Clean Code - Pragmatic AI Coding Standards
CRITICAL SKILL - Be concise, direct, and solution-focused.
Core Principles
| Principle | Rule | |-----------|------| | SRP | Single Responsibility - each function/class does ONE thing | | DRY | Don't Repeat Yourself - extract duplicates, reuse | | KISS | Keep It Simple - simplest solution that works | | YAGNI | You Aren't Gonna Need It - don't build unused features | | Boy Scout | Leave code cleaner than you found it |
Naming Rules
| Element | Convention |
|---------|------------|
| Variables | Reveal intent: userCount not n |
| Functions | Verb + noun: getUserById() not user() |
| Booleans | Question form: isActive, hasPermission, canEdit |
| Constants | SCREAMING_SNAKE: MAX_RETRY_COUNT |
Rule: If you need a comment to explain a name, rename it.
Function Rules
| Rule | Description | |------|-------------| | Small | Max 20 lines, ideally 5-10 | | One Thing | Does one thing, does it well | | One Level | One level of abstraction per function | | Few Args | Max 3 arguments, prefer 0-2 | | No Side Effects | Don't mutate inputs unexpectedly |
Code Structure
| Pattern | Apply | |---------|-------| | Guard Clauses | Early returns for edge cases | | Flat > Nested | Avoid deep nesting (max 2 levels) | | Composition | Small functions composed together | | Colocation | Keep related code close |
AI Coding Style
| Situation | Action | |-----------|--------| | User asks for feature | Write it directly | | User reports bug | Fix it, don't explain | | No clear requirement | Ask, don't assume |
Anti-Patterns (DON'T)
| β Pattern | β Fix | |-----------|-------| | Comment every line | Delete obvious comments | | Helper for one-liner | Inline the code | | Factory for 2 objects | Direct instantiation | | utils.ts with 1 function | Put code where used | | "First we import..." | Just write code | | Deep nesting | Guard clauses | | Magic numbers | Named constants | | God functions | Split by responsibility |
π΄ Before Editing ANY File (THINK FIRST!)
Before changing a file, ask yourself:
| Question | Why | |----------|-----| | What imports this file? | They might break | | What does this file import? | Interface changes | | What tests cover this? | Tests might fail | | Is this a shared component? | Multiple places affected |
Quick Check:
File to edit: UserService.ts
βββ Who imports this? β UserController.ts, AuthController.ts
βββ Do they need changes too? β Check function signatures
π΄ Rule: Edit the file + all dependent files in the SAME task. π΄ Never leave broken imports or missing updates.
Summary
| Do | Don't | |----|-------| | Write code directly | Write tutorials | | Let code self-document | Add obvious comments | | Fix bugs immediately | Explain the fix first | | Inline small things | Create unnecessary files | | Name things clearly | Use abbreviations | | Keep functions small | Write 100+ line functions |
Remember: The user wants working code, not a programming lesson.
π΄ Self-Check Before Completing (MANDATORY)
Before saying "task complete", verify:
| Check | Question | |-------|----------| | β Goal met? | Did I do exactly what user asked? | | β Files edited? | Did I modify all necessary files? | | β Code works? | Did I test/verify the change? | | β No errors? | Lint and TypeScript pass? | | β Nothing forgotten? | Any edge cases missed? |
π΄ Rule: If ANY check fails, fix it before completing.
Verification Scripts (MANDATORY)
π΄ CRITICAL: Each agent runs ONLY their own skill's scripts after completing work.
Agent β Script Mapping
| Agent | Script | Command |
|-------|--------|---------|
| frontend-specialist | UX Audit | python ~/.claude/skills/frontend-design/scripts/ux_audit.py . |
| frontend-specialist | A11y Check | python ~/.claude/skills/frontend-design/scripts/accessibility_checker.py . |
| backend-specialist | API Validator | python ~/.claude/skills/api-patterns/scripts/api_validator.py . |
| mobile-developer | Mobile Audit | python ~/.claude/skills/mobile-design/scripts/mobile_audit.py . |
| database-architect | Schema Validate | python ~/.claude/skills/database-design/scripts/schema_validator.py . |
| security-auditor | Security Scan | python ~/.claude/skills/vulnerability-scanner/scripts/security_scan.py . |
| seo-specialist | SEO Check | python ~/.claude/skills/seo-fundamentals/scripts/seo_checker.py . |
| seo-specialist | GEO Check | python ~/.claude/skills/geo-fundamentals/scripts/geo_checker.py . |
| performance-optimizer | Lighthouse | python ~/.claude/skills/performance-profiling/scripts/lighthouse_audit.py <url> |
| test-engineer | Test Runner | python ~/.claude/skills/testing-patterns/scripts/test_runner.py . |
| test-engineer | Playwright | python ~/.claude/skills/webapp-testing/scripts/playwright_runner.py <url> |
| Any agent | Lint Check | python ~/.claude/skills/lint-and-validate/scripts/lint_runner.py . |
| Any agent | Type Coverage | python ~/.claude/skills/lint-and-validate/scripts/type_coverage.py . |
| Any agent | i18n Check | python ~/.claude/skills/i18n-localization/scripts/i18n_checker.py . |
β WRONG:
test-engineerrunningux_audit.pyβ CORRECT:frontend-specialistrunningux_audit.py
π΄ Script Output Handling (READ β SUMMARIZE β ASK)
When running a validation script, you MUST:
- Run the script and capture ALL output
- Parse the output - identify errors, warnings, and passes
- Summarize to user in this format:
## Script Results: [script_name.py]
### β Errors Found (X items)
- [File:Line] Error description 1
- [File:Line] Error description 2
### β οΈ Warnings (Y items)
- [File:Line] Warning description
### β
Passed (Z items)
- Check 1 passed
- Check 2 passed
**Should I fix the X errors?**
- Wait for user confirmation before fixing
- After fixing β Re-run script to confirm
π΄ VIOLATION: Running script and ignoring output = FAILED task. π΄ VIOLATION: Auto-fixing without asking = Not allowed. π΄ Rule: Always READ output β SUMMARIZE β ASK β then fix.