Compound Weakness

Multiple weaknesses in the same instruction compound — an instruction that is hedged AND abstract AND buried early in the file is far weaker than one with any single issue. The effect is multiplicative, not additive.

Antipatterns

• Writing a short, hedged instruction early in the file ("you might want to consider formatting"). This stacks three weaknesses: brevity, hedged modality, and early position. Each weakness multiplies the others.
• Using abstract language in a hedged instruction ("consider using appropriate tools for code quality"). Abstract + hedged is far weaker than either alone.
• Burying a terse constraint at the top of the file without naming specific constructs. Position, length, and specificity weaknesses compound into near-zero compliance.

Pass / Fail

Pass

Use `ruff` for all formatting in `src/` and `tests/`.
Run `uv run pytest tests/ -v` before committing changes.
*Do not introduce a second formatter.*

Fail

You might want to think about code quality.
Consider using appropriate tools.
Perhaps run tests sometimes.

Fix

Never stack weaknesses. A short directive MUST name specific constructs and sit near the end of the file. A short constraint is the inverse: state the prohibited thing as an abstract category, since naming a forbidden construct anchors it. An abstract directive MUST use direct language, include multiple relevant terms, and sit last. Fixing any one weakness improves the instruction; leaving several stacked is the failure case. Elaborating a directive with distinct relevant terms is the easiest fix.

Limitations

Detects individual weakness factors (specificity, modality, position, length) and flags when multiple co-occur. The compound effect is estimated, not directly measured.