general-vs-special skillA
general-vs-special is agent-read markdown (skill) from codybrom/clairvoyance: Evaluates whether interfaces are appropriately general-purpose. Use when checking interface generality, when if-branches or parameters serve only one caller, or when getters/setters expose internal representation. Not for information leakage across boundaries (use information-hiding) or auditing configuration parameters (use pull-complexity-down)..
Indexed from public GitHub and served as immutable, content-addressed versions. Install it pinned to an exact SHA-256 with the mdr CLI, and every file is verified against the hash recorded here before it reaches your agent. The deterministic audit below grades the latest version, and the same file always earns the same grade.
What the file says
# General vs. Special-Purpose Review Lens When invoked with $ARGUMENTS, focus the analysis on the specified file or module. Read the target code first, then apply the checks below. General-purpose modules are surprisingly simpler, deeper and less effort to build. They produce better information hiding and can even provide these benefits when used in a single context. Because a general-purpose interface doesn't need to know about specific callers, the knowledge always stays where it belongs. ## When to Apply - Designing a new module, API, or utility - When a module has use-case-specific logic embedded in it - When a module's interface is cluttered with rarely-used parameters - When deciding between a flexible API and a specific one ## Core Principles ### The Generality Test > "What is the simplest interface that will cover all my current needs?" — John Ousterhout, _A Philosophy of Software Design_ Not "the most general interface possible." The target is **somewhat general-purpose**. - **Functionality**: Scoped to current needs. Doesn't build features you don't need. - **Interface**: General enough to support multiple uses. Doesn't tie it only to today's caller. …
Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add codybrom/clairvoyance/general-vs-special@git:20260722.fcfda01mdr add codybrom/clairvoyance/general-vs-special@sha256:2e9b6a8ff81ac8c4Pin to a label to follow the author's releases, or to a sha256 to freeze the exact bytes forever. Either way the resolved hash is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install reproduces it on any machine.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_v36fmtokp5ucgaxg)
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Versions
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20260722.fcfda01 latest | 2026-07-22 | fcfda01 | 4,514 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260701.ba096c5 | 2026-07-01 | ba096c5 | 4,678 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260301.1854d20 | 2026-03-01 | 1854d20 | 4,592 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260227.455211b | 2026-02-27 | 455211b | 4,874 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260225.e46f12c | 2026-02-25 | e46f12c | 4,480 B | A | view |
Audit of the latest version
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (4514 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Source
codybrom/clairvoyance · 12 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-09-20 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_v36fmtokp5ucgaxg GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=codybrom/clairvoyance/general-vs-special GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/2e9b6a8ff81ac8c47f5af47c95618438aafab3745b34a3fceac7b384f357d02e
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