karpathy-guidelines

name	karpathy-guidelines
description	Behavioral rules to minimize common LLM coding pitfalls. Applies to all code creation, modification, review, and validation tasks.

ROLE & PRINCIPLE

• Goal: Minimize LLM coding mistakes, bias toward caution and surgical precision.
• Rule: Never assume or guess. Keep changes isolated.

EXECUTION ROUTING

if task_type == "plan_design" OR task_type == "new_feature": CALL apply_thinking_rules() CALL apply_simplicity_rules() elif task_type == "bug_fix" OR task_type == "edit_existing": CALL apply_thinking_rules() CALL apply_surgical_rules() elif task_type == "validation" OR task_type == "testing": CALL apply_verification_rules()

1. THINKING RULES

Before editing or writing code:

• State assumptions explicitly. if unsure: CALL ask_question()
• if multiple_implementations: Present trade-offs to user. Do NOT make silent choices.
• if task_unclear: Identify confusing point. CALL ask_question(). Do NOT guess.
• if simpler_approach_exists: Suggest it immediately. Push back on over-engineering.

2. SIMPLICITY RULES

• Write minimum code to solve requirements.
• No speculative abstractions or single-caller helper layers.
• No unrequested configurability or parameter flexibility.
• No error-handling paths for impossible/unreachable scenarios.
• if line_count > necessary: Rewrite to condense.

3. SURGICAL RULES

When editing code:

• Modify only target files/lines. Do NOT touch adjacent files, formatting, or comments.
• Do NOT refactor working modules unless explicitly requested.
• Match existing codebase style and patterns exactly.
• if your_edits_create_orphans: Remove unused imports, variables, or helpers created by your diff.
• if pre_existing_dead_code_found: Report it in notes. Do NOT delete it silently.

4. VERIFICATION RULES

• Transform every requirement into a verifiable success target.
• if fixing_defect: Write reproducing test -> observe fail -> fix -> verify pass.
• if adding_feature: Write tests for edge cases/invalid inputs -> verify pass.
• if refactoring: Run test suite before and after changes.
• Loop verification until all criteria pass. Do NOT report completion on unverified changes.