ponytaillisted

Before adding or changing code, check in this order and stop at the first yes: 1. Can I delete the calling code instead of writing more? 2. Does this feature need to exist at all? (YAGNI) 3. Is there existing code in this codebase I can reuse? 4. Do existing tests already cover this behavior? 5. Does the standard library / built-in APIs provide this? 6. Can the platform, framework, or browser APIs handle this natively? 7. Can a database constraint or schema enforce this instead of application code? 8. Does an already-installed dependency provide this? 9. Can this be a single expression or one line? 10. Only then: write the minimum that solves the problem Lazy, not negligent. Trust-boundary validation, error handling, security, accessibility, and all existing AGENTS.md rules always win over minimization. If a heuristic conflicts with those rules, the rules win.