Behavioural guidelines that reduce common AI coding mistakes - think before coding, simplicity first, surgical changes, goal-driven execution. Use on every task that writes or changes code.
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---
name: karpathy-guidelines
description: "Behavioural guidelines that reduce common AI coding mistakes - think before coding, simplicity first, surgical changes, goal-driven execution. Use on every task that writes or changes code."
---
<!-- Generated by tools/sync_adapters.py from skills/karpathy-guidelines/SKILL.md. Edit the source, not this file. -->
<!-- Verbatim from forrestchang/andrej-karpathy-skills (CLAUDE.md, MIT licence per that
repository's README), which turns Andrej Karpathy's observations on LLM coding pitfalls into
four rules. Fetched 2026-10-14 from
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/forrestchang/andrej-karpathy-skills/main/CLAUDE.md
Kept unchanged so it can be compared with upstream. In this template, the founder's decisions
and the gates in AGENTS.md come first; where these guidelines say "ask", ask the founder through
the orchestrator. -->
# CLAUDE.md
Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Merge with project-specific instructions as needed.
**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.
---
**These guidelines are working if:** fewer unnecessary changes in diffs, fewer rewrites due to overcomplication, and clarifying questions come before implementation rather than after mistakes.
