minimalist

Development

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.

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How to use this skill

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills/blob/HEAD/engineering/minimalist/SKILL.md

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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 pathlib instead 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.