Moyu
sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills
Anti-over-engineering guardrail that activates when an AI coding agent expands scope, adds abstractions, or changes files the user did not request.
The engineering bar for this repo — rebuild from first principles rather than patching, the simplicity ladder, what must never be simplified away, and the one-runnable-check rule.
Install Engineering Taste
$ npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install overmind-core/overmind engineering-taste --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/engineering-taste .claude/skills/engineering-taste && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "engineering-taste" agent skill from https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind/tree/main/.agents/skills/engineering-taste into .claude/skills/engineering-taste/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-taste", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind/tree/main/.agents/skills/engineering-tasteType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install overmind-core/overmind engineering-taste --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/engineering-taste .agents/skills/engineering-taste && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "engineering-taste" agent skill from https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind/tree/main/.agents/skills/engineering-taste into .agents/skills/engineering-taste/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-taste", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install overmind-core/overmind engineering-taste --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/engineering-taste .cursor/skills/engineering-taste && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "engineering-taste" agent skill from https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind/tree/main/.agents/skills/engineering-taste into .cursor/skills/engineering-taste/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-taste", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind.git --path .agents/skills/engineering-taste--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install overmind-core/overmind engineering-taste --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/engineering-taste .gemini/skills/engineering-taste && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "engineering-taste" agent skill from https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind/tree/main/.agents/skills/engineering-taste into .gemini/skills/engineering-taste/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-taste", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install overmind-core/overmind engineering-tasteInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/engineering-taste .github/skills/engineering-taste && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "engineering-taste" agent skill from https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind/tree/main/.agents/skills/engineering-taste into .github/skills/engineering-taste/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-taste", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install overmind-core/overmind engineering-taste --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/engineering-taste .opencode/skills/engineering-taste && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "engineering-taste" agent skill from https://github.com/overmind-core/overmind/tree/main/.agents/skills/engineering-taste into .opencode/skills/engineering-taste/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "engineering-taste", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
engineering-taste- GitHub stars
- 544
- Token cost
- ~810 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 467 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 20
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0
At a glance
The engineering bar for this repo — rebuild from first principles rather than patching, the simplicity ladder, what must never be simplified away, and the one-runnable-check rule.
- Works in 6 steps: Does this need to be built at all? → Does the standard library already do it?… → Does a native platform feature cover it?… → …
- Designing a change
- SKILL.md covers Default to rebuilding, not…, The ladder, Rules and Blast radius is part of the work, plus 3 more sections
- Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md
What it does
Engineering Taste is an agent skill from overmind-core/overmind. The engineering bar for this repo — rebuild from first principles rather than patching, the simplicity ladder, what must never be simplified away, and the one-runnable-check rule. Use when designing a change, choosing between approaches, adding a dependency or abstraction, deciding whether to keep a legacy path, or reviewing for over-engineering.
Its SKILL.md is about 810 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 AI & LLM Engineering, covering Code simplification. The repository describes itself as: The platform for continuously improving AI agents. The licence is AGPL-3.0.
When your agent uses it
- Designing a change
- Choosing between approaches
- Adding a dependency
- Deciding whether to keep a legacy path
Example prompts
- “/engineering-taste”
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Does this need to be built at all?
- Does the standard library already do it? Use it.
- Does a native platform feature cover it? Use it.
- Does an already-installed dependency solve it? Use it.
- Can it be one line? Make it one line.
- Only then: write the minimum code that works.
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 2c65378. 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
Engineering Taste loads about 810 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 92 tokens; SKILL.md has 467 words of instructions outside code blocks.
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 overmind-core/overmind at commit 2c65378, republished under its AGPL-3.0 licence (© overmind-core). 467 words, ~810 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/engineering-taste/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).- name
- engineering-taste
- description
- The engineering bar for this repo — rebuild from first principles rather than patching, the simplicity ladder, what must never be simplified away, and the one-runnable-check rule. Use when designing a change, choosing between approaches, adding a dependency or abstraction, deciding whether to keep a legacy path, or reviewing for over-engineering.
Engineering taste
Efficient, not careless. The best code is the code never written.
Default to rebuilding, not patching
The platform has no real users yet. A request to change something is a request to
build it the right way from first principles — not to add a tweak beside the wrong
shape. Core code logic and tests owe nothing to backwards compatibility in almost
every case: delete the old path rather than keeping it alive behind a flag, a
shim, an _v2 name, or an "if legacy" branch.
Two things do carry forward, because production and staging hold real state:
- Migrations. Schema changes ship as migrations that run cleanly against the deployed databases.
- Anything explicitly called out as needing a transition.
The codebase is already bloaty. A change that leaves both the old and the new way standing has made it worse, however small the diff looked. Removing the old path is part of the change, not a follow-up.
The ladder
Before writing any code, stop at the first rung that holds:
- Does this need to be built at all?
- Does the standard library already do it? Use it.
- Does a native platform feature cover it? Use it.
- Does an already-installed dependency solve it? Use it.
- Can it be one line? Make it one line.
- Only then: write the minimum code that works.
Rules
- No abstractions that weren't explicitly requested.
- No new dependency if it can be avoided.
- No boilerplate nobody asked for.
- Deletion over addition. Boring over clever. Fewest files possible.
- Question complex requests: "Do you actually need X, or does Y cover it?"
- When two approaches are the same size, take the edge-case-correct one. Less code, not the flimsier algorithm.
Show full SKILL.md (180 more words)Show less
Blast radius is part of the work
A change is finished when every surface that reflects it has been updated, not when the vertical it started in compiles. Before calling anything done, check what else reads the thing you changed — the pr-etiquette skill lists the specific surfaces that get missed here.
Never simplify away
Input validation at trust boundaries. Error handling that prevents data loss. Security. Accessibility. The calibration real hardware needs — the platform is never the spec ideal, a clock drifts, a sensor reads off. Anything explicitly requested.
Verify behavior
Follow the testing policy in AGENTS.md. Non-trivial logic needs runnable behavior verification; use the existing E2E flow and record its artifact. Do not create a per-function test or self-check merely because code was added.
Naming a ceiling
A deliberate shortcut with a known limit — a global lock, an O(n²) scan, a naive heuristic, a fixed page cap — is worth one comment, and only if it names both the ceiling and the upgrade path. A shortcut with no ceiling to name needs no comment at all. See the code-comments skill.
© overmind-core, AGPL-3.0. 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/engineering-taste of overmind-core/overmind.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 2c65378
Compare with similar skills
Engineering Taste 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.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Taste this skillovermind-core/overmind | 544 | — | ~810 | Automated safety check: Pass | AGPL-3.0 | |
| Moyusickn33/agentic-awesome-skills | 47k | 2 repos | ~2.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| PonytailDavidObando/gsharp | 564 | 8 repos | ~1.7k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Ponytail Reviewkortix-ai/suna | 20k | 4 repos | ~593 | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Code Simplification for ego-litecitrolabs/ego-lite | 17k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Azure AI Projects Python SDKmicrosoft/skills | 3.1k | 6 repos | ~2.8k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Categories
Questions about Engineering Taste
What does Engineering Taste do?
The engineering bar for this repo — rebuild from first principles rather than patching, the simplicity ladder, what must never be simplified away, and the one-runnable-check rule. Engineering Taste is an agent skill from overmind-core/overmind. The engineering bar for this repo — rebuild from first principles rather than patching, the simplicity ladder, what must never be simplified away, and the one-runnable-check rule.
When should I use Engineering Taste?
Engineering Taste fits situations like: designing a change; choosing between approaches; adding a dependency; deciding whether to keep a legacy path.
How do I install Engineering Taste in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/engineering-taste in overmind-core/overmind) into .claude/skills/engineering-taste in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Engineering Taste in Codex?
Run `npx skills add overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/engineering-taste in overmind-core/overmind) into .agents/skills/engineering-taste in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Engineering Taste 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 overmind-core/overmind --skill engineering-taste -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/engineering-taste, .gemini/skills/engineering-taste, .github/skills/engineering-taste and .opencode/skills/engineering-taste in your project.
What does Engineering Taste need to run?
SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Engineering Taste is instructions for the agent only.
Does Engineering Taste 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 Engineering Taste 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 Engineering Taste use?
Engineering Taste is published under the AGPL-3.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Engineering Taste use?
About 810 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k 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 Engineering Taste?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Engineering Taste: Moyu (sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, 47k stars), Ponytail (DavidObando/gsharp, 564 stars), Ponytail Review (kortix-ai/suna, 20k stars) and Code Simplification for ego-lite (citrolabs/ego-lite, 17k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Engineering Taste?
overmind-core (a GitHub organization) maintains it in overmind-core/overmind, which has 544 GitHub stars. The repository holds 20 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 6, 2026.
Source: overmind-core/overmind on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.