Apply Code Conventions

Apply Code Conventions

Style source of truth: Style and formatting defer to the project's configured linter(s). This skill adds non-style behavior and architecture guidance only. For Hotwire + Tailwind specifics, see apply-stack-conventions.

Quick Reference

| Topic | Rule | |-------|------| | Principles | DRY, YAGNI, PORO where it helps, CoC, KISS | | Comments / tags | Explain why; tagged notes need actionable context | | Logging | First arg: static string; second arg: hash with event: key; no interpolation; backtrace on errors | | Deep stacks | Chain apply-stack-conventions → domain skills (services, jobs, RSpec) |

HARD-GATE

TESTS GATE IMPLEMENTATION:
When this skill guides new behavior, the tests gate still applies:
PRD → TASKS → TEST (write, run, fail) → IMPLEMENTATION → …
No implementation code before a failing test. See write-tests.

Core Process

When reviewing or refactoring Rails code, follow this sequence. Each step maps to a required checkpoint in your output.

1. Run linter — Detect config (e.g. .rubocop.yml or .standard.yml), run the appropriate tool, note absence if none found. Output: linter detected (or absent); style defers to it.
2. Apply area-specific rules — Check path patterns and apply targeted guidance from the Apply by area table. Output: concrete per-path recommendations for every relevant changed file.
3. Verify tests gate — Confirm failing tests exist before any new behavior. Output: failing spec, run command, expected failure, minimal implementation step, passing rerun.
4. Enforce structured logging — Ensure all Rails.logger calls use static strings + structured hashes with an event: key, plus backtrace for errors. Output: apply structured logging rules from Sub-Rules below.
5. Enforce comment discipline — Ensure all tags (TODO:, FIXME:) have actionable context (owner, ticket). Output: apply comment discipline rules from Sub-Rules below.
6. Chain to specialised skills — Use the Integration table to pull in deeper guidance (security, jobs, specs) as needed.

> Language: English unless explicitly requested otherwise.

Sub-Rules

Comments and tagged notes

Comment why, not what. Tags — TODO: / FIXME: / HACK: / NOTE: / OPTIMIZE: — must carry actionable context (owner, ticket, next step). Naked tags fail review.

# BAD — naked tag, no context
# TODO: fix this

# GOOD — TODO with next step + dependency
# TODO(jsmith, JIRA-1234): replace TIER_RATES with DB-backed lookup once billing API v2 is stable.

Structured Logging

MANDATORY SHAPE — every Rails.logger.* call uses exactly two positional arguments.

Rails.logger.(static_string_message, { event: "dot.namespaced", ...domain_fields })

# GOOD — error path with backtrace
rescue StandardError => e
  Rails.logger.error("order.processing_failed", {
    event: "order.processing_failed",
    error: e.message,
    backtrace: e.backtrace.first(5).join("\n")
  })
  raise
end

• 1st arg (string): static string literal.
• 2nd arg (hash): first key is always event:.

Apply by area (path patterns)

| Area | Path pattern | Guidance | |------|--------------|----------| | ActiveRecord performance | app/models/**/*.rb | Eager load in loops; prefer pluck / exists? / find_each. | | Controllers | app/controllers/**/*_controller.rb | Strong params; thin actions → services; IDOR / PII → security-check. | | RSpec | spec/**/*_spec.rb | FactoryBot; let > let! unless eager setup required. | | Service objects | app/services/**/*.rb | Single responsibility; .call / injected deps. | | Background jobs | app/jobs/**/*.rb / app/workers/**/*.rb | Idempotency, retries, queue choice, and side-effect boundaries → implement-background-job. |

RSpec and let_it_be (test-prof)

Only recommend let_it_be if test-prof is already in Gemfile.lock. Otherwise default to let; reach for let! only when lazy evaluation would break the example. Don't introduce test-prof unless asked.

Extended Resources (Progressive Disclosure)

Load these files only when their specific content is needed:

• [assets/checklist.md](assets/checklist.md) — Use for detailed code review checklists.
• [assets/snippets.md](assets/snippets.md) — Use for quick code snippets of common patterns.

Document which assets were loaded and why in your output so the process is verifiable.

Integration

| Skill | When to chain | |-------|---------------| | apply-stack-conventions | Stack-specific: PostgreSQL, Hotwire, Tailwind | | model-domain | When domain concepts and invariants need clearer Rails-first modeling choices | | create-service-object | Implementing or refining service objects | | implement-background-job | Workers, queues, retries, idempotency | | write-tests | Spec style, tests gate (red/green/refactor), request vs controller specs | | security-check | Controllers, params, IDOR, PII | | code-review | Full PR pass before merge |

Source & license

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

• Author: igmarin
• Source: igmarin/rails-agent-skills
• License: MIT

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