
from flock1,072
A set of coding principles prioritising simplicity, explicit assumptions, surgical edits, and verifiable success criteria to keep agent-produced code minimal an
Karpathy Coding Principles provides a compact playbook that guides an agent to write minimal, focused, and verifiable code. It instructs the agent to state assumptions, prefer the simplest solution that meets requirements, make only surgical changes to existing codebases, and define clear success criteria (tests or checks) before implementation. The guidance helps avoid speculative features, unnecessary abstractions, and unverified changes, improving code reviewability and reducing regressions.
Use this skill when the task involves writing or editing code where clarity, minimal surface area, and measurable outcomes matter — e.g., bug fixes, small feature additions, or test-driven fixes. Trigger it when the user requests concise solutions, explicit assumptions, or when touching existing code that should not be over-refactored. Ideal for senior-review-style edits where surgical changes are required.
Best applied to coding-capable agents (Copilot/Codex-style or Claude/Code-focused assistants) that can generate and reason about code changes and tests.
This skill has not been reviewed by our automated audit pipeline yet.