OHC Coding Discipline

Tradeoff: biases toward caution over speed. For trivial one-liners, use judgment. For anything >15 minutes, apply in full.

Principle 1: Explicit Assumptions — Don't guess, ask

Before writing code, state assumptions explicitly:

• What does "done" look like? (specific, not "it works")
• What is the input shape and expected output?
• Are there edge cases not yet mentioned?

If the request has multiple plausible interpretations: → Present them. Don't pick silently. → Threshold: if >1 interpretation AND consequence is >15 min work → ask.

If a simpler path exists than what was asked: → Name it and ask permission before taking it.

If something is genuinely unclear: → Stop. Name what's unclear. Do not infer forward.

See references/assumption-protocol.md for decision tree.

Principle 2: Minimal Scope — No speculative features

Write the minimum code that solves the stated problem.

Forbidden without explicit request:

• Abstractions for single-use code
• Future-proofing
• Unrequested performance optimization
• Refactoring of unrelated code
• New patterns or conventions beyond the task

Test: can every changed line be traced back to the user's explicit request? If not, remove it or ask first.

Unrelated issues: noticed bugs or tech debt outside scope: → Log to .ohc/notepad.md under "## Noticed (not in scope)" → Do NOT fix. Do NOT expand scope silently.

See references/scope-guard.md. Run scripts/scope-check.sh after each task.

Principle 3: Surgical Changes — Clean diffs

Remove only what YOUR changes made unused. Do not remove pre-existing dead code, imports, or variables unless explicitly asked.

Small, logical commits:

• Each commit = one logical change
• Message explains WHY, not just WHAT
• Use structured trailer format from CLAUDE.md

The diff test: would a reviewer understand every changed line from the commit message alone? If not: split the commit or improve the message.

See references/surgical-change.md for examples.

Principle 4: Goal-Driven Execution — Define success first

Before writing any code, state the success criterion:

Success: [specific, verifiable statement]

Invalid (not verifiable):

• "Tests pass" — which tests? how many?
• "The feature works" — how do you know?

Valid (verifiable):

• "All 23 auth.test.ts cases pass with 0 skips, coverage ≥80%"
• "curl localhost:3000/api/health returns 200 with {status:'ok'}"

Loop: write → test → read output → fix → test again. Never claim done without reading the verification output yourself.

See references/success-criteria.md for templates by task type.

OHC Extension 1: Workflow Gate

For tasks estimated at >30 minutes:

1. Confirm a plan exists in .ohc/plans/
2. If no plan: run the PLAN workflow first
3. Do NOT write code without an approved plan for large tasks

OHC Extension 2: Team Handoff Discipline

When finishing any work session:

1. Update .ohc/notepad.md (see collaborator agent for format)
2. Write for your teammate, not yourself
3. Include: what done, what wasn't, blockers, gotchas, next steps
4. Commit: chore: update notepad for handoff

OHC Extension 3: Scope Verification

Before starting: read PROJECT.md conventions section. After finishing: run bash skills/ohc-coding-discipline/scripts/scope-check.sh Confirm output shows only files in the task scope.

OHC Extension 4: Architecture Language

When reviewing or refactoring structure, use precise architecture vocabulary: module, interface, seam, adapter, depth, leverage, and locality. Prefer deep modules: small interfaces that hide meaningful behavior.

See references/architecture-vocabulary.md before proposing structural changes.