Enhance README by adding links to skill documentation and clarifying the purpose of feedback loops in AI development

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Matt Pocock
2026-04-28 11:20:15 +01:00
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Developing real applications is hard. Approaches like GSD, BMAD, and Spec-Kit try to help by owning the process. But while doing so, they take away your control and make bugs in the process hard to resolve.
These skills are designed to be small, easy to adapt, and composable. They're based on decades of engineering experience. Hack around with them. Make them your own. Enjoy.
These skills are designed to be small, easy to adapt, and composable. They work with any model. They're based on decades of engineering experience. Hack around with them. Make them your own. Enjoy.
If you want to keep up with changes to these skills, and any new ones I create, you can join ~60,000 other devs on my newsletter:
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ This is just the same in the AI age. There is a communication gap between you an
**The Fix** is to use:
- `/grill-me` - for non-code uses
- `/grill-with-docs` - same as `/grill-me`, but adds more goodies (see below)
- [`/grill-me`](./skills/productivity/grill-me/SKILL.md) - for non-code uses
- [`/grill-with-docs`](./skills/engineering/grill-with-docs/SKILL.md) - same as [`/grill-me`](./skills/productivity/grill-me/SKILL.md), but adds more goodies (see below)
These are my most popular skills. They help you align with the agent before you get started, and think deeply about the change you're making. Use them _every_ time you want to make a change.
@@ -71,12 +71,12 @@ This concision pays off session after session.
</details>
This is built into `/grill-with-docs`. It's a grilling session, but with two extra abilities:
This is built into [`/grill-with-docs`](./skills/engineering/grill-with-docs/SKILL.md). It's a grilling session, but with two extra abilities:
- It interrogates your shared language as you go, saving it in `CONTEXT.md`
- It surfaces hard-to-explain decisions in ADR's (architectural decision records)
It's hard to explain how powerful this is.
It's hard to explain how powerful this is. It might be the single coolest technique in this repo. Try it, and see.
> [!TIP]
> A shared language has many other benefits than reducing verbosity:
@@ -85,6 +85,49 @@ It's hard to explain how powerful this is.
> - As a result, the **codebase is easier to navigate** for the agent
> - The agent also **spends fewer tokens on thinking**, because it has access to a more concise language
### #3: The Code Doesn't Work
> "Always take small, deliberate steps. The rate of feedback is your speed limit. Never take on a task thats too big."
>
> David Thomas & Andrew Hunt, [The Pragmatic Programmer](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pragmatic-Programmer-Anniversary-Journey-Mastery/dp/B0833F1T3V)
**The Problem**: Let's say that you and the agent are aligned on what to build. What happens when the agent _still_ produces crap?
It's time to look at your feedback loops. Without feedback on how the code it produces actually runs, the agent will be flying blind.
**The Fix**: You need the usual tranche of feedback loops: static types, browser access, and automated tests.
For automated tests, a red-green-refactor loop is critical. This is where the agent writes a failing test first, then fixes the test. This helps give the agent a consistent level of feedback that results in far better code.
I've built a **[`/tdd`](./skills/engineering/tdd/SKILL.md) skill** you can slot into any project. It encourages red-green-refactor and gives the agent plenty of guidance on what makes good and bad tests.
For debugging, I've also built a **[`/diagnose`](./skills/engineering/diagnose/SKILL.md)** skill that wraps best debugging practices into a simple loop.
### #4: We Built A Ball Of Mud
> "Invest in the design of the system _every day_."
>
> Kent Beck, [Extreme Programming Explained](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Extreme-Programming-Explained-Embrace-Change/dp/0321278658)
> "The best modules are deep. They allow a lot of functionality to be accessed through a simple interface."
>
> John Ousterhout, [A Philosophy Of Software Design](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Software-Design-2nd/dp/173210221X)
**The Problem**: Most apps built with agents are complex and hard to change. Because agents can radically speed up coding, they also accelerate software entropy. Codebases get more complex at an unprecedented rate.
**The Fix** for this is a radical new approach to AI-powered development: caring about the design of the code.
This is built in to every layer of these skills:
- [`/to-prd`](./skills/engineering/to-prd/SKILL.md) quizzes you about which modules you're touching before creating a PRD
- [`/zoom-out`](./skills/engineering/zoom-out/SKILL.md) tells the agent to explain code in the context of the whole system
And crucially, [`/improve-codebase-architecture`](./skills/engineering/improve-codebase-architecture/SKILL.md) helps you rescue a codebase that has become a ball of mud. I recommend running it on your codebase once every few days.
### Summary
Software engineering fundamentals matter more than ever. These skills are my best effort at condensing these fundamentals into repeatable practices, to help you ship the best apps of your career. Enjoy.
## Reference
### Engineering