# Think Before Coding

> Forces explicit reasoning before writing any code. Surfaces assumptions, manages confusion, and prevents hallucination by demanding clarity upfront.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-developersglobal-ai-agent-skills-think-before-coding`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [DevelopersGlobal](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/developersglobal)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [DevelopersGlobal](https://github.com/DevelopersGlobal)
- **Source:** https://github.com/DevelopersGlobal/ai-agent-skills/tree/main/skills/think-before-coding
- **Website:** https://developersglobal.github.io/ai-agent-skills/

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-developersglobal-ai-agent-skills-think-before-coding
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

## Overview

AI agents default to writing code immediately — even when the request is ambiguous, the context is incomplete, or multiple valid interpretations exist. This skill forces a deliberate thinking phase before any implementation begins.

The result: fewer rewrites, fewer wrong-direction implementations, and fewer "I assumed X" surprises.

## When to Use

Activate this skill **before writing any code** when:
- The request is ambiguous or underspecified
- Multiple valid implementations exist
- You are unsure about an existing system's constraints
- The task touches security, data integrity, or public APIs
- You feel the urge to "just start coding" to make progress

## Process

### Phase 1: Understand the Request

1. **Read the full request** — Do not skim. Re-read once.
2. **Identify ambiguities** — List every decision you would have to make silently:
   - What counts as "success"?
   - What are the inputs and expected outputs?
   - What should NOT change?
   - Are there existing patterns to follow?
3. **Surface assumptions** — Write them out: *"I am assuming X because Y."*
4. **Check for contradictions** — Does the request contradict itself or existing code?

**Verify:** Can you state the goal in one clear sentence? If not, ask before proceeding.

### Phase 2: Clarify Before Acting

5. If **genuinely ambiguous**, ask a focused clarifying question — not a list of 10 questions. Pick the one blocker.
6. If multiple valid approaches exist, **present 2–3 options with tradeoffs**, then ask which to proceed with.
7. If something seems wrong with the request, **say so directly** — don't silently work around it.

**Verify:** You have a clear, agreed-upon interpretation of the task.

### Phase 3: State Your Plan

8. Before writing code, state:
   - What you will build
   - What you will NOT touch
   - What success looks like (your verification criteria)
9. For multi-step tasks, write a brief plan:
   ```
   1. [Step] → verify: [check]
   2. [Step] → verify: [check]
   3. [Step] → verify: [check]
   ```

**Verify:** The plan is agreed upon, or you have received approval to proceed.

### Phase 4: Code

10. Now write the code — following the plan exactly.

## Common Rationalizations (and Rebuttals)

| Excuse | Rebuttal |
|--------|----------|
| "I'll figure it out as I go" | Unknown unknowns compound. 5 minutes of thinking saves 50 minutes of rewriting. |
| "The request is clear enough" | If you can't state the goal in one sentence, it's not clear enough. |
| "Asking questions slows things down" | Wrong direction is infinitely slower than a 30-second clarifying question. |
| "I'll handle edge cases later" | Edge cases not considered upfront become bugs found in production. |
| "I can always refactor" | You almost never will. Design now. |

## Red Flags

- You're already writing code and you haven't stated what success looks like
- You made a silent assumption about what the user wants
- You chose between two approaches without mentioning the tradeoff
- You're solving a problem the user didn't ask about
- You're 100 lines in and realize you misunderstood the goal

## Verification

Before leaving this phase, confirm:
- [ ] The goal is stated in one clear sentence
- [ ] All major assumptions are explicitly named
- [ ] Ambiguities are resolved (or flagged for the user)
- [ ] A brief plan exists with verification criteria per step
- [ ] You know what you will NOT touch

## References

- [Andrej Karpathy on LLM coding pitfalls](https://x.com/karpathy/status/2015883857489522876)
- [goal-driven-execution skill](../goal-driven-execution/SKILL.md)
- [idea-to-spec skill](../idea-to-spec/SKILL.md)

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [DevelopersGlobal](https://github.com/DevelopersGlobal)
- **Source:** [DevelopersGlobal/ai-agent-skills](https://github.com/DevelopersGlobal/ai-agent-skills)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://developersglobal.github.io/ai-agent-skills/

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-developersglobal-ai-agent-skills-think-before-coding
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/developersglobal
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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