AI agent skill · by @michael-denyer

Principle Redesign From First Principles

Apply when integrating a new requirement into an existing design. Redesign as if the requirement had been a foundational assumption from day one, instead of bolting it on.

Archived 2026-10-23 · Source updated 2026-10-04 · License: MIT. Check the original repository for the latest version.

SKILL.md instructions

# Redesign From First Principles

When integrating a change, don't bolt it onto the existing design. Redesign as if the requirement had been there from the start.

- Read all affected files and understand the current design
- Ask: "if we were writing this from scratch with this new requirement, what would we build?"
- Propagate the change through every reference: types, docs, examples, rationale sections
- Think about the whole redesign, then deliver it incrementally

This is the method for preserving option value when integrating changes into an existing design.