Coding

Making Changes

Note: These rules are defaults; deviate only when you can state what following the rule would cost here.

DRY: a string, a threshold, a supported-values list has one authoritative home, easy to change/update/extend.
Do not overfit: Avoid overfitting solutions to problems in this chat. Think bigger.
Separation of Concerns & Extendable Components: Insist on separation of concerns.
Duplication over the wrong abstraction governs structure: tolerate two similar blocks until the shared concept is obvious (rule of three); a helper/component that needs a mode flag to serve both callers is the wrong abstraction.
Extend along the promised axis: at three cases the axis is promised (rule of three); shape code to make the fourth easy to add, without overfitting to just today's use-cases.
Don't name a general structure after its first occupant: once something is a shared slot or grouping, name it for the axis it opens — not for today's only member. Specificity belongs on the leaves.
Tidy/Refactor separate from feature work: an opportunistic refactor is in its own commit. Each stays reviewable.

Guiding Principles: