Pre-Flight Coding Check
Before writing code: restate the goal, surface assumptions, pick the simplest approach, scope files, and define how to verify.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
Before shipping, you should definitely review your code carefully. Some things to think about: Is the logic correct? Are there any edge cases you missed? Do you have enough error handling? What about performance — are there any inefficient loops or queries? Make sure your variable names are clear and your functions do one thing each. Have you tested the main paths? Consider security too. I'd recommend going through each file and asking yourself whether it makes sense. It's easy to miss things, so taking time here saves a lot of pain later. Would you like to walk through the code together?
PRE-FLIGHT CODE CHECK → LOGIC: Edge cases identified → boundary conditions tested for null/empty/negative inputs; loops properly bounded; conditionals cover all branches → NAMING: Variable and function names unmistakable; no abbreviations or single-letter vars outside loops; intent clear from first read → ERROR HANDLING: Try/catch blocks present where needed; failures logged with context; graceful fallbacks instead of silent failures → PERFORMANCE: No nested loops on large datasets; database queries indexed; string concatenation replaced with proper builders; image sizes optimized → SECURITY: No hardcoded credentials; input validated and sanitized; SQL injection prevented via prepared statements; CORS headers set correctly → TESTING: Happy path tested; at least one failure case per function; boundary values checked; async operations awaited → DEPENDENCIES: All imports used; no circular dependencies; version pins reasonable; no known vulnerabilities → DEPLOYMENT: Environment variables all set; database migrations run; logs at trace level; rollback plan documented
About this skill
Most bad AI-written changes go wrong before the first line: silent assumptions, overbuilt solutions, sprawling edits, and no definition of done. This two-minute pre-flight catches all four and stops to ask when something is unclear.
What it does
- Reads the request and the relevant code before any edit
- Separates blocking ambiguities (asks you) from non-blocking ones (states the default it will use)
- Proposes the smallest change and names the bigger alternative it's deliberately skipping
- Commits to the files it will touch and a size budget
- Defines the failing test, the commands, and the manual check that will prove success
What you get
A short flight plan with the goal, assumptions, blocking questions, approach, file list and budget, verification steps, and a READY or WAITING status.
Best for
Developers who use Claude Code and want fewer overbuilt, off-target changes.
SKILL.md preview
---
name: pre-flight-coding-check
description: A short gate Claude runs before writing any code - restate the goal, surface assumptions and ambiguities, pick the simplest approach, name the exact files to touch, and define how success will be verified - then stop for confirmation when anything is unclear. Use at the start of a coding task, when the user says "before you start", "plan first", "pre-flight", "don't overbuild this", or whenever a request is ambiguous or touches unfamiliar code, including casual asks like "think before you code", "what's your plan here", or "sanity check this before you touch anything".
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# Pre-Flight Coding Check
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