Source Driven Development

Source-Driven Development

Overview

Verify every framework or library decision against official documentation before implementing. Flag any decision that lacks a source. This skill prevents the agent from relying on outdated patterns, hallucinated APIs, or assumptions about library behavior.

When to Use

• Working with a framework or library you have not used recently
• When API surface area is large or frequently changing
• When the cost of a wrong assumption is high (auth, data, security)
• When documentation lookup tools are available

Process

Step 1: Identify Framework Decisions

Before writing code that depends on a library:

• List every API call, configuration option, or pattern you plan to use
• Note which ones you are confident about and which are assumptions

Step 2: Verify Against Official Sources

For each decision:

• Look up the current documentation
• Confirm the API exists and behaves as expected
• Note the version the docs target
• If you cannot find a source, flag it explicitly

Step 3: Cite Sources

In comments or design docs:

• Reference the official doc URL or section
• Note the library version
• Flag anything that could not be verified

Step 4: Flag Unverified Decisions

Explicitly mark decisions that lack source confirmation:

• // UNVERIFIED: assuming X based on Y pattern
• These flags must be resolved before production use

Source Quality Hierarchy

1. Official documentation (highest)
2. Official examples and repositories
3. Well-maintained community guides with dates
4. Stack Overflow with accepted answers and recent dates
5. AI-generated suggestions (lowest, must be verified)

Common Rationalizations

Verification

• Every framework API call is verified against current docs
• Unverified decisions are explicitly flagged
• Library versions are documented
• No code depends on hallucinated or outdated API behavior

Anti-Rationalization Table