Disciplined Coder
Use when writing, reviewing, or committing code to enforce 4 coding principles — surface assumptions before coding, keep it simple, make surgical changes, define verifiable goals.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
I can review your code and let you know if it's overcomplicated. I'd look at whether the changes are simpler than the original code or if you're adding unnecessary abstractions or patterns. It might help to know what problem you're trying to solve with these changes. Some code looks complex but is solving a real problem, while other code is complex for no reason. I could check if there are simpler ways to achieve the same goal, or if the code follows best practices for your language. It would also be useful to know if you've tested these changes. I'd recommend thinking about whether each line of code is earning its weight. Do you want me to focus on any particular part of the diff?
DISCIPLINED CODE REVIEW — DIFF CHECK ASSUMPTION SURFACED (before evaluating): You are: Optimizing a search filter for performance Problem: Current search takes 3 seconds on 100K records Goal: Sub-500ms response time Is that right? (if wrong, we miss the point of your diff) VERDICT: YOUR DIFF IS OVERCOMPLICATING THIS Original: Loop + filter + map (3 operations) Your diff: Custom B-tree index + cache layer + invalidation logic (12 files touched) SURGICAL CHANGE CRITIQUE You are solving a performance problem, not an architectural one First step: Add database index on search column (1 line SQL) Second step: If that's not enough, benchmark before caching Your diff adds caching + invalidation BEFORE measuring if either is needed Risk: Cache bugs, stale data, higher maintenance debt SIMPLE WINS FIRST (in priority order) 1. Add database index on search.term column (measure: drop to 600ms) 2. If still slow: Add query memoization (Claude can generate, 20 lines) 3. If still slow: Then consider your cache layer VERIFIABLE GOAL Before: "Make search faster" After: "Search under 500ms on 100K records, zero stale data" This diff: Doesn't have measurable rollback criteria RECOMMENDATION: Revert diff. Index the database. Remeasure. Then decide next step.
About this skill
name: karpathy-coder description: Use when Use when writing, reviewing, or committing code to enforce the original author's 4 coding principles — surface assumptions before coding, keep it simple, make surgical changes, define verifiable goals.
Disciplined Coder
Use when writing, reviewing, or committing code to enforce the original author's 4 coding principles — surface assumptions before coding, keep it simple, make surgical changes, define verifiable goals. Triggers on "review my diff", "check complexity", "am I overcomplicating this", "the original author check", "before I commit", or any code quality concern where the LLM might be overcoding.
What you get
- Public GitHub repo (alirezarezvani/claude-skills)
- the the original author-coder skill folder with SKILL.md. Part of a 337-skill / 30-agent / 70-command install.
Customize your output
- Fork the repo and adapt the skill's instructions and references to your workflow.
Example output
Activates automatically when your request matches the original author Coder; chains with the other skills, agents, and commands in the collection.
Best for
Creators, builders, and teams using Claude Code.
SKILL.md preview
---
name: karpathy-coder
description: Use this skill when writing, reviewing, or committing code to enforce four disciplined coding principles - surface assumptions first, keep it simple, make surgical changes, and define verifiable goals.
version: 1.0.0
category: Development / Engineering
author: AgentVolt
license: proprietary
tags:
- development
- engineering
---
# Disciplined Coder
Enforces four principles before and during implementation: surface assumptions, keep the solution simple, make surgical changes, and define a verifiable goal.
## When to use
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