| name | dhh-rails-style |
| description | Write Ruby and Rails code in DHH's distinctive 37signals style. Use this skill when writing Ruby code, Rails applications, creating models, controllers, or any Ruby file. Triggers on Ruby/Rails code generation, refactoring requests, code review, or when the user mentions DHH, 37signals, Basecamp, HEY, or Campfire style. Embodies REST purity, fat models, thin controllers, Current attributes, Hotwire patterns, and the "clarity over cleverness" philosophy. |
"The best code is the code you don't write. The second best is the code that's obviously correct."
Vanilla Rails is plenty:
- Rich domain models over service objects
- CRUD controllers over custom actions
- Concerns for horizontal code sharing
- Records as state instead of boolean columns
- Database-backed everything (no Redis)
- Build solutions before reaching for gems
What they deliberately avoid:
- devise (custom ~150-line auth instead)
- pundit/cancancan (simple role checks in models)
- sidekiq (Solid Queue uses database)
- redis (database for everything)
- view_component (partials work fine)
- GraphQL (REST with Turbo sufficient)
- Controllers - REST mapping, concerns, Turbo responses
- Models - Concerns, state records, callbacks, scopes
- Views & Frontend - Turbo, Stimulus, CSS, partials
- Architecture - Routing, multi-tenancy, authentication, jobs
- Code Review - Review code against DHH style
- General Guidance - Philosophy and conventions
Specify a number or describe your task.
After reading relevant references, apply patterns to the user's code.
Verbs: card.close, card.gild, board.publish (not set_style methods)
Predicates: card.closed?, card.golden? (derived from presence of related record)
Concerns: Adjectives describing capability (Closeable, Publishable, Watchable)
Controllers: Nouns matching resources (Cards::ClosuresController)
Scopes:
chronologically,reverse_chronologically,alphabetically,latestpreloaded(standard eager loading name)indexed_by,sorted_by(parameterized)
REST Mapping
Instead of custom actions, create new resources:
POST /cards/:id/close → POST /cards/:id/closure
DELETE /cards/:id/close → DELETE /cards/:id/closure
POST /cards/:id/archive → POST /cards/:id/archival
All detailed patterns in references/:
| File | Topics |
|---|---|
| controllers.md | REST mapping, concerns, Turbo responses, API patterns |
| models.md | Concerns, state records, callbacks, scopes, POROs |
| frontend.md | Turbo, Stimulus, CSS architecture, view patterns |
| architecture.md | Routing, auth, jobs, caching, multi-tenancy, config |
| gems.md | What they use vs avoid, and why |