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karpathy-guidelines

Skill1 starsChanged 4 months agoMITView on GitHub

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Use when writing, reviewing, or refactoring code to avoid overcomplication, make surgical changes, surface assumptions, and define verifiable success criteria.

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

15 rules. 14 are common, 0 are distinctive, and 1 is very specific to this project.

  • 14

    Common

    Most of the 53 edited versions we read keep these.

  • 0

    Distinctive

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 1

    Very specific

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

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Common:

    If multiple interpretations exist, present them - don't pick silently.

    line 19
  2. Common:

    If a simpler approach exists, say so.

    line 20
  3. Common:

    If something is unclear, stop.

    line 21
  4. Common:

    No features beyond what was asked.

    line 27
  5. Common:

    No abstractions for single-use code.

    line 28
  6. Common:

    No error handling for impossible scenarios.

    line 30
  7. Common:

    If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.

    line 31
  8. Common:

    Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.

    line 33
  9. Common:

    When editing existing code:

    line 39
  10. Common:

    Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.

    line 40
  11. Common:

    Don't refactor things that aren't broken.

    line 41
  12. Common:

    If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it - don't delete it.

    line 43
  13. Common:

    When your changes create orphans:

    line 45
  14. Very specific:

    Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.

    line 46
  15. Common:

    Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.

    line 47

“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 53 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

Karpathy Guidelines

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes, derived from Andrej Karpathy's observations on LLM coding pitfalls.

Tradeoff: These guidelines bias toward caution over speed. For trivial tasks, use judgment.

1. Think Before Coding

Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.

Before implementing:

  • State your assumptions explicitly. If uncertain, ask.
  • If multiple interpretations exist, present them - don't pick silently.
  • If a simpler approach exists, say so. Push back when warranted.
  • If something is unclear, stop. Name what's confusing. Ask.

2. Simplicity First

Minimum code that solves the problem. Nothing speculative.

  • No features beyond what was asked.
  • No abstractions for single-use code.
  • No "flexibility" or "configurability" that wasn't requested.
  • No error handling for impossible scenarios.
  • If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.

Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.

3. Surgical Changes

Touch only what you must. Clean up only your own mess.

When editing existing code:

  • Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.
  • Don't refactor things that aren't broken.
  • Match existing style, even if you'd do it differently.
  • If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it - don't delete it.

When your changes create orphans:

  • Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.
  • Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.

The test: Every changed line should trace directly to the user's request.

4. Goal-Driven Execution

Define success criteria. Loop until verified.

Transform tasks into verifiable goals:

  • "Add validation" → "Write tests for invalid inputs, then make them pass"
  • "Fix the bug" → "Write a test that reproduces it, then make it pass"
  • "Refactor X" → "Ensure tests pass before and after"

For multi-step tasks, state a brief plan:

1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]
3. [Step] → verify: [check]

Strong success criteria let you loop independently. Weak criteria ("make it work") require constant clarification.

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Trending

Cooling: 4 new projects took it in the last 4 weeks, 0.7× the 4 weeks before.thin data

Week of Aug 30: 1 new projectWeek of Sep 6: 1 new projectWeek of Sep 13: 1 new projectWeek of Sep 20: 3 new projectsWeek of Sep 27: 1 new projectWeek of Oct 4: 3 new projectsWeek of Oct 11: 0 new projectsWeek of Oct 18: 0 new projects
Aug 2026Sep 2026Oct 2026
New projects taking a version of this file each week, over the 8 weeks our latest run read: only 10 in all, so this is a hint, not a trend.

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