# Kotlin Best Practices

> Kotlin coding standards including null safety, Either error handling, coroutines, and Exposed ORM patterns. Use when writing Kotlin code, reviewing code quality, or learning project patterns.

- Skill: `spartan-stratos/kotlin-best-practices` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add spartan-stratos/kotlin-best-practices`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/spartan-stratos/kotlin-best-practices/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: spartan-stratos (https://skillmd.com/u/spartan-stratos)
- Updated: 2026-09-10
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/spartan-stratos/kotlin-best-practices

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# Kotlin Best Practices — Quick Reference

## Null Safety

`!!` is banned. Use `?.`, `?:`, or null check for smart cast.

> See code-patterns.md for all null safety examples.

## Either Error Handling

Managers return `Either<ClientException, T>` -- never throw. Controllers unwrap with `.throwOrValue()`.

> See code-patterns.md for manager + controller examples.

## Enum Usage

Never hardcode strings when an enum exists. Use `EnumName.VALUE.value` everywhere.

> See code-patterns.md for enum definition and usage patterns.

## Exposed ORM Patterns

Extend `UUIDTable`, use `text()` not `varchar()`. Always filter `deletedAt.isNull()`. Soft delete via timestamp update, never hard delete.

> See code-patterns.md for table, query, and soft delete examples.

## Transaction Rules

Reads use `db.replica`, writes use `db.primary`. Multi-table writes go in one transaction block -- all succeed or all rollback.

> See code-patterns.md for transaction examples.

## Conversion Pattern

Put `companion object { fun from(entity) }` inside Response DTOs. Never create separate mapper files.

> See code-patterns.md for the full pattern.

## What to Avoid

- `!!` -- always use `?.`, `?:`, or null check
- `@Suppress` -- fix the root cause
- Throwing exceptions -- return `Either.left()` instead
- `VARCHAR` in SQL -- use `TEXT`
- Hardcoded strings for enum values
- `Table` base class -- use `UUIDTable`
- Field injection -- use constructor injection