beadboard/.agents/skills/linus-beads-discipline/resources/RATIONALIZATION_TABLE.md

Rationalization Table

Every excuse agents make when violating discipline. Every counter.

Complete Table

Excuse	Reality	Counter
"Just this once"	"Once" becomes "usually". Every violation compounds.	Run gates. No exceptions.
"We might need it later"	YAGNI. Unused abstraction = maintenance debt forever.	Delete abstraction. Add when concrete need proven.
"I already tested manually"	Manual ≠ reproducible. Gates exist for reason.	Run gates. Cite output.
"It's just display/visualization"	Display ≠ data model = two truths. Users see wrong state.	Verify display matches bd schema.
"Different pages, separate fixes"	Duplicated logic = two places to fail, two to maintain.	Extract shared logic. Fix once.
"bd is slower than direct edit"	Speed without truth = wasted time. Bugs from truth drift.	Use bd. Correctness > convenience.
"Typecheck never catches anything"	You don't know what it would have caught.	Run typecheck. Cite output.
"Lint is just style"	Style inconsistencies = maintenance burden.	Run lint. Fix violations.
"Tests are flaky"	Flaky tests = fix them, don't skip them.	Fix or quarantine. Don't skip gate.
"I'll create a bead for cleanup later"	"Later" never comes. Technical debt compounds.	Create bead NOW or cleanup NOW.
"This is a trivial change"	"Trivial" bugs exist. "Trivial" changes break things.	Run gates. No change is trivial.
"My changes don't affect types"	You don't know that. Type system knows.	Run typecheck.
"The abstraction is well-designed"	Unused abstraction = debt regardless of design quality.	Delete if no current concrete use.
"It follows best practices"	Whose practices? Why? First-principles analysis required.	Trace to physics/economics/requirements.
"I'll sync it properly later"	Later = never. Truth drift = bugs.	Sync now or track as blocking bead.
"It works on my machine"	Your machine ≠ production. Gates catch environment drift.	Run gates in CI.
"We can refactor later"	Later = 10x cost. Technical debt compounds.	Refactor now or create bead.
"This is how everyone does it"	Everyone might be wrong. First-principles required.	Analyze from fundamentals.
"It's about spirit not ritual"	Violating letter = violating spirit. No escape hatch.	Follow ritual. Spirit is in ritual.
"The deadline requires shortcuts"	Shortcuts create bugs. Bugs miss deadlines.	Run gates. Communicate realistic timeline.

Pressure Pattern Analysis

Pressure	Common Rationalizations	Why It Fails
Time	"Just this once", "Deadline", "Gates take too long"	Bugs cost 10x gate time.
Sunk Cost	"Already spent hours", "Well-designed abstraction", "Works already"	Sunk cost is fallacy. Bad code = more cost.
Exhaustion	"Already tested manually", "Trivial change", "Run gates tomorrow"	Exhausted mistakes are worst mistakes.
Authority	"Senior said so", "Team convention", "Industry standard"	Authority can be wrong. First-principles required.
Social	"Everyone does it", "Team expects this", "Don't be difficult"	Social pressure enables mediocrity.

Self-Check Protocol

Before claiming any work is complete, check:

□ Did I use bd for all state changes?
□ Did I run typecheck? Cite output?
□ Did I run lint? Cite output?
□ Did I run tests? Cite output?
□ Did I capture UI evidence if needed?
□ Can I trace every design decision to first principles?
□ Would I accept this code from a stranger?
□ Will this make sense in 5 years?

Any unchecked box = not done. Keep working.

The Escape Hatches (None)

Attempted Escape	Why It Fails
"I followed the spirit"	Spirit lives in ritual. Violate ritual = violate spirit.
"This situation is unique"	Every situation claims uniqueness. Rules exist for uniqueness.
"The skill doesn't cover this"	Iron Laws cover everything. Evidence + bd + first principles.
"I used judgment"	Judgment without evidence = assumption. Run gates.

There are no escape hatches. The Iron Laws are absolute.