Instruction file imported from yuviz-ai/yuviz (.cursor/rules/core.mdc). Copyright stays with the author.

Core engineering

Read CURSOR.md before non-trivial work. Codebase wins over docs if they disagree.

Flow

UNDERSTAND → PLAN → IMPLEMENT → VERIFY → REVIEW

Small fixes: skip long plans; inspect callers, change, verify.
Larger changes: inspect existing implementation first, brief plan, then implement.
Multi-stage features: use the SDLC skills (/sdlc-new …) — see .cursor/README.md.
Never start editing without reading the code you are changing.

Be short, direct, actionable. No restating the request, no lecture, no long summaries.

Completed work — a few bullets:

Minimize shell narration; batch related checks; don't paste command output unless needed.

Match existing naming, formatting, module layout, and patterns exactly.
Reuse libs/* and existing service helpers; no new dependencies without need.
No unrelated refactors or “cleaner” rewrites of working systems.
Inspect callers before changing shared functions; inspect schema/tests before behavior changes.
Efficient by default (avoid redundant passes/copies). No unused imports/vars/dead branches.
Don't introduce a variable used once with no clarity benefit — inline it.
Extract duplicated logic only when it already fits an existing abstraction pattern.

Prefer code that needs little explanation. Comments are for non-obvious why, not narration of what.

Do not add comments that restate the next line, walk through control flow, or cite design docs at length.
Keep necessary comments to 1–2 lines. Delete essay comments when touching that code.
On implement and review: strip comment bloat from the change before finishing.
Docstrings: one short purpose line (two if a contract is truly subtle). No multi-paragraph essays on new or edited APIs.

Inspect the diff before finishing; no debug leftovers or secrets.
Never commit or push. Stop when ready; ask the user to review and run commit/push themselves.
Never rewrite history or force-push.
Attribution: do not add or mention Cursor, AI, Copilot, or similar as author, co-author, contributor, or collaborator in commits, PRs, or any Git metadata (Co-authored-by, committer identity, PR body, etc.).