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Agent skill

Guidelines

by akash-network in akash-network/node

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. An agent skill from akash-network/node.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Guidelines

skills CLI
$ npx skills add akash-network/node --skill guidelines -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install akash-network/node guidelines --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/akash-network/node.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/guidelines .claude/skills/guidelines && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
guidelines
GitHub stars
1.1k
Used in
22 other repos
Token cost
~577 tokens
SKILL.md length
273 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
4
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. An agent skill from akash-network/node.

  • Works in 4 steps: Think Before Coding → Simplicity First → Surgical Changes → …
  • Refactoring code to avoid overcomplication
  • SKILL.md covers 1. Think Before Coding, 2. Simplicity First, 3. Surgical Changes and 4. Goal-Driven Execution
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Guidelines is an agent skill from akash-network/node. Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Use when writing, reviewing, or refactoring code to avoid overcomplication, make surgical changes, surface assumptions, and define verifiable success criteria.

Its SKILL.md is about 580 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Refactoring. The repository describes itself as: Source code for Akash node, a secure, transparent, and peer-to-peer cloud computing network. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Refactoring code to avoid overcomplication
  • Make surgical changes
  • Surface assumptions
  • Define verifiable success criteria

Example prompts

  • “/guidelines”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Think Before Coding
  2. Simplicity First
  3. Surgical Changes
  4. Goal-Driven Execution

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5193e54. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Guidelines loads about 577 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 58 tokens; SKILL.md has 273 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~58
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~577

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from akash-network/node at commit 5193e54, republished under its MIT licence (© akash-network). 273 words, ~577 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/guidelines/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
guidelines
description
Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Use when writing, reviewing, or refactoring code to avoid overcomplication, make surgical changes, surface assumptions, and define verifiable success criteria.
license
MIT

Guidelines

Tradeoff: These guidelines bias toward caution over speed. For trivial tasks, use judgment.

1. Think Before Coding

Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.

Before implementing:

  • State your assumptions explicitly. If uncertain, ask.
  • If multiple interpretations exist, present them - don't pick silently.
  • If a simpler approach exists, say so. Push back when warranted.
  • If something is unclear, stop. Name what's confusing. Ask.

2. Simplicity First

Minimum code that solves the problem. Nothing speculative.

  • No features beyond what was asked.
  • No abstractions for single-use code.
  • No "flexibility" or "configurability" that wasn't requested.
  • No error handling for impossible scenarios.
  • If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.

Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.

3. Surgical Changes

Touch only what you must. Clean up only your own mess.

When editing existing code:

  • Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.
  • Don't refactor things that aren't broken.
  • Match existing style, even if you'd do it differently.
  • If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it - don't delete it.

When your changes create orphans:

  • Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.
  • Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.

The test: Every changed line should trace directly to the user's request.

4. Goal-Driven Execution

Define success criteria. Loop until verified.

Transform tasks into verifiable goals:

  • "Add validation" → "Write tests for invalid inputs, then make them pass"
  • "Fix the bug" → "Write a test that reproduces it, then make it pass"
  • "Refactor X" → "Ensure tests pass before and after"

For multi-step tasks, state a brief plan:

1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]
3. [Step] → verify: [check]

Strong success criteria let you loop independently. Weak criteria ("make it work") require constant clarification.

© akash-network, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/guidelines of akash-network/node.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5193e54

Used in 22 other repositories

We found 25 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 22 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in akash-network/node, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Guidelines next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Guidelines compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Guidelines this skillakash-network/node1.1k22 repos~577Automated safety check: PassMIT
Component Refactoringlangflow-ai/langflow156k—~3.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Migrate Core Code to Submodulestinyhumansai/openhuman42k—~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Systematic Code Refactoringluongnv89/claude-howto42k—~3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Codexskills-directory/skill-codex1.5k3 repos~1.8kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
PonytailDavidObando/gsharp5658 repos~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Categories

Questions about Guidelines

What does Guidelines do?

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. An agent skill from akash-network/node. Guidelines is an agent skill from akash-network/node. Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes.

When should I use Guidelines?

Guidelines fits situations like: refactoring code to avoid overcomplication; make surgical changes; surface assumptions; define verifiable success criteria.

How do I install Guidelines in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add akash-network/node --skill guidelines -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/guidelines in akash-network/node) into .claude/skills/guidelines in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Guidelines in Codex?

Run `npx skills add akash-network/node --skill guidelines -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/guidelines in akash-network/node) into .agents/skills/guidelines in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Guidelines in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add akash-network/node --skill guidelines -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/guidelines, .gemini/skills/guidelines, .github/skills/guidelines and .opencode/skills/guidelines in your project.

What does Guidelines need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Guidelines is instructions for the agent only.

Does Guidelines access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Guidelines safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Guidelines use?

Guidelines is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Guidelines use?

About 577 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Guidelines?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Guidelines: Component Refactoring (langflow-ai/langflow, 156k stars), Migrate Core Code to Submodules (tinyhumansai/openhuman, 42k stars), Systematic Code Refactoring (luongnv89/claude-howto, 42k stars) and Codex (skills-directory/skill-codex, 1.5k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Guidelines?

akash-network (a GitHub organization) maintains it in akash-network/node, which has 1,116 GitHub stars. The repository holds 4 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.

Source: akash-network/node on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.