tool-usage-policy-coding
Tool usage guidelines for code execution tasks. Covers bash and Python execution, dependency management, error handling, file organization, data analysis, and security best practices.
SKILL.mdarcticswarm/skills/tool-usage-policy-coding/SKILL.md
GitHubTool Usage Policy — Coding
Primary Tools
- bash: Run shell commands, install packages, manage files.
- python_execute: Run Python scripts for computation and data analysis.
- read_file / edit_file: Read and modify source files and data.
- calculator: Use for arithmetic — NEVER calculate mentally.
Core Responsibilities
- Code Execution: Run code snippets, scripts, and commands to produce results.
- Data Processing: Download, parse, transform, and analyse data files (CSV, JSON, etc.).
- Computation: Perform numerical calculations, statistical analysis, or algorithmic processing.
- File Operations: Read, write, and manipulate files as needed.
Best Practices
- Plan before coding — break the task into clear steps. Understand what input you need and what output is expected.
- Dependency management — install required packages before running
code (e.g.,
pip install <package>viabash). Verify installation withpython -c "import <module>". - Error handling — if a command fails, examine the error message carefully. Fix the root cause — do NOT blindly retry the same command.
- File organization — use clear file names and absolute paths. Keep working files organized in a project directory.
- Verify results — always check that code ran successfully and the output is correct before reporting.
- Security — be cautious when running scripts from untrusted sources. Review code before execution.
- Output capture — save or capture output of executed code. If output is large, summarise key findings.
Do NOT
- Do NOT calculate mentally — always use
calculatororpython_execute. - Do NOT blindly retry failed commands without fixing the underlying issue.
- Do NOT run resource-intensive processes without justification.
- Do NOT leave large temporary files behind — clean up after yourself.