# Coding Principles

> Coding Principles Skill

- Skill: `10xequity/coding-principles` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add 10xequity/coding-principles`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/10xequity/coding-principles/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: 10xequity (https://skillmd.com/u/10xequity)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/10xequity/coding-principles

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# Coding Principles Skill

## Purpose
Apply four operating principles to every code change: think before coding, simplicity first, surgical changes, goal-driven execution.

## When to use
Use this skill as the default posture for any code edit. It constrains how changes are made; other skills decide what to build.

## Inputs
- the change request
- the surrounding code and its conventions
- what "working" means for this change

## Output
Return:
- a short statement of assumptions and the intended approach, before editing
- the minimal diff that satisfies the request
- the verification actually run, with its output
- anything deliberately left undone

## Constraints
- **Think before coding** — state assumptions and the plan explicitly before the first edit; if two readings of the request produce different code, say which one you took
- **Simplicity first** — the minimum code that solves the problem; no speculative abstractions, config flags, or layers for requirements that do not exist yet
- **Surgical changes** — touch only what the task requires; no drive-by reformatting, renaming, dependency bumps, or reorganisation of unrelated files
- **Goal-driven execution** — define the success test upfront and loop until it passes; a change is not done because it looks right
- match the surrounding code's idiom, naming, and comment density rather than importing a personal style
- delete code rather than commenting it out
- when a principle conflicts with an explicit instruction, the instruction wins — note the tension once and proceed

## Examples
- Fix a bug without refactoring the surrounding module
- Add a small feature and resist generalising it prematurely
- Review a diff for scope creep before committing