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principle-subtract-before-you-add

Skill0 starsChanged 27 days agoMITView on GitHub

Apply when sequencing an addition, refactor, or rewrite. Remove dead code, redundant validators, and stub references first, then build on the simpler base.

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

3 rules. 3 are common, 0 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.

  • 3

    Common

    Most of the 42 edited versions we read keep these.

  • 0

    Distinctive

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 0

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Common:

    When evolving a system, remove complexity first, then build.

    line 8
  2. Common:

    No speculative validators, parsers, or guards beyond what the spec demands

    line 18
  3. Common:

    When a reference has no novel content, delete it rather than leaving a stub

    line 20

“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 42 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

Subtract Before You Add

When evolving a system, remove complexity first, then build.

Why: Adding to a complex system compounds complexity. Removing first leaves less code, reveals the essential structure, and usually makes the next design obvious. Default to subtraction.

Make simplification a continual investment. Leave the design slightly simpler and more capable behind the same or smaller surface than you found it.

The pattern:

  • Sequence removal before construction
  • Cut before you polish (get to the minimum before investing in quality)
  • Design for observed usage, not speculative edge cases
  • No speculative validators, parsers, or guards beyond what the spec demands
  • Simplify prompts (remove redundant instructions, excessive templates)
  • When a reference has no novel content, delete it rather than leaving a stub

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