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boy-scout-rule

Use when modifying existing files, refactoring, improving code quality, or touching legacy code by applying the Boy Scout Rule to leave code better than you found it.

allowed_tools: Read, Edit, Grep, Bash

$ 安裝

git clone https://github.com/TheBushidoCollective/han /tmp/han && cp -r /tmp/han/core/skills/boy-scout-rule ~/.claude/skills/han

// tip: Run this command in your terminal to install the skill

SKILL.md

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name: boy-scout-rule description: Use when modifying existing files, refactoring, improving code quality, or touching legacy code by applying the Boy Scout Rule to leave code better than you found it. allowed-tools:

Read
Edit
Grep
Bash

Boy Scout Rule

"Leave the campground cleaner than you found it."

Always leave code better than you found it. Make incremental improvements when you touch a file.

What to Improve

Code Quality:

Remove dead code (commented blocks, unused functions)
Fix linting issues in files you touch
Improve unclear naming (x, temp, data → descriptive)
Add type annotations (TypeScript/Elixir @spec)
Extract magic numbers to named constants
Simplify complex logic
Add missing error handling
Update outdated comments
Fix formatting
Remove unused imports/variables
Consolidate duplication

What NOT to Do

❌ Massive unrelated refactors
❌ Change behavior without tests
❌ Fix everything in the file (stay focused)
❌ Breaking changes without tests
❌ Premature optimization
❌ Change unrelated sections

Process

Before changes: Read file, note obvious issues, run linter
Make primary changes: Implement feature/fix, write tests
Apply improvements: Fix linting, improve naming, add types, extract constants, remove dead code
Run verification: mix lint && mix test or yarn test:lint && yarn ts:check && yarn test
Document: Include boy scout changes in commit message

Example Commit Message

Add worker search filter

- Implement location-based filtering
- Add tests for search radius

Boy Scout improvements:
- Extract SEARCH_RADIUS constant
- Add type annotations to helper functions
- Remove unused import statements
- Improve variable naming in search logic

Example Improvements

Before:

function calculateTotal(items) {  // No types
  let t = 0;  // Poor naming
  for (let i = 0; i < items.length; i++) {  // Old-style
    t += items[i].price * 1.08;  // Magic number
  }
  return t;
}

After:

const TAX_RATE = 1.08;

function calculateTotal(items: Item[]): number {
  return items.reduce((total, item) => {
    return total + (item.price * TAX_RATE);
  }, 0);
}