# Smallest Clean Diff

> Prefer the smallest change that solves the problem cleanly; one mechanism over many, DRY and KISS over cleverness.

- Skill: `kalabint/smallest-clean-diff` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add kalabint/smallest-clean-diff`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/kalabint/smallest-clean-diff/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Kalabint (https://skillmd.com/u/kalabint)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/kalabint/smallest-clean-diff

---


# Smallest clean diff

The best diff is the one a reviewer can hold in their head. Extra mechanisms, speculative generality, and parallel code paths are costs paid by everyone who reads the code later.

**Why:** surface area is where bugs and maintenance live; less of it is strictly better when the problem is still solved.

**How to apply:** solve the actual problem, not an imagined family of future ones. Reuse the existing mechanism before adding a new one. If you introduced two ways to do a thing, remove one.