Subtract Before You Add
Trigger
Before an addition, rewrite, or structural refactor.
Rule
Remove dead weight and obsolete paths first; build on the simpler remaining system.
Application
- Name the concrete decision this principle changes.
- Apply the rule to that decision, not as a decorative citation.
- Prefer evidence from the current repository/runtime over generic preference.
- If the principle conflicts with an explicit user constraint, keep the constraint and state the tradeoff.