# Minimal Code Discipline

YAGNI-ladder coding discipline for writing changes, existence-first, reuse before...

- Repository: https://github.com/Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode (40492 stars)
- Category: Writing
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode --skill minimal-code-discipline -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode --skill minimal-code-discipline -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode --skill minimal-code-discipline -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode --skill minimal-code-discipline -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode`

## Description

YAGNI-ladder coding discipline for writing changes, existence-first, reuse before writing, dependency ladder, shortest correct diff, with non-negotiables that must never be minimized away

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Minimal Code Discipline

Use this skill to apply a minimal-code (YAGNI-ladder) discipline while planning and writing code changes. It keeps diffs small and obviously correct without sacrificing the checks that keep users safe.

This skill complements `ai-slop-cleaner`: that skill cleans slop after it lands; this one keeps it from being written.

## When to Use

Use this skill when:
- the user asks for a minimal, lean, YAGNI, or smallest-possible-diff implementation
- a plan or in-flight change is growing beyond the stated request
- writing new code where scope creep, reinvented helpers, or speculative generality are likely
- reviewing a proposed diff for size before implementation

## When Not to Use

Do not use this skill when:
- the user explicitly asks for a broad, feature-rich, or future-proofed build (their explicit scope wins)
- the task is exploratory scaffolding the user has marked as throwaway
- minimization pressure would touch protected behavior (see Non-Negotiables)

## The Discipline

**Existence first.** Ask whether the change needs to exist at all; skip work that serves only a speculative future need.

**Reuse before writing.** Search the codebase for an existing helper, type, or pattern before writing anything new. Never copy a helper that already lives a few files away, reuse it or extract it to one shared location.

**Dependency ladder.** Reach for the standard library first, then platform-native capability, then an already-installed dependency. Hand-written code is the last resort. Do not introduce a new dependency when a few lines of code suffice, unless the user explicitly requested or approved it.

**Understand before minimizing.** Read the affected code and follow its execution path first. Ship the shortest correct diff once the problem is understood, code you never write never breaks.

**Boring over clever.** Prefer boring, obviously-correct code over clever code.

The rest: https://github.com/Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode/blob/HEAD/skills/minimal-code-discipline/SKILL.md