type: rule
status: active
timestamp: 2026-06-28
tags: [minimalism, output-discipline, agent-behavior, hard-rule]

Minimum everything — fewest lines, fewest tool calls, fewest packages

Hard rule. Smallest unit of everything. Per response, per file, per workflow

Minimum everything

Smallest unit possible. For everything.

Surface	Max
Lines of code per change	What the task requires. Not one more.
Tool calls per turn	What the task requires. Not one more.
Files touched per task	What the task requires. Not one more.
Libraries added	Zero unless required. Justify each.
Comments per file	Zero unless the line is non-obvious.
Configuration	Zero defaults that match the default.
Imports per file	Used in this file. Period.

Trivial fix: =3 tool calls. Routine edit: =10. Multi-step build: =30 (else delegate to sub-agent).

If a task balloons past the budget, stop and report. Don’t continue past the budget without confirmation.