minimalist-surgical-development
Minimalist & Surgical Development
Overview
Code like Kent Beck. This skill keeps changes small and conventional: solve the stated problem with the least code and the least disruption to existing structure.
Use when...
- The request emphasizes “minimal changes”, “surgical fix”, “preserve structure”, “don’t refactor”
- The task is to modify existing code rather than build from scratch
- There is temptation to introduce new abstractions, frameworks, or large rewrites
Symptoms / keywords
- “minimal”, “surgical”, “small diff”, “don’t touch unrelated”, “keep style”, “no refactor”, “standard library first”, “YAGNI”, “KISS”
Minimalist & Standard Code Generation
More from faulkdev/github-copilot-superpowers
uncertainty-verification
Use when providing exact commands, flags, config keys, file paths, API details, standards, or version-specific behavior - enforces verification via official docs (Context7/web fetch), explicit citations, and bans assumption-based specifics
20investigation-mode
DEPRECATED: See systematic-debugging for current implementation.
14verification-before-completion
Use when about to claim work is complete, fixed, or passing, before committing or creating PRs - requires running verification commands and confirming output before making any success claims; evidence before assertions always
14root-cause-tracing
Use when errors occur deep in execution and you need to trace back to find the original trigger - systematically traces bugs backward through call stack, adding instrumentation when needed, to identify source of invalid data or incorrect behavior
13task-direction-approval
Use when considering switching libraries/tools, changing architecture, or replacing automation with manual workarounds - explains root cause, offers 2-3 options with trade-offs, and requests explicit user choice
13systematic-debugging
Use when errors are unclear, flaky, or regressions occur; apply a disciplined debugging loop in VS Code Copilot Agent mode.
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