code-standardslisted

## Purpose Consistency lowers the cost of reading code more than any individual stylistic choice does. A codebase where every module solves the same kind of problem the same way is faster to work in than one where each file reflects whoever wrote it last, even if some of those individual choices were locally "better." This skill is about matching what's already there before introducing something new. ## When to use it Every time you write or modify code — this isn't a one-off pass, it's the default posture. Reach for it explicitly when starting work in an unfamiliar part of a codebase, or when you notice you're about to introduce a naming or structural pattern that doesn't obviously match its neighbors. ## Steps / checklist 1. **Read before writing.** Before adding a function, class, or module, look at 2-3 existing examples of the same kind of thing nearby. Match their naming style, argument order, error-handling approach, and level of abstraction rather than picking your own. 2. **Names describe what, not how.** A function name should tell a reader what it accomplishes (`validate_user_email`) not the mechanism (`check_regex_match`) unless the mechanism is the point. Avoid abbreviations that aren't already established in the codebase. 3. **One level of abstraction per function.** If a function mixes high-level orchestration with low-level detail (looping, string parsing) in the same block, that's usually a sign it should be split — not because smaller is always better, b