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Principle Subtract Before You Add Skill for Claude

by michael-denyer

Apply when sequencing an addition, refactor, or rewrite. Remove dead code, redundant validators, and stub references first, then build on the simpler base.

271 tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
255
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository 
npx skills add https://github.com/michael-denyer/pstack-claude --skill principle-subtract-before-you-add

The instruction itself

1 sections, as written by the author

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.

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

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take michael-denyer/principle-subtract-before-you-add from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.