Nuclear simplification

Delete first. Merge second. Abstract last. Ship in behavior-preserving batches.

The goal is the smallest codebase that produces identical observable behavior, built out of few, deep, boring abstractions. Every line removed is a line nobody maintains, tests, reviews, or gets paged for. But a wrong abstraction costs more than the duplication it replaced — so this skill spends most of its effort on evidence, not on cleverness.

Rules of engagement