# Speq Code Guardrails

> TDD and code quality guardrails triggered by speq-implement. Use when this capability is needed.

- Skill: `tomevault-io/speq-code-guardrails` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/speq-code-guardrails`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/speq-code-guardrails/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/speq-code-guardrails

---


# Code Guardrails

**Clean Code** (Martin) TDD workflow and quality guardrails.

## Golden Rule

**No production code without a failing test first.**

## Evidence Rule

**No claim without evidence.** Run command, show output, then claim.

## TDD Cycle (London School)

```
RED    → Write failing test, run it, show failure
GREEN  → Minimal code to pass, run test, show pass
REFACTOR → Clean up, run test + lint, show output
```

Run ONLY the test you created/changed — not the full suite.

## Guiding Principles

| Principle | Meaning |
|-----------|---------|
| **KISS** | Simplest solution that works |
| **YAGNI** | Build for now, not hypotheticals |
| **DRY** | Extract duplication, don't copy-paste |
| **Single Responsibility** (**SOLID**) | One function = one purpose |
| **Boy Scout** | Leave code cleaner than you found it |
| **Root Cause** | **Five Whys** — fix the source, not the symptom |

## Design

- Config at high levels, behavior at low levels
- Polymorphism over conditionals
- Dependency injection for testability
- Law of Demeter: talk only to immediate collaborators

## Functions

- Small and focused
- Few arguments (≤3 ideal)
- No side effects
- No boolean flags — split into separate methods

## Naming

- Descriptive, unambiguous, pronounceable
- Named constants over magic numbers
- No prefixes or type encodings

## Comments

- Public/interface methods: brief doc comment (purpose only)
- Private methods: no comments
- No inline comments — code should be self-explanatory
- No work tracking (TODOs, FIXMEs, ticket refs)

## Code Smells

| Smell | Signal |
|-------|--------|
| Rigidity | Small changes cascade everywhere |
| Fragility | One change breaks unrelated code |
| Immobility | Can't reuse code elsewhere |
| Opacity | Hard to understand at a glance |

---
> Source: [marconae/speq-skill](https://github.com/marconae/speq-skill) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).
<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-06-17 -->