tomevault-io Development Standards
Core behavioral rules for code generation and project maintenance.
Core Rules
- Do what's asked - Nothing more, nothing less
- Prefer editing - Always edit existing files over creating new ones
- No unnecessary files - Never proactively create documentation unless explicitly requested
- No backwards compatibility assumptions - Unless specifically instructed
Decision Priority Order
When making implementation decisions:
| Priority | Focus | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business requirements | What problem are we solving? |
| 2 | Domain model integrity | Does this preserve our invariants? |
| 3 | Existing patterns | Consistency over perfection |
| 4 | Project conventions | Check project's CLAUDE.md |
| 5 | Team standards | As documented in configs/docs |
| 6 | Industry best practices | Only if no project precedent |
Before Making Changes
- Searched for existing implementations?
- Will this break existing functionality?
- Following the project's patterns?
- Checked the test suite?
- Is this the minimal change needed?
Critical Reminders
- Never assume dependencies exist - Check
pyproject.tomlfirst - Test modifications immediately - Don't accumulate changes
- Read existing code patterns first - Match the project's style
- Domain logic stays pure - No framework dependencies in domain model
Before Any Commit (Non-negotiable)
Run make validate-branch before ANY commit - No exceptions.
Additional requirements:
- Do not add claude signatures to commits and PRs
- Do not commit until confirmed by user
See reference.md for Git guidelines, test naming conventions, timing measurement patterns (perf_counter() vs time()), and validation requirements.
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