pstack

principle-migrate-callers-then-delete-legacy-apis

Apply when introducing a new internal API while old callers still exist. Migrate callers and delete the old API in the same wave instead of preserving compatibility layers.

principle-minimize-reader-load

Apply when reviewing or shaping code that's hard to trace. Count layers between question and answer, and hidden state in the reader's head; collapse one-caller wrappers and shrink mutable scope.

principle-model-the-domain

Apply when writing stateful logic, or when code branches a lot or repeats a shape assumption across files. Encode the domain in a structure instead of scattered conditionals.

principle-prove-it-works

Apply after completing a task, before declaring done. Verify against the real artifact (run the feature, read the actual value, inspect the diff), not a proxy, self-report, or 'it compiles.'

principle-redesign-from-first-principles

Apply when integrating a new requirement into an existing design. Redesign as if the requirement had been a foundational assumption from day one, instead of bolting it on.

principle-separate-before-serializing-shared-state

Apply when concurrent actors might write to the same file, branch, key, or state object. Eliminate the sharing first; serialize structurally only when one shared writer is a real invariant.

principle-subtract-before-you-add

Apply when sequencing an addition, refactor, or rewrite. Remove dead weight, redundant validators, and stub references first, then build on the simpler base.

principle-type-system-discipline

Apply when designing types, reviewing a function signature, or writing code in any statically-typed language. Make illegal states unrepresentable, brand semantic primitives, parse external data at boundaries, refuse to lie to the compiler, exhaust variants, derive from authoritative schemas.

recall

Reconstruct recent working context from prior conversations, remembered context, and connected project sources, then give a concise current-state brief. Use for 'recall my work on X', 'catch me up', 'what have I been working on', 'where did I leave off', or before resuming earlier work.

teach

Explain a codebase, subsystem, feature, change, or technical idea so the user actually understands it. Use for 'teach me this', 'help me understand X', 'explain this change', 'walk me through this', or when the user wants more than a reference answer.

technical-writing

Layered technical-writing standard: Diátaxis structure, Google developer style sentences, STE instruction rules, Global English syntax. Use for /technical-writing or when writing or reviewing docs, RFCs, readmes, PR descriptions, or commit messages.

typescript-best-practices

TypeScript best practices. Use when reading or editing any .ts or .tsx file.

unslop

Cut AI tells from any writing. Must always apply.

why

Investigate why a codebase, feature, design decision, threshold, workaround, or architectural choice exists by tracing evidence across the sources available to ChatGPT. Use for 'why does X work this way', 'why did we choose Y', design rationale, regressions, postmortems, historical context, and tradeoff questions.