karpathy-guidelines

To prevent unnecessary refactoring in code review, enforce surgical modifications that change only what is necessary. Define explicit tradeoffs and state assumptions upfront to avoid speculative features and ambiguous edits.

Writing minimal code changes with verifiable outcomes requires defining success criteria before implementation. Prefer the smallest solution that solves the request, then verify progress using tests or checks.

Surfacing hidden assumptions before coding changes requires deliberate planning. Identify ambiguity and tradeoffs explicitly, then produce a focused implementation plan that minimizes risk before writing any code.

Enforcing coding guidelines works for both new code writing and refactoring tasks. It applies careful assumptions, minimal implementations, and testable success criteria to ensure reliable software changes across both scenarios.

Code review introduces risk through unrelated cleanup edits when changes are not surgical. To reduce coding errors, modify only what is necessary and avoid unrelated cleanup that can introduce unexpected complications.

You should not use minimal implementations when a request requires speculative features or unrelated cleanup. If the task demands broad architectural changes, surgical modifications may be insufficient for the required scope.