit tests

• Do not add tests that assert rate-limit behavior (e.g. 429 after N requests) in api or management-api. Rate limiting is disabled in test (high limit); dedicated rate-limit tests have been removed as a chronic source of flakiness. See api-testing skill.

Test Command Efficiency (Agent default)

• When suggesting verification commands to the user, start with the smallest targeted command that can verify the behavior.
• Prefer single-file or single-spec commands before suite-level commands (for example, one Vitest file or one Playwright spec).
• Escalate to broader commands only when required by scope or when a targeted run passes and broader confidence is needed.
• Avoid defaulting to full test suites when a focused command can confirm the same fix faster.