git:20261003.a632f62 to git:20261011.042ae70
1 added, 4 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: principle-subtract-before-you-add
description: "Apply when sequencing an addition, refactor, or rewrite. Remove dead code, redundant validators, and stub references first, then build on the simpler base."
---
# Subtract Before You Add
- When evolving a system, remove complexity first, then build.
-
- **Why:** Adding to a complex system compounds complexity. Removing first leaves less code, reveals the essential structure, and usually makes the next design obvious. Default to subtraction.
+ When evolving a system, remove complexity first, then build. Default to subtraction.
Make simplification a continual investment. Leave the design slightly simpler and more capable behind the same or smaller surface than you found it.
- **The pattern:**
- Sequence removal before construction
- Cut before you polish (get to the minimum before investing in quality)
- Design for observed usage, not speculative edge cases
- No speculative validators, parsers, or guards beyond what the spec demands
- Simplify prompts (remove redundant instructions, excessive templates)
- When a reference has no novel content, delete it rather than leaving a stub