karpathy's CLAUDE.md hit #1 on github trending.
220,000 stars. most devs still haven't read it.
it's 65 lines.
it took AI coding accuracy from 65% to 94%.
the 4 rules inside:
→ think before coding
state your assumptions. ask when unsure. never guess.
→ simplicity first
write the minimum code that solves the problem.
no abstractions nobody asked for.
→ surgical changes
don't touch code unrelated to the request.
every changed line must trace back to what was asked.
→ goal-driven execution
turn vague instructions into verifiable success criteria
before writing a single line.