---
name: Minimum Viable Implementation Check
slug: minimum-viable-implementation-check
category: Quality
description: Minimum Viable Implementation Check forces you to justify the simplest workable approach before coding. Use it when deciding whether a shell script is enough or a heavier implementation is truly needed.
github: "https://github.com/ferrumclaudepilgrim/claude-code-android/tree/main/.claude/skills/minimum-viable"
language: Shell
stars: 222
forks: 30
install: "npx degit https://github.com/ferrumclaudepilgrim/claude-code-android/tree/main/.claude/skills/minimum-viable ~/.claude/skills/minimum-viable"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/minimum-viable
source_path: .claude/skills/minimum-viable/SKILL.md
collection_size: 3
category_size: 1557
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/ferrumclaudepilgrim/claude-code-android"
added: 2026-09-04T05:24:54.678Z
last_synced: 2026-09-04T05:24:54.678Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/minimum-viable-implementation-check"
---

# Minimum Viable Implementation Check

Minimum Viable Implementation Check forces you to justify the simplest workable approach before coding. Use it when deciding whether a shell script is enough or a heavier implementation is truly needed.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/ferrumclaudepilgrim/claude-code-android/tree/main/.claude/skills/minimum-viable ~/.claude/skills/minimum-viable
```

## README

# Minimum Viable Implementation Check

Answer every question before writing any code. If the simple version is sufficient, build that. Document why only if you choose a heavier approach.

## Required Questions

**1. What are you building?**
One sentence. If you cannot describe it in one sentence, the scope is not defined yet.

**2. What is the simplest possible implementation?**
Usually: a shell script, a single file, a few commands piped together, a cron entry, a git hook. Describe it. Estimate the line count.

**3. Why is the simple version insufficient?**
State a concrete reason. Not "it won't scale" but "it cannot handle binary data" or "it requires a persistent HTTP connection." If you cannot state a concrete reason, build the simple version.

**4. What is the proposed implementation?**
If you are not building the simple version: name the language, framework, and every dependency. Justify each one.

**5. Are dependencies available and working on this platform?**
For each dependency: is it installed? Does it work on the current OS and architecture? Have you verified this, or are you assuming? Check before committing to an approach.

**6. What is the maintenance cost?**
Will this break when a dependency updates? Who fixes it? If the answer is "whoever is here then," that is a cost. Weight it against the benefit of the heavier approach.

## Decision Rule

- If question 3 has no answer: build the simple version, stop here.
- If question 3 has an answer: proceed with the proposed implementation, but document the reason in a comment or README so the next person knows why the complexity exists.
- If question 5 reveals a missing dependency: verify availability before starting, or redesign to avoid it.