Files
Thore CimbalandClaude Fable 5 e36ed337a7 feat: slice 1 - the neckbeard framework chain runs end to end
Tracer bullet of the migration design (Gate 4, slice 1): pinned v0.1.1
baseline under docs/sources/upstream/ with provenance note, the
Karpathy block moved verbatim to docs/sources/regelwerk/ (standing
rule mapped onto the sources read-only mechanism), AGENTS.md assembled
from the byte-true upstream sections plus the project section 6
(group rules condensed from the old CLAUDE.md), CLAUDE.md reduced to
the upstream pointer, WORKFLOW.md and all four templates copied,
schema.yaml extended (issue milestone/priority/status columns,
component type, wiki area vision - all flagged in the header),
validate.py and gen_status.py forked with marked extensions,
pruefe_upstream_drift.py added, STATUS.md generated, CI gains the
offline validate job, README directory link defused.

Verified: validate 0 errors 0 warnings (the three pre-existing
directory-link errors are gone), gen_status --check current,
drift check 0 findings, baseline byte-identical to the reference
checkout (10/10 files), four negative tests fire (WIP limit 3x
in-progress, waiting without wartegrund, component slug mismatch,
single-byte drift in WORKFLOW.md). gen_status needs Python >= 3.10
locally (write_text newline) - noted for the design AAR.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-08-11 12:00:00 +00:00

2.5 KiB

name, description, license
name description license
karpathy-guidelines Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Use when writing, reviewing, or refactoring code to avoid overcomplication, make surgical changes, surface assumptions, and define verifiable success criteria. MIT

Karpathy Guidelines

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes, derived from Andrej Karpathy's observations on LLM coding pitfalls.

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

1. Think Before Coding

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

Before implementing:

  • State your 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"

For multi-step tasks, state a brief plan:

1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]
3. [Step] → verify: [check]

Strong success criteria let you loop independently. Weak criteria ("make it work") require constant clarification.