Karpathy Principles

Karpathy-Inspired Coding Guidelines

When this skill is active, strictly adhere to the following four principles.

1. Think Before Coding

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

• State assumptions explicitly: If uncertain, ask rather than guess.
• Present multiple interpretations: Don't pick silently when ambiguity exists.
• Push back when warranted: If a simpler approach exists, say so.
• Stop when confused: Name what's unclear and ask for clarification.

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 200 lines could be 50, rewrite it.
• The Test: 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.

• 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.
• 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 imperative tasks into verifiable goals.

• Instead of "Add validation", use "Write tests for invalid inputs, then make them pass".
• Instead of "Fix the bug", use "Write a test that reproduces it, then make it pass".
• Instead of "Refactor X", use "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]