findyourpilot/CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Merge with project-specific instructions as needed. 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. These guidelines are working if: fewer unnecessary changes in diffs, fewer rewrites due to overcomplication, and clarifying questions come before implementation rather than after mistakes.