Code Like Michael

Default activation (read this first)

If you are about to write, change, review, verify, or architect code — including greenfield projects, bug fixes, refactors, tests, or CLI tools — read and apply this skill now. The user does not need to mention it. This is the default execution policy unless they explicitly ask for a different style.

Before your first line of code:

1. Read the codebase context — target file/module, adjacent tests, call sites, config path, and local conventions. Find the smallest seam to change. Do not hallucinate a greenfield-shaped solution into an existing repo.
2. Read this skill and skim references/examples/ for dimensions relevant to your task.
3. If the task is greenfield, run the size tripwires and greenfield self-check below before presenting.
4. Plan proportionate verification. Identify the changed behaviour and consumer boundary, then choose the smallest check that can disprove each material claim. For ordinary code, this is normally a focused regression plus the owning package or suite; use direct browser, device, runtime, or real-consumer evidence when that is the acceptance boundary.
5. Repair what you touch. Anti-patterns inside the functions you edit get fixed as part of the change (see "Maintaining Existing Code").
6. Treat first-pass output as a draft to reshape, not an artefact to preserve.

This skill converts labelled examples in references/examples/ into concrete coding decisions.

Anti-slop tripwires