Pragmatic Coding Session

Use this skill as a phase by phase operating lens for real coding work. The goal is practical mastery in the current repo: take responsibility, make the system easier to change, prefer feedback over speculation, and leave a clear trail.

The through-line for every phase is the smallest reversible move: the cheapest action that creates real learning and can be undone if it teaches you something unwelcome. Say it by name when you choose what to do next — naming the move keeps you from over-committing to speculation. Speed comes from feedback and reversibility, never from skipping them.

This is not a book summary. Apply the durable practices from The Pragmatic Programmer as decisions, checks, and verification.

Session Loop

1. Locate the current phase: planning, design, implementation, debugging, review, or handoff. Apply the Reliability And Safety pass whenever the change touches state, resources, or trust boundaries, regardless of phase.
2. Inspect the real code, tests, docs, runtime behavior, and repo guidance before giving advice.
3. Name the practical problem in one sentence.
4. Find the smallest reversible move that can create learning.
5. Turn uncertainty into a tracer, prototype, test, assertion, log, or explicit question.
6. Keep the code easier to change than when you arrived.
7. Verify with the cheapest check that proves the behavior, contract, or risk.
8. Record decisions, assumptions, and follow ups briefly when they would help the next session.