principles

Codify guiding principles for standardized decision-making in the ikigai project.

Updated Jun 3, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/mgreenly/ikigai --skill principles-mgreenly
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: principles
Source: https://github.com/mgreenly/ikigai/tree/main/.claude/library/principles
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/mgreenly/ikigai --skill principles-mgreenly

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Guiding principles provide a single source of truth for decision-making, increasing consistency, code quality, and maintainability across the ikigai project.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Correctness-first guidance and clear criteria to validate implementations.
  • Explicit ownership and accountable decision records to reduce ambiguity.
  • Simplicity through discipline to promote modular, maintainable designs.
  • Tradeoff awareness to inform risk, cost, and scope decisions.
  • Use Case: onboarding new contributors with a shared framework for evaluating proposals.

Quick Start

Follow these principles when designing a module, writing decisions, and reviewing changes.

Frequently Asked Questions about principles

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
What are software architecture principles and why do they matter for code quality?

Software architecture principles codify guiding decisions to standardize rationale, increasing consistency, code quality, and maintainability across a project. They provide a single source of truth for evaluating proposals and design changes.

How do I document architectural decisions and tradeoffs for contributor onboarding?

Document architectural decisions by enforcing explicit ownership, correctness, and documented tradeoffs through frontmatter metadata and structured guidelines. This shared framework standardizes onboarding and reduces ambiguity for new contributors.

How do guiding principles apply during architectural reviews and module design?

Guiding principles apply to architectural reviews and module design by prioritizing correctness-first validation, enforcing simplicity through discipline, and requiring explicit awareness of risk, cost, and scope tradeoffs.

When should I use a principles framework for software engineering decisions?

Use a principles framework when consistent rationale is required across architectural reviews, design decisions, and contributor onboarding. It is essential for reducing ambiguity and enforcing accountable decision records.

Can I enforce explicit ownership and decision records using frontmatter metadata?

Yes, you can enforce explicit ownership and accountable decision records by applying frontmatter metadata. This structure ensures documented tradeoffs and clear criteria to validate implementations.

What's the best way to standardize decision-making across a software engineering project?

The best way to standardize decision-making is codifying correctness-first guidance, explicit ownership, and simplicity through discipline into a single source of truth. This informs risk, cost, and scope decisions consistently.