Standards Skill
Language-specific coding standards loaded on-demand by other skills.
Purpose
This is a library skill - it doesn't run standalone but provides standards references that other skills load based on file types being processed.
Standards Available
| Standard | Reference | Loaded By |
|---|---|---|
| Skill Structure | references/skill-structure.md | vibe (skill audits), doc (skill creation) |
| Python | references/python.md | vibe, implement, complexity |
| Go | references/go.md | vibe, implement, complexity |
| Rust | references/rust.md | vibe, implement, complexity |
| TypeScript | references/typescript.md | vibe, implement |
| Shell | references/shell.md | vibe, implement |
| YAML | references/yaml.md | vibe |
| JSON | references/json.md | vibe |
| Markdown | references/markdown.md | vibe, doc |
| SQL Safety | references/sql-safety-checklist.md | vibe, pre-mortem (when DB code detected) |
| LLM Trust Boundaries | references/llm-trust-boundary-checklist.md | vibe, pre-mortem (when LLM code detected) |
| Race Conditions | references/race-condition-checklist.md | vibe, pre-mortem (when concurrent code detected) |
| Codex Skills | references/codex-skill.md | vibe (when skills-codex/ or converter files detected) |
| Test Pyramid | references/test-pyramid.md | plan, pre-mortem, implement, crank, validation, post-mortem |
How It Works
Skills declare standards as a dependency:
skills:
- standards
Then load the appropriate reference based on file type:
# Pseudo-code for standard loading
if file.endswith('.py'):
load('standards/references/python.md')
elif file.endswith('.go'):
load('standards/references/go.md')
elif file.endswith('.rs'):
load('standards/references/rust.md')
# etc.
Domain-Specific Checklists
Specialized checklists for high-risk code patterns. Loaded automatically by /vibe and /pre-mortem when matching code patterns are detected:
| Checklist | Trigger Pattern | Risk Area |
|---|---|---|
sql-safety-checklist.md | SQL queries, ORM calls, migration files, database/sql, sqlalchemy, prisma | Injection, migration safety, N+1, transactions |
llm-trust-boundary-checklist.md | anthropic, openai imports, prompt templates, *llm*/*prompt* files | Prompt injection, output validation, cost control |
race-condition-checklist.md | Goroutines, threads, asyncio, sync.Mutex, shared file I/O | Shared state, file races, database races |
codex-skill.md | Files under skills-codex/, convert.sh, skills-codex-overrides/ | Codex API conformance, prohibited primitives, tool mapping |
Skills detect triggers via file content patterns and import statements. Each checklist's "When to Apply" section defines exact detection rules.
Deep Standards
For comprehensive audits, skills can load extended standards from
vibe/references/*-standards.md which contain full compliance catalogs.
| Standard | Size | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (this skill) | ~5KB each | Normal validation |
| Tier 2 (vibe/references) | ~15-20KB each | Deep audits, --deep flag |
| Domain checklists | ~3-5KB each | Triggered by code pattern detection |
Integration
Skills that use standards:
/vibe- Loads based on changed file types/implement- Loads for files being modified/doc- Loads markdown standards/bug-hunt- Loads for root cause analysis/complexity- Loads for refactoring recommendations
Examples
Vibe Loads Python Standards
User says: /vibe (detects changed Python files)
What happens:
- Vibe skill checks git diff for file types
- Vibe finds
auth.pyin changeset - Vibe loads
standards/references/python.mdautomatically - Vibe validates against Python standards (type hints, docstrings, error handling)
- Vibe reports findings with standard references
Result: Python code validated against language-specific standards without manual reference loading.
Implement Loads Go Standards
User says: /implement ag-xyz-123 (issue modifies Go files)
What happens:
- Implement skill reads issue metadata to identify file targets
- Implement finds
server.goin implementation scope - Implement loads
standards/references/go.mdfor context - Implement writes code following Go standards (error handling, naming, package structure)
- Implement validates output against loaded standards before committing
Result: Go code generated conforming to standards, reducing post-implementation vibe findings.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Standards not loaded | File type not detected or standards skill missing | Check file extension matches reference; verify standards in dependencies |
| Wrong standard loaded | File type misidentified (e.g., .sh as .bash) | Manually specify standard; update file type detection logic |
| Deep standards missing | Vibe needs extended catalog, not found | Check vibe/references/*-standards.md exists; use --deep flag |
| Standard conflicts | Multiple languages in same changeset | Load all relevant standards; prioritize by primary language |
Reference Documents
- references/common-standards.md
- references/examples-troubleshooting-template.md
- references/go.md
- references/json.md
- references/markdown.md
- references/python.md
- references/rust.md
- references/shell.md
- references/skill-structure.md
- references/standards-index.md
- references/typescript.md
- references/sql-safety-checklist.md
- references/llm-trust-boundary-checklist.md
- references/race-condition-checklist.md
- references/codex-skill.md
- references/test-pyramid.md
- references/yaml.md