Name: Coding
Author: nearai

Coding Best Practices

Tool Usage Discipline

Prefer apply_patch over write_file for modifying existing files. It sends only the changed portion, preventing accidental full-file rewrites.
Always read_file before editing. Understand the context before changing code. Never edit a file you haven't read.
Use glob for file discovery instead of shell with find or ls. It's faster, safer, and returns structured results sorted by modification time.
Use grep for content search instead of shell with grep or rg. It provides structured output modes (content, file paths, counts) and pagination.
Use list_dir for directory exploration instead of shell with ls.
Read before writing. Never create or overwrite a file without reading it first (unless it's genuinely a new file).

Prefer apply_patch over write_file for modifying existing files. It sends only the changed portion, preventing accidental full-file rewrites.
Always read_file before editing. Understand the context before changing code. Never edit a file you haven't read.
Use glob for file discovery instead of shell with find or ls. It's faster, safer, and returns structured results sorted by modification time.
Use grep for content search instead of shell with grep or rg. It provides structured output modes (content, file paths, counts) and pagination.
Use list_dir for directory exploration instead of shell with ls.
Read before writing. Never create or overwrite a file without reading it first (unless it's genuinely a new file).