DS constraints
Four aggregates in one file, because a doer needs all four indexes at once and naming them by path is discretionary: a task prompt that lists four paths is a suggestion, and a skipped read fails silently. Preloaded, every index below arrives before the first turn.
Each row names a self-contained constraint file under
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/constraints/. Read the index here; open the individual file when
the task actually touches that constraint.
DS Workflow: Common Constraints
Deterministic rules for the DS workflow. Each constraint can be verified by a script returning pass/fail. Self-contained files under ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/constraints/.
See also: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/ds/references/ds-common-conventions.md for judgment-based behavioral guidance (V1-V9).
After reading this index, load the specific constraint files your task needs.
Index
| ID | Constraint | File | Description | |----|------------|------|-------------| | C1 | Data Quality Checks | ds-data-quality-checks.md | Canonical DQ1-DQ6, M1, R1 definitions — load from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/ds/references/ds-checks.md, never inline | | C2 | Post-Subagent Boundary | ds-post-subagent-boundary.md | After an agent returns, verification proceeds through its returned report, the approved PLAN, and project auto-memory; it does not investigate source or data | | C3 | Deviation Rules | ds-deviation-rules.md | R1-R3 auto-fix, R4 stop for user decision — record deviations in the structured result returned for the task; return reusable project auto-memory candidates | | C4 | External Skill Discovery | ds-external-skill-discovery.md | Before the approved PLAN assigns an external skill, inspect its references and examples; prefer ADOPT/PATCH over greenfield | | C5 | Data Pull Profile | ds-data-pull-profile.md | Before approving work involving a source >= 50M rows, >= 500 MB, or flagged large/bulk/TB/millions, profile raw versus aggregate shipping needs and record the decision in the approved PLAN | | C6 | Sample Coverage | ds-sample-coverage.md | The approved PLAN defines one canonical sample window and sub-windows; every windowed source has a Required-vs-Actual coverage row and disposition before task use |
DS Workflow: Common Conventions
Behavioral guidance for the DS workflow. Loaded ex-ante for prompt context and assessed by human or LLM judgment during review.
After reading this index, load the specific convention files your task needs.
Index
| ID | Convention | File | Description | |----|-----------|------|-------------| | V1 | Assumption Over Evidence | ds-assumption-over-evidence.md | Never treat assumptions as evidence — profile/verify fresh every time | | V2 | Deferred Verification | ds-deferred-verification.md | Verify after every technical step — "later" means never | | V3 | Impatience Over Process | ds-impatience-over-process.md | Follow process — speed without correctness is malpractice | | V4 | Topic Change Protocol | ds-topic-change-protocol.md | Off-topic messages require announce-pause-handle-resume | | V5 | DS Escape Patterns | ds-escape-patterns.md | Four observed escape patterns to watch for | | V6 | Statistical Validity | ds-statistical-validity.md | Every statistical claim must have correct test | | V7 | P-Hacking Prevention | ds-p-hacking-prevention.md | Lock analysis choices in the approved PLAN; no post-hoc fishing | | V8 | Sample Selection | ds-sample-selection.md | Document and justify every sample filter | | V9 | Deviation Rules (Analysis) | ds-deviation-rules-analysis.md | Analysis-specific deviation handling |
DS Analysis Constraints
Deterministic rules for data analysis tasks (statistical analysis, modeling, visualization). Each constraint can be verified by a script returning pass/fail. Self-contained files under ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/constraints/.
Complements (not replaces): ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/ds/references/ds-common-constraints.md — load both for analysis tasks.
See also: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/ds/references/ds-common-conventions.md for judgment-based analysis guidance (V6: statistical validity, V7: p-hacking prevention, V8: sample selection, V9: deviation rules for analysis).
Index
| ID | Constraint | File | Description | |----|------------|------|-------------| | A1 | Robustness Checks | ds-robustness-checks.md | Beyond spec curves — placebo tests, IV, RDD, bootstrap, leave-one-out | | A2 | Standard Error Spec | ds-standard-error-spec.md | Match SE type to data structure — wrong SEs invalidate all inference | | A3 | Visualization Integrity | ds-visualization-integrity.md | Charts must not mislead — no truncated axes, dual-axis tricks, or 3D | | A4 | Table-Figure Pairing | ds-table-figure-pairing.md | Every main result table needs a companion figure (the "Hendershott" rule) | | A5 | Chart Typography | ds-chart-typography.md | Charts inherit the host document's type and palette — one registered theme, never per-chart styling | | A6 | Chart Colour | ds-chart-color.md | Scheme matches the variable — categorical vs ramp, one reserved accent, grey for absence |
Loading Guide
For analysis tasks, load all A1-A6. The most critical for preventing silent errors:
| Priority | Constraints | Why | |----------|-------------|-----| | Always | A2 (SEs) | Wrong standard errors invalidate all inference | | For regressions | A1 (robustness) | Prevent specification search | | For reporting | A3 (visualization), A4 (table-figure pairing) | Prevent misleading output; ensure every table has a visual companion |
DS Engineering Constraints
Role-specific behavioral rules for data engineering tasks (pipelines, ETL, transformations). Each constraint is self-contained in its own file under ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/constraints/.
Complements (not replaces): ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/ds/references/ds-common-constraints.md — load both for engineering tasks.
Index
| ID | Constraint | File | Description | |----|------------|------|-------------| | E1 | Determinism | ds-determinism.md | Every pipeline step must be deterministic — set seeds, sort output | | E2 | Schema Contracts | ds-schema-contracts.md | Input/output schema validation at every boundary — schema changes are R4 | | E3 | Join Audits | ds-join-audits.md | Every merge/join must produce diagnostic log — row counts, match rates | | E4 | Idempotency | ds-idempotency.md | Running pipeline N times must equal running once — no append, no increment | | E5 | Error Handling | ds-error-handling.md | Errors must be loud — no catch-and-ignore, no silent coercion or drops | | E6 | Native Document Input | ds-native-document-input.md | Send PDFs/images to a multimodal model natively — NEVER pre-extract text; it costs more and is less accurate |
Loading Guide
For engineering tasks, load all E1-E6. The most critical:
| Priority | Constraints | Why | |----------|-------------|-----| | Always | E1 (determinism), E3 (join audits) | These prevent the most common silent data errors | | For ETL pipelines | E2 (schema), E4 (idempotency) | Prevent state accumulation and schema drift | | For all transforms | E5 (error handling) | Prevent silent data loss | | Any pipeline sending documents to a model | E6 (native document input) | Pre-extracting text bills more tokens AND injects the page-furniture and hyphenation artifacts that a verbatim gate then fails on |