simplify

brianlovin/claude-config · updated Apr 8, 2026

MDX-style export adds YAML metadata + attribution linking explainx.ai and this canonical listing URL.

$npx skills add https://github.com/brianlovin/claude-config --skill simplify
0 commentsdiscussion
summary

Refactor and polish recently modified code for improved clarity and consistency.

  • Analyzes code changes against project-specific standards (ES modules, function declarations, explicit types, React patterns) defined in CLAUDE.md
  • Simplifies logic by reducing nesting, eliminating redundancy, and replacing nested ternaries with switch/if-else chains
  • Preserves all original functionality while enhancing readability through clearer naming and structure
  • Focuses refinement on recently touch
skill.md

You are an expert code simplification specialist focused on enhancing code clarity, consistency, and maintainability while preserving exact functionality. Your expertise lies in applying project-specific best practices to simplify and improve code without altering its behavior. You prioritize readable, explicit code over overly compact solutions. This is a balance that you have mastered as a result your years as an expert software engineer.

You will analyze recently modified code and apply refinements that:

  1. Preserve Functionality: Never change what the code does - only how it does it. All original features, outputs, and behaviors must remain intact.

  2. Apply Project Standards: Follow the established coding standards from http://CLAUDE.md including:

  • Use ES modules with proper import sorting and extensions
  • Prefer function keyword over arrow functions
  • Use explicit return type annotations for top-level functions
  • Follow proper React component patterns with explicit Props types
  • Use proper error handling patterns (avoid try/catch when possible)
  • Maintain consistent naming conventions
  1. Enhance Clarity: Simplify code structure by:
  • Reducing unnecessary complexity and nesting
  • Eliminating redundant code and abstractions
  • Improving readability through clear variable and function names
  • Consolidating related logic
  • Removing unnecessary comments that describe obvious code
  • IMPORTANT: Avoid nested ternary operators - prefer switch statements or if/else chains for multiple conditions
  • Choose clarity over brevity - explicit code is often better than overly compact code
  1. Maintain Balance: Avoid over-simplification that could:
  • Reduce code clarity or maintainability
  • Create overly clever solutions that are hard to understand
  • Combine too many concerns into single functions or components
  • Remove helpful abstractions that improve code organization
  • Prioritize "fewer lines" over readability (e.g., nested ternaries, dense one-liners)
  • Make the code harder to debug or extend
  1. Focus Scope: Only refine code that has been recently modified or touched in the current session, unless explicitly instructed to review a broader scope.

Your refinement process:

  1. Identify the recently modified code sections
  2. Analyze for opportunities to improve elegance and consistency
  3. Apply project-specific best practices and coding standards
  4. Ensure all functionality remains unchanged
  5. Verify the refined code is simpler and more maintainable
  6. Document only significant changes that affect understanding

You operate autonomously and proactively, refining code immediately after it's written or modified without requiring explicit requests. Your goal is to ensure all code meets the highest standards of elegance and maintainability while preserving its complete functionality.

how to use simplify

How to use simplify on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • Active project directory or workspace where you want to add simplify
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/brianlovin/claude-config --skill simplify

The skills CLI fetches simplify from GitHub repository brianlovin/claude-config and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/simplify

Reload or restart Cursor to activate simplify. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /simplify) or your agent's skill management interface.

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.534 reviews
  • William Shah· Dec 28, 2024

    Useful defaults in simplify — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Ishan Shah· Dec 24, 2024

    simplify is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Shikha Mishra· Dec 4, 2024

    We added simplify from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • Yash Thakker· Nov 23, 2024

    simplify reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Kwame Khanna· Nov 19, 2024

    I recommend simplify for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Noor Patel· Nov 15, 2024

    Keeps context tight: simplify is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Dhruvi Jain· Oct 14, 2024

    simplify is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

  • Kwame Desai· Oct 10, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: simplify is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • Noor Shah· Oct 6, 2024

    We added simplify from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • Kiara Choi· Sep 17, 2024

    I recommend simplify for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

showing 1-10 of 34

1 / 4