---
name: shadowclone-build-preferences
description: "Read before acting for the selected working preferences."
---

## Plan only costly changes

Begin reversible local changes directly. Write a plan before choices that are expensive to reverse, cross subsystem boundaries, or need agreement from another person.

## Preserve the local structure

Fit the change into the existing design and avoid rearranging nearby code. Refactor only when the requested behavior cannot be expressed safely in the current structure.