pstack/skills/principle-exhaust-the-design-space/SKILL.md
Apply when facing a novel UI interaction or architectural decision with no precedent in the codebase. Build 2-3 competing prototypes and compare side by side before committing.
npx skillsauth add cursor/plugins principle-exhaust-the-design-spaceInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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When a novel interaction or architectural decision has no established precedent, explore several concrete alternatives before implementation. Building the wrong thing costs more than exploring three options.
The rule: When the right answer is not obvious, build 2-3 competing prototypes or sketches. Compare them side by side. Only then commit.
When it applies:
When it doesn't:
development
Apply when you catch yourself writing the same instruction a second time, or notice a recurring correction. Encode the rule as a lint, metadata flag, runtime check, or script instead of more text.
tools
Apply to any non-trivial work, not just bulk work: edits, migrations, analyses, checks. Build the tool that does it or proves it (codemod, script, generator, or a skill your subagents follow) instead of working by hand. The tool is the artifact a reviewer can rerun.
tools
Use for 'why does X work this way', 'why we picked Y', design rationale, regressions, postmortems, or data-backed thresholds. Discovers available MCPs and queries each evidence category (source control, issue tracker, long-form docs, real-time chat, infrastructure observability, error tracking, product analytics warehouse) in parallel, then returns a cited read on decisions and tradeoffs. Use how for runtime behavior.
data-ai
Cut AI tells from any writing. Must always apply.