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Kiss Principle

Checked
markpitt·vlatest·other

The Kiss Principle simplifies complex ideas by distilling them into a single, memorable statement – useful for clear communication and rapid understanding.

Repository

Install on your platform

Showing Claude Code. One command installs this skill into any of the agents below.

  1. 1

    Run this in your project

    terminal
    $ npx skills add markpitt/claude-skills --skill kiss-principle -a claude-code

  2. Uses the open-source skills CLI and needs Node.js. Add -g to install it for your user instead of this project.

What we know about this skill

Publisher

markpitt

Taken from the source listing. We haven't verified who controls this account.

Install target

Live repository

Not pinned. Installing fetches whatever the repository holds at the time you run the command.

No human has reviewed this code. The checks below are a static scan of the files at one commit — nobody has run this skill or judged whether it works. A skill runs with whatever access you give your agent, so read the source before you install it.

Automated safety checks

scanned

This skill passed all 6 checks. We read its files at one commit and looked for the things that make a skill dangerous to run — not for whether it works.

  • Declares what it does: passed

    SKILL.md parses and declares a name and a description.

    SKILL.md exists, its frontmatter parses, and it declares a name and a description.

  • No undeclared network calls: passed

    Makes no network calls.

    Every host the skill dials — from its scripts, its config endpoints or the commands it tells the agent to run — is either well-known package and API infrastructure or declared in its own frontmatter. Links in documentation are not counted.

  • No obfuscated payloads: passed

    No encoded or obfuscated payloads.

    No base64, hex or compressed blob is decoded and then executed, and no encoded shell commands.

  • No credential access: passed

    Reads no keys, tokens, keychains or credential files.

    Neither the code nor the SKILL.md instructions read SSH keys, cloud credentials, keychains, token stores, browser cookie databases or dotfiles that hold secrets.

  • No pipe-to-shell installers: passed

    No pipe-to-shell or download-and-run installers.

    No `curl … | sh` pattern, in the code or in the instructions, that runs code fetched at run time.

  • Pinned to a commit: passed

    Scanned markpitt/claude-skills at 43b02eee90.

    The exact upstream commit SHA that was scanned is recorded, so the result refers to specific bytes.

Commit
43b02eee90
Manifest
skills/kiss-principle/SKILL.md
Scanned
6 files, 2,338 lines
This is a static scan, not a review. It reads the skill's files; it does not run them, and it cannot tell you whether the skill is any good or whether the code does what its description says. A skill runs with whatever access you give your agent.
What each check looks for →

About this skill

The KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle skill guides AI agents to prioritize simplicity in problem-solving and communication. It instructs the agent to strip away unnecessary complexity, focusing on direct solutions and clear explanations rather than over-engineered approaches.

When to use it

  • Deconstructing complex problems: When an AI generates overly detailed or convoluted answers to straightforward questions.
  • Debugging code: Asking the agent to refactor messy scripts into clean, readable logic without adding new features.
  • Summarizing dense text: Requesting a concise overview of lengthy technical documentation or reports.
  • Clarifying jargon: Asking the agent to explain complex concepts using plain language suitable for non-experts.

Key capabilities

  • Enforces a mindset of minimalism in reasoning and output generation.
  • Filters out redundant steps, variables, or explanations that do not add value.
  • Prioritizes clarity and directness over comprehensiveness when simplicity suffices.

Example prompts

  • "Apply the KISS principle to explain how a neural network works to a five-year-old."
  • "Refactor this 400-line Python script using the KISS principle; remove unused imports and simplify the logic."
  • "Summarize this technical manual in three sentences, adhering strictly to the KISS principle."

Tips & gotchas

While simplicity is often best, ensure the agent doesn't oversimplify to the point of losing critical nuance required for your specific context. Always verify that the simplified output still meets the functional requirements of the task at hand.