Rule of Five — Code
Each pass has ONE job. Re-read the entire artifact through that lens. See references/pass-order-rationale.md for order rationale and convergence details.
Quick Start
Create native tasks for 5 passes with sequential dependencies:
TaskCreate: "Pass 1: Draft"
description: "Shape and structure. Get the outline right. Breadth over depth."
activeForm: "Drafting"
TaskCreate: "Pass 2: Correctness"
description: "Logic, bugs, regressions. Does it work? Did it break anything?"
activeForm: "Checking correctness"
addBlockedBy: [draft-task-id]
TaskCreate: "Pass 3: Clarity"
description: "Comprehension. Can someone unfamiliar understand this? Simplify."
activeForm: "Improving clarity"
addBlockedBy: [correctness-task-id]
TaskCreate: "Pass 4: Edge Cases"
description: "Failure modes. What's missing? What breaks under stress?"
activeForm: "Handling edge cases"
addBlockedBy: [clarity-task-id]
TaskCreate: "Pass 5: Excellence"
description: "Pride. Would you show this to a senior colleague? Polish rough spots."
activeForm: "Polishing"
addBlockedBy: [edge-cases-task-id]
ENFORCEMENT:
- Each pass is blocked until the previous completes
- Cannot commit until all 5 tasks show
status: completed - TaskList shows your progress through the passes
- Skipping passes is visible - blocked tasks can't be marked in_progress
For each pass: re-read the full artifact, evaluate through that lens only, make changes, then mark task complete.
Detection Triggers
Invoke when: >50 lines of code written/modified, new public API/interface/component, complex multi-file refactoring, security-sensitive changes, or about to claim code work "done".
For plans/design docs/skills, use rule-of-five-plans. For tests, use rule-of-five-tests.
Skip for: Single-line fixes, typo corrections, trivial changes under 20 lines.
Announce: "Applying rule-of-five-code to [artifact]. Starting 5-pass review."
The 5 Passes
| Pass | Focus | Exit when... |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Shape and structure. Don't perfect - get the outline right. Breadth over depth. | All major components exist |
| Correctness | Logic, bugs, regressions. Does it work? Did it break anything? | No known errors; no regressions |
| Clarity | Comprehension. Can someone unfamiliar understand this? Simplify. Cut jargon. | A newcomer could follow it |
| Edge Cases | Failure modes. What's missing? What breaks under stress? | Unusual inputs handled |
| Excellence | Pride. Would you show this to a senior colleague? Polish the rough spots. | You'd sign your name to it |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Multiple lenses in one pass | ONE lens per pass. Correctness pass ignores style. |
| Skipping passes on "simple" artifacts | All 5 or none. Choose a different approach for trivial work. |
| Rushing through passes | Each pass: genuinely re-read the full artifact |
| Pass finds nothing to change | That's fine. Move on. Not every pass surfaces issues. |
| Applying to entire codebase | Artifact = the unit you're changing. A function, component, or document--not the whole system. |
| Ignoring consumers when modifying | Grep for usages. Check if callers depend on specific behavior you're changing. |
Modifying Existing Code
Shift Correctness pass: "Did I break anything?" matters more than "Does my addition work?"
Correctness checklist for modifications:
- Does my change work correctly?
- Did I break the code I modified?
- Did I break tests that depend on old behavior?
- Did I break consumers? (Other code that calls/uses what I changed)
See references/modification-checklist.md for interface changes and consumer breakage signs.
Reference Files
references/example-before-after.md: Full before/after code example with findings tablereferences/pass-order-rationale.md: Order rationale, convergence theory, cross-pass issuesreferences/modification-checklist.md: Interface change checklist and consumer breakage signs