coding — Claude Code skill: coding rules and install
Hands the agent a set of coding principles — DRY, KISS, YAGNI, SOLID. Useful when writing features, refactoring or reviewing code.
npx skills add davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --skill coding -a claude-codeWhat coding does
The skill loads as a set of instructions and fires on code-related tasks. It covers the basics: no duplicated logic, pick the plain solution over the clever one, skip abstractions you do not need yet, keep one reason for a class or function to change. One bullet tells the agent to follow whatever rules the project already has in CLAUDE.md, AGENT.md and similar files.
Then come the day-to-day items. Descriptive names, functions that do one thing, input validation, graceful exception handling, comments that explain why rather than what. Security gets a short mention: sanitize input, keep secrets out of source, grant the least privilege. Performance is framed as something to keep in mind without optimizing early.
Before a task is called done, the skill runs a check loop: simplify the code with the code-simplifier plugin, compare the diff against the requirements, run the linter and formatter, add the missing tests and get them green. When a project has no linter or test runner set up, the agent proposes one — npm install --save-dev eslint is the example given. The simplification step depends on code-simplifier being available.
What it helps with
- split a new feature into functions without copy-paste
- clean up code before a review
- add a linter and formatter to a project that lacks them
- write tests for new logic and run them
- check a diff for leaked secrets and excess permissions
Example prompts for the agent
- Build an avatar upload endpoint and check it against the coding skill
- Refactor this module: remove duplication and break up the large functions
- Run the linter and tests before I commit, add whatever is missing
How to install coding
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --skill coding -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/coding/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/coding/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --skill coding -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/coding/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --skill coding -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/coding/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install davidkiss/smart-ai-skills coding2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/coding/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --skill coding -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --path skills/codingManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/coding/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --skill coding -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about coding
How do I install coding in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add davidkiss/smart-ai-skills --skill coding -a claude-code. The skill lands at ~/.claude/skills/coding/SKILL.md.
What does the coding skill do?
It feeds the agent a set of development rules: DRY, KISS, YAGNI, SOLID, plus naming, error handling and security requirements. It also makes the agent run linting and tests before finishing.
Which platforms support coding?
Besides Claude, there is an install path for Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI and OpenCode. Copilot uses a different command: gh skill install davidkiss/smart-ai-skills coding.
