principle-subtract-before-you-add

What problem does it solve? Adding features to an already complex codebase compounds complexity, making refactors risky and designs unclear. This Skill enforces a subtraction-first sequencing principle so changes are built on a simpler, well-understood base. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Removal-First Sequencing: Directs you to delete dead code, redundant validators, and stub references before writing new code. - Anti-Speculation Guardrails: Prevents speculative validators, parsers, and guards beyond what the spec demands, and discourages designing for unobserved edge cases. - Prompt Simplification: Applies the same principle to prompts by removing redundant instructions and excessive templates. - Use Case: Before adding a new input validation layer to a service, apply this Skill to first strip unused validators and dead branches, then implement the addition on the reduced surface. ## Quick Start Apply the subtract-before-you-add principle to plan my next refactor by identifying what should be removed before I add the new feature.