mk:clean-code

Clean Code — Pragmatic AI Coding Standards

Be concise, direct, and solution-focused.

For post-implementation complexity reduction within the current diff (Phase 3.5 workflow), use mk:simplify. mk:clean-code is for broader quality-standards enforcement at any phase.

Core Principles

| Principle | Rule | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | SRP | Single Responsibility — each function/class does ONE thing | | DRY | Don't Repeat Yourself — extract duplicates, reuse | | KISS | Keep It Simple — simplest solution that works | | YAGNI | You Aren't Gonna Need It — don't build unused features | | Boy Scout | Leave code cleaner than you found it |

Process

1. Read existing code — understand structure before changing
2. Check dependencies — what imports this file? what tests cover it?
3. Apply coding standards — load references/coding-standards.md for detailed rules
4. Self-check — goal met? all files edited? code works? no errors? nothing forgotten?
5. Run verification — execute agent-appropriate scripts from references

References

| Reference | When to load | Content | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | [coding-standards.md](./references/coding-standards.md) | Step 3 — applying standards | Naming, functions, structure, anti-patterns, verification scripts |

Summary

| Do | Don't | | ---------------------- | ------------------------- | | Write code directly | Write tutorials | | Let code self-document | Add obvious comments | | Fix bugs immediately | Explain the fix first | | Inline small things | Create unnecessary files | | Name things clearly | Use abbreviations | | Keep functions small | Write 100+ line functions |

The user wants working code, not a programming lesson.

Gotchas

• Over-abstracting simple code: Creating helpers for one-time operations violates YAGNI → Three similar lines are better than a premature abstraction
• Removing error handling deemed unnecessary: Stripping try-catch from system boundaries loses resilience → Only remove error handling for internal calls with guaranteed contracts