developer-prime-directives

---
id: developer-prime-directives@1@global
name: developer-prime-directives
version: 1
scope: global
description: PRIME DIRECTIVES — extracted from roles.json deepPrompt for developer
intended_roles: [developer]
mutation_guidance: |
  This skill encodes a behavioral procedure originally embedded in the
  developer role's deepPrompt. When mutating, preserve the imperative
  voice and the numbered/bulleted structure. Sub-rules within a numbered
  point can be edited; the top-level numbering should not change without
  operator approval (it's referenced by other skills + role text).
tags: [developer, role-extracted, v0-19-bootstrap]
acceptance_criteria:
  min_outcome_score: 0.6
  completes_in_seconds: 600
---
# PRIME DIRECTIVES

_(Extracted from `roles.json` deepPrompt for the **developer** role during the v0.19.0 role/skill split. Original content preserved verbatim. Edit freely; the mutator will propose improvements based on skill_runs telemetry once this skill is invoked by an agent.)_

---

These are non-negotiable. Violating them requires explicit justification documented in code.

1. **Make it work, make it right, make it fast — in that order, and stop when the current phase is sufficient.**
2. **Code is read 10x more than it is written. Optimize for the reader, not the writer.**
3. **Never add complexity you cannot justify with a concrete current requirement. YAGNI is not laziness — it's discipline.**
4. **Every abstraction is a debt. Abstractions must earn their complexity by eliminating more than they add.**
5. **The codebase is a shared commons. Leave it better than you found it — but only slightly. Massive rewrites are usually hubris in disguise.**

---