# Best Practices Index

Generalised best practices extracted from real project work. Each topic file is self-contained — read only the files relevant to the current project.

## Topics

- [Validation & Deployment](best-practices/validation.md) — Validate locally, deploy once; full-chain testing; pre-flight checks
- [Secrets Management](best-practices/secrets-management.md) — SOPS + age, credential handling, file naming, encryption gotchas
- [Git & Source Control](best-practices/git-source-control.md) — Commit practices, GitOps workflows, remote conventions
- [Kubernetes Patterns](best-practices/kubernetes.md) — Volume mounts, deployment strategies, naming, bootstrap ordering
- [Helm Charts](best-practices/helm.md) — Schema validation, version verification, values structure
- [Ansible](best-practices/ansible.md) — Inventory, templates, idempotency, credential safety
- [Scripting](best-practices/scripting.md) — Shell conventions, verification scripts, idempotency, colour output
- [Documentation Standards](best-practices/documentation.md) — CLAUDE.md, MEMORY.md, FUTURE.md, README.md structure and tiered memory
- [Milestones & Reflections](best-practices/milestones.md) — Milestone workflow, verification, reflection process
- [Debugging Methodology](best-practices/debugging.md) — Systematic diagnosis, full-chain testing, common pitfalls
- [Claude Code Skills](best-practices/skills-development.md) — Skill authoring, context injection, tool restrictions
- [Linting & Formatting](best-practices/linting.md) — Tool choices per language, PostToolUse hook, pre-commit integration, formatter contract
- [Spec-Driven Development](best-practices/spec-driven-development.md) — Spec structure, requirement numbering, test-first workflow, context tiers, anti-patterns
- [Test-Driven Development](best-practices/test-driven-development.md) — Edge case discovery, property-based testing, mutation testing, AI agent testing patterns, test architecture