---
name: principle-redesign-from-first-principles
description: "Apply when integrating a new requirement into an existing design. Redesign as if the requirement had been a foundational assumption from day one, instead of bolting it on."
disable-model-invocation: true
title: principle-redesign-from-first-principles
canonical_url: https://skilld.dev/gh/cursor/plugins/principle-redesign-from-first-principles
last_updated: 2026-09-29T03:21:17.000Z
---

> **Skill from skilld.dev.** Follow the instructions below for this session. You do not need to install anything.
>
> If the user asked to install this Skill, run `npx skilld install cursor/plugins/principle-redesign-from-first-principles`. Install writes the Skill files into the project, so every session loads them.

# Redesign From First Principles

When integrating a change, don't bolt it onto the existing design. Redesign as if the requirement had been there from the start.

- Read all affected files and understand the current design
- Ask: "if we were writing this from scratch with this new requirement, what would we build?"
- Propagate the change through every reference: types, docs, examples, rationale sections
- Think about the whole redesign, then deliver it incrementally

This is the method for preserving option value when integrating changes into an existing design.