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Python Design Patterns

Guides the agent to write and review Python code with simple, well-separated, testable structure

Source Download skill
Repository
wshobson/agents
Stars
42,095
Licence
MIT
Files
2 files

What it does

When installed, the agent gets a set of design guidelines for Python code: keep solutions simple, give each class or function one job, prefer combining objects over deep inheritance, and wait until a pattern repeats three times before abstracting it. It is triggered when you are designing a new component, refactoring a large or tangled class, or reviewing code for coupling and hard-to-test I/O. It is advice and review guidance rather than a tool that changes files by itself.

Great for

  • Python developers designing a new service or module and deciding how to split responsibilities
  • Teams refactoring a large God class or monolithic function
  • Reviewers checking pull requests for tight coupling or layering violations

Skip it if

  • Users who need a finished program or automated code generation, since the skill only provides guidance and patterns (reason: it does not build or run software)
  • Non-Python codebases, because the examples and advice are Python-specific

Try asking

  • “Review this Python service class and tell me whether it has more than one responsibility and how to split it”
  • “I'm designing a new Python data pipeline from scratch; help me decide how to layer it”
  • “Should I add an abstraction for these two similar functions or leave the duplication?”
  • “Refactor this growing module so the database calls are separate from the business logic so I can unit test it”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Python Design PatternsInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 2 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.

    python-design-patterns.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip python-design-patterns.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip python-design-patterns.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Give the agent the concrete code or module you are working on so it can apply the reason-to-change test to real classes
  • Ask for the reasoning behind a recommendation, since the skill frames rules like the rule of three as heuristics rather than laws
  • Pair it with the related python-testing-patterns and python-project-structure skills for test and layout guidance

What's inside

  • references/details.md
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from wshobson/agents under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.