Requirements
- Target platform
- OpenClaw
- Install method
- Manual import
- Extraction
- Extract archive
- Prerequisites
- OpenClaw
- Primary doc
- SKILL.md
Minimize total codebase size through ruthless simplification. Measure success by final code amount, not effort. Bias toward deletion.
Minimize total codebase size through ruthless simplification. Measure success by final code amount, not effort. Bias toward deletion.
Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually.
I downloaded a skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder and install it by following the included instructions. Then review README.md for any prerequisites, environment setup, or post-install checks. Tell me what you changed and call out any manual steps you could not complete.
I downloaded an updated skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder, compare it with my current installation, and upgrade it while preserving any custom configuration unless the package docs explicitly say otherwise. Then review README.md for any prerequisites, environment setup, or post-install checks. Summarize what changed and any follow-up checks I should run.
More code begets more code. Entropy accumulates. This skill biases toward the smallest possible codebase.
Provides a mindset and checklist for: Evaluating whether changes reduce or increase total code Finding opportunities to delete code Resisting premature abstraction Choosing the simplest solution that solves the problem Core question: "What does the codebase look like after?"
Activate this skill when: Refactoring code and considering options Adding a new feature and choosing implementation approach Reviewing PRs to challenge unnecessary complexity Paying down tech debt and prioritizing what to simplify User explicitly asks for code reduction or simplification
The goal is less total code in the final codebase β not less code to write right now. ScenarioVerdictWriting 50 lines that delete 200 linesNet win βKeeping 14 functions to avoid writing 2Net loss β"Better organized" but more codeMore entropy β"More flexible" but more codeMore entropy β"Cleaner separation" but more codeMore entropy β Measure the end state, not the effort.
Load a mindset from references/: List files in references/ Read frontmatter descriptions Pick at least one that applies State which you loaded and its core principle Available mindsets: simplicity-vs-easy.md β Simple is objective; easy is subjective. Choose simple. design-is-taking-apart.md β Good design separates concerns, removes dependencies. data-over-abstractions.md β 100 functions on one structure beats 10 on 10. expensive-to-add-later.md β When YAGNI doesn't apply (PAGNI exceptions).
Not "what's the smallest change" β what's the smallest result. Could this be 2 functions instead of 14? Could this be 0 functions (delete the feature)? What would we delete if we did this?
Count lines before and after. If after > before, challenge it. Before: 847 lines across 12 files After: 623 lines across 8 files Verdict: β Net reduction of 224 lines
Every change is an opportunity to delete. Ask: What does this make obsolete? What was only needed because of what we're replacing? What's the maximum we could remove?
PhraseWhat It HidesChallenge"Keep what exists"Status quo bias"Total code is the metric, not churn""This adds flexibility"Speculative generality"Flexibility for what? Is it needed now?""Better separation of concerns"More files = more code"Separation isn't free. Worth how many lines?""Type safety"Sometimes bloats code"Worth how many lines? Could runtime checks work?""Easier to understand"More things β easier"14 things are not easier than 2 things""This is the pattern"Pattern worship"Does the pattern fit, or are we forcing it?""We might need this later"YAGNI violation"Delete it. Git remembers."
Before completing any refactor, ask: Did I count lines before and after? Did I delete everything this change makes obsolete? Did I remove any now-unnecessary abstractions? Did I consolidate files that are too small to stand alone? Did I delete tests for deleted code? Did I update imports to remove dead dependencies?
The codebase is already minimal for what it does You're in a framework with strong conventions (don't fight it) Regulatory/compliance requirements mandate certain structures The "simpler" version would be genuinely unmaintainable (rare)
NEVER keep code "in case we need it" β delete it; git has history NEVER add abstractions for fewer than 3 use cases β wait for the pattern to emerge NEVER create new files for single functions β colocate with usage NEVER preserve code just because someone wrote it β evaluate on merit NEVER accept "more organized" as justification for more code β organization should reduce, not increase NEVER skip the line count β measure before and after; feelings lie NEVER add "flexibility" without immediate need β YAGNI applies NEVER refactor without deleting something β if nothing becomes obsolete, question the value
PatternActionWrapper that just forwards callsInline the wrapped codeConfig file with 2 settingsMove to environment variablesUtils file with 1 functionMove function to where it's usedInterface with 1 implementationDelete the interfaceAbstract class with 1 subclassMerge into concrete classModule that re-exports everythingDelete; import from sourceComments explaining obvious codeDelete comments; code is clear
"complexity very very bad. say again: complexity very bad. you think you not, but you are." Grug brain developer knows: Complexity demon hides in abstraction More code = more bugs = more complexity Best code is no code Second best code is simple code If you can't understand it in your head, it's too complex
Philosophical foundations for simplicity thinking: ReferenceCore Principlesimplicity-vs-easy.mdSimple (objective) vs easy (subjective) β choose simpledesign-is-taking-apart.mdGood design separates; composition beats constructiondata-over-abstractions.mdGeneric data + many functions beats many custom typesexpensive-to-add-later.mdPAGNI exceptions β what you probably are gonna need External resources: Simple Made Easy β Rich Hickey The Grug Brained Developer Out of the Tar Pit β Moseley & Marks
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