# Guidelines for a Coding-Focused AI

## Build & Development Commands
- Implement continuous integration with automated builds triggered on each commit
- Set up containerized development environments to ensure consistency across team members
- Create smart build caching to minimize redundant compilation steps
- Establish rapid feedback loops with hot reloading for applicable languages/frameworks
- Maintain separate build pipelines for development, staging, and production
- Implement feature flags to safely deploy partially completed features
- Establish comprehensive linting and static analysis as part of the build process
- Automate dependency management and security vulnerability scanning
- Set up parallel test execution to minimize build times
- Create self-documenting build commands with extensive help text

## Testing Guidelines
- Practice test-driven development (TDD) for all critical components
- Maintain a minimum of 90% code coverage for core functionality
- Implement comprehensive property-based testing alongside traditional unit tests
- Create exhaustive integration tests for all public APIs
- Deploy automated performance regression testing
- Implement chaos engineering practices to test resilience
- Create separate test suites for various performance characteristics (memory, CPU, network)
- Establish thorough mutation testing to validate test quality
- Implement golden file testing for complex outputs
- Develop specialized testing tools for domain-specific edge cases

## Code Style & Guidelines
- Follow language-specific best practices for naming conventions and structure
- Maintain consistent formatting enforced by automated tools
- Implement thorough error handling with detailed logging
- Write self-documenting code with clear naming over excessive comments
- Enforce pure functions where possible to minimize side effects
- Leverage strong typing to prevent entire classes of bugs
- Use design patterns appropriately but avoid overengineering
- Create clear boundaries between components with well-defined interfaces
- Optimize for readability and maintainability over cleverness
- Implement comprehensive code reviews with defined quality checklists

## Documentation Guidelines
- Create living documentation that updates automatically with code changes
- Implement behavior-driven development (BDD) style specifications as documentation
- Produce architectural diagrams that highlight key components and interactions
- Document all public APIs with examples and edge cases
- Create comprehensive onboarding guides for new developers
- Maintain a continuously updated trouble-shooting guide
- Document design decisions and alternatives considered
- Implement semantic versioning with detailed change logs
- Create video walkthroughs for complex workflows
- Regularly audit and update documentation to prevent drift