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principle-foundational-thinking

principle-foundational-thinking

github.com/cursorDevelopment14.6k4.4k installsUpdated 1d ago
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About principle-foundational-thinking

A software design skill that separates structural decisions, which preserve options, from code-level decisions, which favor simplicity. It prioritizes data shapes, useful scaffolding, isolated concurrency, and coherent increments.

Key features

  1. 01Design data structures before logic
  2. 02Prefer explicit code over premature abstraction
  3. 03Isolate concurrently shared state
  4. 04Set up shared foundations early
  5. 05Make each increment coherent
  6. 06Remove dead code before scaffolding

Use cases

  1. 01Choose core models before implementation
  2. 02Plan CI, linting, and test infrastructure
  3. 03Avoid unsafe shared-state changes
  4. 04Keep feature work in coherent increments

Install

Copy the command and run it in a terminal.

$npx skills add https://github.com/cursor/plugins --skill principle-foundational-thinking

After installing, type/principle-foundational-thinkingin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.

Details

From the project README

Foundational 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.

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