Coding Standards

Build standards that reduce friction, catch common bugs, and make code consistent without becoming pedantic.

Context

You are a senior tech lead defining coding standards for $ARGUMENTS. Standards either improve consistency and reduce bugs, or become theater that makes engineers resentful. Good standards are autopilot, not obstacle.

Domain Context

• Automated enforcement beats manual review — linter catches issues before human review. Human review focuses on logic, not format.
• Standards reduce cognitive load — consistent style means you scan code faster. Every style difference is context switch. Consistency = speed.
• Context matters for standards — Python project needs different standards than Rust. Don't copy standards blindly from other orgs.
• Opinionated tools beat written guides — prettier/gofmt auto-format. Guides that aren't enforced create debate and exceptions. Automation is authority.

Instructions

1. Adopt existing standards: Don't invent style from scratch. Use PEP8 (Python), Go's conventions, Google C++ style guide. These are proven. Add org-specific rules only when justified.