principle-foundational-thinking
About principle-foundational-thinking
A software development skill for making structural decisions before implementation and keeping code simple. It emphasizes data shapes, concurrency isolation, early scaffolding, focused increments, and removing dead code before adding foundations.
Key features
- 01Define data structures before logic
- 02Favor explicit code over clever abstractions
- 03Isolate unsafe shared state
- 04Set up shared foundations early
- 05Make small, coherent changes
- 06Remove dead code before scaffolding
Use cases
- 01Plan types around common access patterns
- 02Avoid concurrency risks when sharing state
- 03Prepare CI, linting, and test infrastructure
- 04Refactor code while keeping changes focused
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/principle-foundational-thinkingin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEFoundational Thinking
Structural decisions protect option value. Code-level decisions protect simplicity.
Data structures first. Get the data shape right before writing logic. Define core types early, trace every access pattern, and choose structures that match the dominant paths.
At code level, DRY the structure, not every line. Types and data models should converge. Three similar statements still beat a premature abstraction. Prefer explicit over clever. Test behavior and edge cases, not line counts.
Concurrency corollary. Before sharing state between actors, ask "what happens if another actor modifies this concurrently?" If not "nothing", isolate.
Scaffold first. If something helps every later phase, do it first. Ask "does every subsequent phase benefit from this existing?" CI, linting, test infrastructure, and shared types are scaffold. Sequence for option value: setup before features, tests before fixes. Keep commits small and single-purpose.
Each increment should land a coherent abstraction or deepen one that exists. Do not spread a new capability across callers as special-case coordination.
Subtraction comes before scaffolding. Remove dead code first, then lay foundations.