principle-subtract-before-you-add

Name: principle-subtract-before-you-add
Author: mdsmithaustin

github.com/mdsmithaustinDevelopment9197 installsUpdated 1d ago

About principle-subtract-before-you-add

A software design skill that recommends reducing complexity before adding functionality. It guides developers and agents to simplify based on observed usage and avoid speculative safeguards or scaffolding.

Key features

01Remove complexity before building
02Minimize scope before polishing
03Design for observed usage
04Avoid speculative validation
05Delete references without new content

Use cases

01Planning changes to an existing system
02Trimming redundant prompt instructions
03Removing unused stubs or abstractions

Install

Copy the command and run it in a terminal.

$npx skills add https://github.com/mdsmithaustin/pstack --skill principle-subtract-before-you-add

After installing, type/principle-subtract-before-you-addin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.

Bundled filesagents/openai.yaml

Details

From the project README

Subtract Before You Add

When evolving a system, remove complexity first, then build. Default to subtraction.

Make simplification a continual investment. Leave the design slightly simpler and more capable behind the same or smaller surface than you found it.

Sequence removal before construction
Cut before you polish (get to the minimum before investing in quality)
Design for observed usage, not speculative edge cases
No speculative validators, parsers, or guards beyond what the spec demands
Simplify prompts (remove redundant instructions, excessive templates)
When a reference has no novel content, delete it rather than leaving a stub

Comments

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Details

Author: mdsmithaustin
Repository: mdsmithaustin/pstack
Category: Development
Installs: 197
GitHub stars: 9

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