What is the 'good taste' philosophy in coding?

It is a philosophy popularized by Linus Torvalds that focuses on elegant data structures, minimal branching, and eliminating special cases to reduce system complexity.

How does Taste Check handle deep nesting?

The skill enforces a strict 3-level indentation limit. If code exceeds this, it suggests using early returns or extracting logic into independent, pure functions.

What does 'Trust Upstream Data' mean in this context?

It means removing redundant 'if' checks and default values in the core logic by ensuring data integrity is handled at the entry point or data collection layer.

Can I use this for specific files or git diffs?

Yes, you can direct the skill to review specific file paths, recent changes via git diff, or code snippets you paste directly into the chat.

Does it provide specific code examples?

Every review includes specific 'Before' and 'After' examples, showing exactly how to refactor 'bad taste' code into a cleaner, more efficient implementation.

Taste Check: Linus-Style Code Review

Name: Taste Check: Linus-Style Code Review
Author: kingkongshot

bykingkongshot

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2,336

Collaboration Tools

Audits your code using Linus Torvalds' 'good taste' philosophy to eliminate complexity, deep nesting, and defensive patterns.

About

Taste Check transforms Claude into a ruthless code architect inspired by Linus Torvalds' engineering principles. It identifies 'code smells' that lead to fragile systems—such as excessive defensive checks, deep indentation, and post-return mutations—and provides clear, actionable refactoring paths. By enforcing a 'trust the data' and 'fail fast' approach, this skill helps developers strip away unnecessary boilerplate to create cleaner, more maintainable codebases that prioritize elegant data structures over bloated logic.

Key Features

Detection and elimination of deep nesting beyond three levels of indentation.
Side-by-side 'Current vs. Recommended' code comparisons for immediate refactoring.
Automated 'Good Taste' scoring (Good, Okay, or Trash) based on architectural elegance.
Identification of unnecessary defensive logic and redundant null/undefined checks.
Enforcement of single-responsibility principles and strict function length limits.
2,336 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Simplifying complex conditional logic and data processing pipelines.
Refactoring legacy code to improve readability and long-term maintainability.
Automating high-level architectural reviews during the PR process.

About

Key Features

Detection and elimination of deep nesting beyond three levels of indentation.
Side-by-side 'Current vs. Recommended' code comparisons for immediate refactoring.
Automated 'Good Taste' scoring (Good, Okay, or Trash) based on architectural elegance.
Identification of unnecessary defensive logic and redundant null/undefined checks.
Enforcement of single-responsibility principles and strict function length limits.
2,336 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Simplifying complex conditional logic and data processing pipelines.
Refactoring legacy code to improve readability and long-term maintainability.
Automating high-level architectural reviews during the PR process.