Prefer Small Follow-Ups
CHANGE-PREFER-SMALL-FOLLOW-UPS
Summary
Move adjacent cleanup or broader improvements into focused follow-up changes when the current diff can stand alone. This preserves review focus while still capturing useful work.
Rule
Prefer small follow-up changes over overloaded changes.
Why
When a change uncovers adjacent cleanup, docs drift, naming issues, or broader refactoring, folding all of it into the current diff can hide the original purpose. A small follow-up keeps momentum without making the current review pay for every discovered improvement.
Helps
- Preserves review focus while still capturing useful nearby work.
Limits
Do the follow-up immediately when the current change is misleading or incomplete without it. Defer only work that can stand on its own later.
Agent Instruction
Prefer small follow-ups for adjacent cleanup, docs drift, naming issues, or broader refactoring so
the current diff keeps its purpose.Mechanisms
Supported by follow-up issues, stacked jj changes, TODO-free review notes, and handoffs that name the next slice explicitly.