SOLID principles, design patterns, DRY, KISS, and clean code fundamentals. Use when reviewing architecture, checking code quality, refactoring, or discussing design decisions. Triggers on "review architecture", "check code quality", "SOLID principles", "design patterns", or "clean code".

Clean Code Principles Fundamental software design principles, SOLID, design patterns, and clean code practices. Language agnostic guidelines for writing maintainable, scalable software. When to Apply Reference these guidelines when: Designing new features or systems Reviewing code architecture Refactoring existing code Discussing design decisions Improving code quality Rule Categories by Priority Priority Category Impact Prefix 1 SOLID Principles CRITICAL solid 2 Core Principles CRITICAL core 3 Design Patterns HIGH pattern 4 Code Organization HIGH org 5 Naming & Readability MEDIUM name 6 Functions & Methods MEDIUM func 7 Comments & Documentation LOW doc Quick Reference 1. SOLID Principles (CRITICAL) solid srp Single Responsibility Principle solid ocp Open/Closed Principle solid lsp Liskov Substitution Principle solid isp Interface Segregation Principle solid dip Dependency Inversion Principle 2. Core Principles (CRITICAL) core dry Don't Repeat Yourself core kiss Keep It Simple, Stupid core yagni You Aren't Gonna Need It core separation of concerns Separate different responsibilities core composition over inheritance Favor composition core law of demeter Principle of least knowledge core fail fast Detect and report errors early core encapsulation Hide implementation details 3. Design Patterns (HIGH) pattern factory Factory pattern for object creation pattern strategy Strategy pattern for algorithms pattern repository Repository pattern for data access pattern decorator Decorator pattern for behavior extension pattern observer Observer pattern for event handling pattern adapter Adapter pattern for interface conversion pattern facade Facade pattern for simplified interfaces pattern dependency injection DI for loose coupling 4. Code Organization (HIGH) — planned org feature folders Organize by feature, not layer org module boundaries Clear module boundaries org layered architecture Proper layer separation org package cohesion Related code together org circular dependencies Avoid circular imports 5. Naming & Readability (MEDIUM) — planned name meaningful Use intention revealing names name consistent Consistent naming conventions name searchable Avoid magic numbers/strings name avoid encodings No Hungarian notation name domain language Use domain terminology 6. Functions & Methods (MEDIUM) — planned func small Keep functions small func single purpose Do one thing func few arguments Limit parameters func no side effects Minimize side effects func command query Separate commands and queries 7. Comments & Documentation (LOW) — planned doc self documenting Code should explain itself doc why not what Explain why, not what doc avoid noise No redundant comments doc api docs Document public APIs Essential Guidelines For detailed examples and explanations, see the rule files: [core dry.md](rules/core dry.md) Don't Repeat Yourself principle [pattern repository.md](rules/pattern repository.md) Repository pattern for data access SOLID Principles (Summary) Principle Definition S ingle Responsibility A class should have only one reason to change O pen/Closed Open for extension, closed for modification L iskov Substitution Subtypes must be substitutable for base types I nterface Segregation Don't force clients to depend on unused interfaces D ependency Inversion Depend on abstractions, not concretions Core Principles (Summary) Principle Definition DRY Don't Repeat Yourself single source of truth KISS Keep It Simple avoid over engineering YAGNI You Aren't Gonna Need It build only what's needed Quick Examples Output Format When auditing code, output findings in this format: Example: How to Use Read individual rule files for detailed explanations: References This skill is built on established software engineering principles: Core Books Clean Code by Robert C. Martin Foundation for clean code practices Design Patterns by Gang of Four Classic design pattern catalog Refactoring by Martin Fowler Improving code structure The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas Practical wisdom Online Resources [Refactoring Guru](https://refactoring.guru/) Design patterns and code smells [Martin Fowler's Refactoring Catalog](https://refactoring.com/catalog/) Comprehensive refactoring techniques [Uncle Bob's Clean Coder Blog](https://blog.cleancoder.com/) Software craftsmanship articles Pattern Catalogs [Refactoring Guru Design Patterns](https://refactoring.guru/design patterns) [Martin Fowler Enterprise Patterns](https://martinfowler.com/eaaCatalog/) Metadata Version: 1.0.2 Status: Active Coverage: 23 rules across 3 implemented categories (SOLID, Core Principles, Design Patterns); 4 planned Last Updated: 2026 03 07 Rule Statistics SOLID Principles: 10 rules Core Principles: 12 rules Design Patterns: 1 rule

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