Write the simplest code that correctly solves the problem.
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- Readable and explicit beats clever and compact.
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- A future reader — or the same person at 3am — should understand the code without reverse-engineering it.
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- If a solution surprised you when you wrote it, it will surprise the next reader too.
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- Three clear lines beat one clever expression.
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- Avoid unnecessary abstraction, indirection, and generality.
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AI tools tend toward impressive-looking solutions. Push back on complexity that is not earned by the problem.
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# Recommended AI Behaviour Rules
## General behaviour
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- If a comment, log line, or debug statement should be removed, say so and let the author decide.
- Avoid speculative refactors unrelated to the task.
- Prefer minimal, reviewable diffs.
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- Write the simplest code that solves the problem. Avoid clever solutions when a straightforward one exists.
Before making architectural changes:
- explain the reasoning
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- verify expected behaviour
- report failures clearly
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AI tools will confidently cite library methods, function signatures, and config options that do not exist. Running the code is what catches this — static review is not sufficient, because a hallucinated method name is syntactically indistinguishable from a real one.
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Do not claim something works without verification.