cspr-trade-mcp CLAUDE.md

Karpathy Coding Guidelines

Source: forrestchang/andrej-karpathy-skills

Load this skill whenever writing, editing, or reviewing code. These guidelines reduce common LLM coding mistakes.

Tradeoff: These bias toward caution over speed. For trivial tasks, use judgment.

1. Think Before Coding

Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.

• State 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"