Python Standards Skill

Python code quality standards for autonomous-dev project.

When This Activates

• Writing Python code
• Code formatting
• Type hints
• Docstrings
• Keywords: “python”, “format”, “type”, “docstring”

Code Style (PEP 8 + Black)

black --line-length=100 src/ tests/
isort --profile=black --line-length=100 src/ tests/

Type Hints (Required)

Rule: All public functions must have type hints on parameters and return.

def process_file(
    input_path: Path,
    output_path: Optional[Path] = None,
    *,
    max_lines: int = 1000
) -> Dict[str, any]:
    """Type hints on all parameters and return."""
    pass

Docstrings (Google Style)

Rule: All public functions/classes need docstrings with Args, Returns, Raises.

def process_data(data: List[Dict], *, batch_size: int = 32) -> ProcessResult:
    """Process data with validation.

    Args:
        data: Input data as list of dicts
        batch_size: Items per batch (default: 32)

    Returns:
        ProcessResult with items and metrics

    Raises:
        ValueError: If data is empty
    """

Error Handling

Rule: Error messages must include context + expected + docs link.

# ✅ GOOD
raise FileNotFoundError(
    f"Config file not found: {path}\n"
    f"Expected: YAML with keys: model, data\n"
    f"See: docs/guides/configuration.md"
)

# ❌ BAD
raise FileNotFoundError("File not found")

Exception Hierarchy

Define a project-level exception hierarchy for structured error handling:

class AppError(Exception):
    """Base exception for the application."""
    pass

class ConfigError(AppError):
    """Configuration loading or validation error."""
    pass

class ValidationError(AppError):
    """Input or data validation error."""
    pass

class ExternalServiceError(AppError):
    """Error communicating with external service."""
    pass

When to use custom vs built-in exceptions:

• Use built-in (ValueError, TypeError, FileNotFoundError) for standard programming errors
• Use custom exceptions when callers need to catch specific application-level failures
• Always inherit from a project base exception for catch-all handling

Error Message Format

Every error message should follow this three-part format:

1. Context – What happened and where
2. Expected – What was expected instead
3. Docs link – Where to find more information

raise ValidationError(
    f"Invalid config key '{key}' in {config_path}\n"
    f"Expected one of: {', '.join(valid_keys)}\n"
    f"See: docs/configuration.md#valid-keys"
)

Graceful Degradation

When a non-critical operation fails, log and continue rather than crashing:

try:
    optional_result = enhance_with_cache(data)
except CacheError:
    logging.warning("Cache unavailable, proceeding without cache")
    optional_result = None

Naming Conventions

Best Practices

1. Keyword-only args – Use * for clarity
2. Pathlib – Use Path not string paths
3. Context managers – Use with for resources
4. Dataclasses – For configuration objects

# Keyword-only args
def train(data: List, *, learning_rate: float = 1e-4):
    pass

# Pathlib
config = Path("config.yaml").read_text()

Code Quality Commands

flake8 src/ --max-line-length=100       # Linting
mypy src/[project_name]/                # Type checking
pytest --cov=src --cov-fail-under=80    # Coverage

Key Takeaways

1. Type hints – Required on all public functions
2. Docstrings – Google style, with Args/Returns/Raises
3. Black formatting – 100 char line length
4. isort imports – Sorted and organized
5. Helpful errors – Context + expected + docs link
6. Pathlib – Use Path not string paths
7. Keyword args – Use * for clarity
8. Dataclasses – For configuration objects

Related Skills

• testing-guide – Testing patterns and TDD methodology
• error-handling-patterns – Error handling best practices

Hard Rules

FORBIDDEN:

• Public functions without type hints on parameters and return values
• Bare except: or except Exception: without re-raising or specific handling
• Mutable default arguments (def f(items=[]))
• Using os.path when pathlib.Path is available

REQUIRED:

• All public APIs MUST have Google-style docstrings with Args/Returns/Raises
• All code MUST pass black formatting (100 char line length)
• Imports MUST be sorted with isort (profile=black)
• Keyword-only arguments MUST be used for functions with 2+ optional parameters