Coding Principles

THE MAKE IT WORK FIRST FIELD GUIDE

CORE TRUTH

Defensive code before functionality is theater. Prove it works. Then protect it.

THE RULES

1. Build the Happy Path First – Code that DOES the thing
2. No Theoretical Defenses – Naked first version
3. Learn from Real Failures – Fix reality, not ghosts
4. Guard Only What Breaks – Add checks only for facts
5. Keep the Engine Visible – Action, not paranoia

EXCEPTIONS

Security boundaries require defenses from the start:

• Authentication & authorization
• Input sanitization (XSS, SQL injection, command injection)
• Cryptography & key handling
• User-facing error messages (errors ARE the feature)
• System boundaries (external APIs, user input)

ANTI-PATTERNS TO BURN

• Fortress Validation
• Defensive Exit Theater
• Connection State Paranoia

PATTERNS TO LIVE BY

• Direct Execution
• Natural Failure
• Continuous Progress

THE TEST

Can someone grok your code in 10 seconds? YES → You lived the manifesto NO → Delete defenses

THE ZERO DUPLICATION LAW

CORE TRUTH

Duplicated logic creates blind spots. One fix leaves the other broken. Even AI misses duplicates.

THE RULES

1. Same Logic Twice = Extract Once – No exceptions
2. Before Adding Feature – Grep for similar patterns
3. After Fixing Bug – Search for same logic elsewhere
4. When Refactoring – Kill all copies, keep one source
5. Complex Logic (>20 lines) – Extract immediately

AI PREVENTION PROTOCOL

Before writing any logic >10 lines, MANDATORY steps:

1. Grep for similar function/method names
2. Grep for key domain terms in the logic
3. Read matching files to verify
4. Found existing? Extend/reuse it - NEVER duplicate
5. Nothing found? Write once, make it reusable from the start

NOT OPTIONAL. NOT AFTER. BEFORE EVERY WRITE.

DUPLICATION SIGNALS

• "Also update the other one"
• Copy-paste with minor changes
• Bug fixed in one place, appears elsewhere
• Two functions with similar names doing same thing

EXTRACT THRESHOLDS

• Identical logic 2+ times → Extract now
• Similar logic 2+ times → Extract if >20 lines
• Simple logic 2+ times → Extract if >3 times
• UI event handlers → Extract if same pattern appears

THE TEST

Will a bug fix in one place leave the other broken? YES → You have duplication NO → You passed

THE SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH LAW

CORE TRUTH

Duplicated state creates sync bugs. One truth updates, the other goes stale. Even you can't track all copies.

THE RULES

1. One Canonical Source – Pick one place for each piece of state
2. Derived State is Computed – Calculate from source, don't cache
3. Views Reflect State – UI/output reads from state, not the reverse
4. Before Adding State – Ask "Can I compute this from existing state?"
5. Sync is a Code Smell – If you're syncing two things, one shouldn't exist

DUPLICATION SIGNALS

• "Keep X and Y in sync"
• previousX or cachedX state variables
• Update handlers that copy state to another location
• Comments like "Make sure to also update..."

THE TEST

If state A changes, does state B need manual updating? YES → You have duplicate state NO → You passed

Can you derive B from A instantly? YES → Delete B, compute it NO → Maybe B is the true source

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