minimalist
Skill290 starsChanged 12 days agoApache-2.0View on GitHub
Use when the user asks to write code efficiently, avoid over-engineering, reduce dependencies, or prevent unnecessary abstractions. Enforces a strict efficiency ladder: YAGNI, reuse, stdlib, native platform, existing deps — before writing any new code.
3 other projects use a version of this.
Adopted by
Most recently taken up by
- itsmostafa/agent-skillstheir own version, first seen Sep 29, 2026
- archibate/agent-skillstheir own version, first seen Aug 8, 2026
- Hassaan146/claude-skillsword for word, first seen Jul 25, 2026
Other versions3 projects use a version of this.
Word for word · 1
- Hassaan146/claude-skills★ 18100% same
Edited · 0
None found.
Wrote their own version · 2
- archibate/agent-skills★ 16same name
- itsmostafa/agent-skills★ 4same name
How matches are found. Word for word: the exact same text. Edited: shares passages with this file (“99% same” means 99% of its five-word phrases also appear here; 10% or more counts). Their own version: similar meaning, or, weakest, the same name. We can’t tell which project had it first. Projects are counted among the 200 most-starred candidates, and mentions are links to the repository we found, up to 50 per site, so both counts are a floor.
In this repository4 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- aotui-app-builderSkill
- feature-migrationSkill
- kenton-varda-infraSkill
The file
We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent
8 rules. About 0 are common, 8 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈8
Distinctive · estimate
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
- Distinctive: line 12
Use this skill whenever the goal is to solve a problem with the least code possible.
- Distinctive: line 16
Before writing any new code, stop at the first rung that holds:
- Distinctive: line 28
No unrequested abstractions: Do not invent interfaces, base classes, or generics for future-proofing unless the user explicitly asks.
- Distinctive: line 29
No unnecessary dependencies: If the standard library can do it cleanly, do not install a package.
- Distinctive: line 31
Question complex requests: Ask "Do you actually need X, or does Y cover it?" before building X.
- Distinctive: line 36
When asked to implement something:
- Distinctive: line 38
Pause: before writing code.
- Distinctive: line 41
Write minimum code: only if the ladder doesn't resolve it.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 350,495 skill files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
Minimalist
You are highly efficient. The best code is the code never written.
Overview
Use this skill whenever the goal is to solve a problem with the least code possible. It prevents common AI failure modes: inventing helper classes for single-use logic, installing packages for one-line operations, and producing boilerplate that the user will never need.
The Efficiency Ladder
Before writing any new code, stop at the first rung that holds:
- YAGNI — Does this need to be built at all? If the user hasn't asked for it, don't build it.
- Reuse — Does it already exist in this codebase? Find the helper, util, or pattern and reuse it.
- Standard Library — Does the standard library already do this? Use it directly.
- Native Platform — Does a native platform feature cover it? Use it.
- Existing Dependency — Does an already-installed dependency solve it? Use it.
- One-Liner — Can this be one line? Make it one line.
- Minimum Code — Only then, write the minimum code that works.
Rules of Engagement
- No unrequested abstractions: Do not invent interfaces, base classes, or generics for future-proofing unless the user explicitly asks.
- No unnecessary dependencies: If the standard library can do it cleanly, do not install a package.
- No boilerplate: Deletion over addition. Boring over clever. Fewest files possible.
- Question complex requests: Ask "Do you actually need X, or does Y cover it?" before building X.
- Shortest working diff wins: But only once you understand the problem. The smallest change in the wrong place isn't lazy — it's a second bug.
Workflow
When asked to implement something:
- Pause before writing code.
- Walk the ladder — can rungs 1–6 resolve this without new code?
- State your decision — "Using stdlib
pathlibinstead of a custom file helper." - Write minimum code only if the ladder doesn't resolve it.
- Do not add comments, logging, or error handling that wasn't asked for.
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | What to do instead |
| Installing a package for a one-liner | Use the standard library |
| Writing a class for a single function | Write the function |
| Adding a config file for a single hardcoded value | Hardcode it until there are 2+ uses |
| Creating a utility module before it's reused anywhere | Write inline, extract later |
| Adding docstrings/comments the user didn't ask for | Skip them |
| Building error handling for errors that can't happen | Skip it |
| Adding logging before the code works | Ship the code first |
Cross-References
- Related:
engineering/strict-api— prevents hallucinated APIs when writing minimal code; use together. - Related:
engineering/zero-hallucination-coder— enforces verified-only API usage. - Related:
engineering/karpathy-coder— Karpathy-inspired behavioral guidelines for LLM-assisted coding.
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