Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Coding Standards Baseline agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Coding Standards Baseline is an agent skill: a folder with instructions (a SKILL.md file) that an AI coding agent reads so it follows a shared set of code conventions. It is written for TypeScript and JavaScript and covers naming, simplicity, immutable updates, error handling and avoiding the any type. This guide shows you how to install it, trigger it with plain requests and know what it does and does not cover.
Coding Standards Baselineaffaan-m/ECC · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the coding-standards ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip the folder. Extract it so that SKILL.md sits inside a coding-standards folder.
- 3Place it in a skills folder. Copy the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or to .claude/skills/ inside one project.
- 4Or upload it in the apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 5Ask for a relevant task. Request a review, refactor or new-project setup in plain language, such as asking the agent to remove mutation from a function.
- 6Check the output. Compare the agent's changes against the PASS and FAIL examples and keep the parts that match your project.
What does the coding-standards skill make the agent do?
Once installed, the agent reviews and writes code using a common set of baseline conventions. It favours descriptive names such as marketSearchQuery over q, and verb-noun function names such as fetchMarketData over market.
It applies four principles: readability first, KISS (the simplest solution that works), DRY (extract shared logic) and YAGNI (don't build features before they are needed). It prefers immutable updates, such as spreading an object instead of assigning to its property, and it expects careful error handling and parallel async calls where the work is independent. It also discourages the any type in TypeScript and JavaScript.
How do you install the skill?
Download the ZIP of the skill from this page and unzip it. The package contains a single file, SKILL.md. Place the unzipped folder in one of these locations:
- Personal skills for all your projects: ~/.claude/skills/
- Only one project: the .claude/skills/ folder inside that project
- Claude apps: upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills
How do you trigger the skill with a natural request?
You don't need a special command. Ask in plain language about the kind of work the skill covers. The source lists these situations where it should activate: starting a new project or module, reviewing code for quality and maintainability, refactoring to follow conventions, enforcing consistency in naming, formatting or structure, configuring linting, formatting or type checking, and onboarding new contributors.
- Review this file for naming and code smells.
- Refactor this function so it doesn't mutate its input.
- Set up consistent conventions for this new TypeScript project.
- Explain our baseline style rules to a new contributor.
What do the examples look like?
The skill uses PASS and FAIL pairs. A PASS example uses the spread operator to build a new object (const updatedUser = { ...user, name: 'New Name' }). A FAIL example mutates the original (user.name = 'New Name'). Other pairs show Promise.all for independent requests versus sequential awaits, and a typed interface in place of any.
The file also includes short React examples (a typed Button component, a useDebounce hook and functional state updates) and a brief REST section with endpoint conventions, a consistent response shape and input validation with zod.
const updatedUser = {
...user,
name: 'New Name'
}What are the limits of this skill?
This file is a baseline, not a full guide. For deep React composition, hooks or state architecture, the source points to the frontend-patterns skill. For repositories, services, endpoint design, validation and database layers, it points to backend-patterns or api-design. Its REST example is brief, so use api-design for detailed API work.
It is written around TypeScript and JavaScript examples, so it is a weaker fit for other languages.
What does the skill need, and is it safe?
The skill lists no requirements. It does not run scripts and does not use the network. It consists only of the SKILL.md instructions, so there is nothing to execute or configure before use.
What people use it for
- Starting a new TypeScript or JavaScript project with consistent naming and error handling from day one.
- Onboarding a new contributor by asking the agent to explain the team's baseline style rules.
- Reviewing a file for code smells such as unclear names, mutation and missing error handling.
- Refactoring a function to use immutable updates and parallel async calls where the work is independent.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the coding-standards agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Put the folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for all your projects, or in a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does the coding-standards skill require anything else to run?
The skill lists no requirements. It runs no scripts and uses no network. It consists of a single SKILL.md instruction file.
Is the coding-standards skill free?
The source is licensed under MIT. This page does not state any price, so check the directory listing for current availability.
Does this skill work for Python or other non-JavaScript languages?
It is not a good fit. Its examples are almost entirely TypeScript and JavaScript, so the concepts apply more loosely elsewhere.
Should I use this skill for React hooks or state architecture?
No. The skill says to use frontend-patterns for React composition, hooks, state and rendering architecture. This skill only provides a baseline.
What is the difference between this skill and api-design or backend-patterns?
Coding-standards sets general conventions such as naming and immutability. The api-design and backend-patterns skills cover endpoint design, validation, repository and service layers in more depth.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you want an agent to follow simple, shared TypeScript and JavaScript conventions in new code or during reviews and refactors. Pick a framework-specific or backend skill if you need detailed React, API, database or non-JavaScript guidance.
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