python-simple-scripts

Use a small temporary .py file with focused functions, a main() entry point, and an explicit exit status. Stick to the standard library, avoid creating pyproject.toml or virtualenvs, and run it with python3 -B to keep caches out of the working tree.

Use python3 -c only for a short expression with obvious shell quoting. Switch to a temporary .py file for multiline logic, structured data, nontrivial error handling, or anything worth rerunning, since compressing logic into -c invites quoting bugs.

argparse applies the converter to text, and every nonempty string is truthy, so bool("False") returns True. Use action="store_true", action="store_false", or argparse.BooleanOptionalAction instead for correct flag behavior.

Pass a meaningful timeout to subprocess.run() and handle subprocess.TimeoutExpired. With Popen and pipes, use communicate(timeout=...) rather than wait(), and on timeout terminate or kill the child, then call communicate() again to drain pipes and reap it.

Python removes assert statements when run with -O or PYTHONOPTIMIZE, so validation based solely on assert silently disappears under optimization. Use explicit conditionals with deliberate exceptions, stderr messages, or nonzero exit codes for behavior-affecting checks.

A script becomes a deliverable when the user requests it as a retained repository artifact. Then it should follow the repository's declared Python version and toolchain, and full Python development standards apply instead of the incidental-helper rules.