Deepen
A curated collection of autonomous AI agent skills powered by Vercel's `skills` npm cli package. Specialized tools for productivity, document management, and custom LLM workflows.
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Make one shallow module deeper — move complexity behind a smaller interface, held at a clean seam, testable through that interface. Behavior preserved, tests green before and after. Proposes §I/§V/§T edits, never silent rewrites. Use when a module is shallow (big surface, little behavior), or when spare budget exists for a design pass, or when the user says "refactor this", "this is messy", "deepen", "improve this module".
SKILL.md
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deepen — make one module deeper
Behavior is sacred: tests green before AND after. Every change shrinks an interface or hides a decision — deepen, don't churn.
A deep module hides a lot behind a small interface; a shallow one's
interface costs as much to use as writing the code yourself. Complexity =
dependencies + obscurity, and it compounds. deepen spends spare budget paying
that down before it becomes a LESSONS.md bug. Run it when the build is green
and you have budget to drain — not under deadline.
OWNERSHIP
Owns: proposed §I/§V/§T amendments for the chosen module (handed to spec
to write).
Reads: SPEC.md, ARD.md, CONTEXT.md, the codebase.
MUST NOT silently rewrite code or artifacts. Proposes via spec; build applies.
WHEN (self-trigger)
- Build is green, tests pass, and you have token budget spare.
- A module's interface feels as complex as its implementation (shallow smell).
- The same change keeps touching many files (change amplification).
- A
?orLESSONS.mdbug traces back to a confusing interface. - User says "deepen this", "refactor this", "this module is shallow", "improve the design", "pull complexity down", "spare-budget design".
NEVER run mid-feature or under pressure. deepen is the deliberate pass, not the
reflex.
THE FIVE STEPS
1. Pick the shallow
Scan the modules the active plan touches. Rank by shallowness — interface surface vs work done. Pick the one worst offender. Tells:
- Pass-through method that only forwards to one other (shallow layer).
- Caller must set 5 flags right to use it (config leakage).
- Same abstraction repeated at two layers (no information hiding).
- A
?orLESSONS.mdbug that traces back to a confusing interface.
One module per pass. Deepening is surgical, not a codebase sweep.
2. Diagnose
Name the design defect in caveman, citing file:line:
src/auth/token.go: 6-arg ctor leaks rotation policy to every caller. shallow.
Complexity is real only if it shows: change amplification, high cognitive load, or an unknown-unknown (caller must know a hidden fact to call it right).
3. Research the deepening
What does a deeper version look like? Pull a known pattern (hand to the research
loop for the external case -> RESEARCH.md) or derive from the codebase's own
better modules. Moves that deepen:
- Pull complexity down — hide the hard part inside, give callers the simple path.
- Define errors out of existence — design the interface so the edge can't occur.
- Information hiding — one decision, one module; callers don't learn it.
- General-purpose interface over a pile of special-case methods.
4. Propose
Draft the change as spec edits, not a silent rewrite:
- New/simpler
§Ishape for the module. §Vthat locks the deepened invariant so a future build can't re-shallow it.§Trefactor row(s), each citing the§V/§Iit serves.
Hand to the spec skill to write. Show the before/after interface so the user
sees the shrink.
5. Verify behavior held
Refactor != rewrite. Full suite green before you start AND after. A deepening
that changes behavior is a feature in disguise — stop, route through spec +
build. New interface gets a test proving the old callers still work.
WHEN TO STOP
Done when the chosen module's interface is strictly smaller, its hidden decision
no longer leaks, tests are green, and §I/§V record the new shape. One module
deepened beats five churned. Budget left -> pick the next shallowst, fresh pass.
BOUNDARIES
- MUST NOT change behavior. Green before, green after. Pure structure.
- MUST NOT silently rewrite code or artifacts. Propose
§I/§V/§Tviaspec. - MUST pick ONE module per pass. Surgical, not a sweep.
- MUST cite file:line for the diagnosed defect.
- MUST use
cavemanandCONTEXT.mdcanonical terms. - MUST NOT run mid-feature or under pressure.