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jaydubya818jaydubya818/MissionControl/skills/principle-subtract-before-you-add/SKILL.md

principle-subtract-before-you-add

Skill2 starsChanged 8 months agoMITView on GitHub

Apply when new work would otherwise build on dead or redundant structure.

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 43 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 18
  2. Common:

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

    line 28
  3. Common:

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

    line 30

“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 43 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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