dhh-rails-style_skill

Overview

This skill applies DHH / 37signals Rails conventions to Ruby and Rails code. It guides code generation, refactors, and code review to favor REST purity, fat models, thin controllers, Current attributes, and Hotwire patterns. Use it to align apps with pragmatic decisions from production 37signals codebases: clarity, database-backed solutions, and minimalism.

How this skill works

When given Ruby or Rails code, a description of a task, or a code review request, the skill inspects controllers, models, views, routes, jobs, tests, and Gem choices. It flags departures from DHH style, suggests idiomatic rewrites (RESTful resources, state-as-records, concerns, Turbo/Stimulus patterns), and proposes concrete code edits or examples. It also recommends testing patterns, fixtures, and dependency alternatives consistent with the philosophy.

When to use it

• Generating or refactoring controllers, models, routes, or views for a Rails app
• Reviewing code for adherence to 37signals/DHH conventions
• Choosing gems, architecture, or background job strategies
• Designing authorization, state modeling, or Current attributes
• Implementing Turbo/Stimulus interactivity or native CSS layers

Best practices

• Prefer rich ActiveRecord models and concerns over service objects for core domain logic
• Map actions to RESTful resources; create small resources for state transitions (e.g., closures, archivals)
• Model state as records and use joins/where.missing instead of boolean columns
• Default associations with Current attributes and keep controllers thin; use create! for fail-fast behavior
• Favor database-backed queues, minimal dependencies, and ship-prototype-then-refine mentality
• Use Minitest with fixtures, Turbo/Stimulus for interactivity, and native CSS layers instead of heavy frameworks

Example use cases

• Refactor a controller with multiple custom actions into RESTful nested resources
• Convert boolean state columns into associated state records and update scopes
• Review a feature implementation and replace an unnecessary service object with model methods and a concern
• Recommend gem alternatives and tradeoffs (avoid devise/pundit/sidekiq by default)
• Suggest Turbo Streams and a Stimulus controller for a form that used to rely on custom JS