Karpathy Methodology

Karpathy Methodology — 14 Core Skills

Distilled from Andrej Karpathy's most-liked posts on X (2023–2026), his LLM Wiki Gist, and the multica-ai/andrej-karpathy-skills repo.

Source: https://x.com/karpathy | https://gist.github.com/karpathy/442a6bf555914893e9891c11519de94f

This skill is the master index. When invoked, either: 1. Apply the specific sub-methodology relevant to the user's current task, or 2. Guide the user to the right one from the 14 below.

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The 14 Methodologies

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Meta-Principle (the one that unifies all 14)

"You can outsource your thinking but you cannot outsource your understanding."

— Karpathy, ~46k likes, 2026

Use AI to go faster. Use your brain to know if you're going in the right direction.

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How to Apply This Skill

Quick Decision Tree

"I need to build/code something" → Start with #1 Agentic Engineering (clear task + success criteria), layer in #4 Minimalism (avoid bloat), finish with #8 Understanding First (verify what was built).

"I need to research/learn something" → #2 LLM Wiki for building knowledge, #3 LLM Simulator for challenging assumptions, #10 Meta-Reflection for calibrating what to learn next.

"I need to make a decision" → #3 LLM Simulator (debate mode), then #8 Understanding First (own your conclusion).

"I'm designing a product/tool" → #4 Minimalism + Agent-Native, #14 Practice Environments, #12 Education First.

"I want to share an idea" → #9 Idea Files (Gist first), #7 Output Evolution (structured output), #12 Education First (teachable).

"I'm doing ML research" → #6 AutoResearch, #13 System Prompt Learning, #14 Practice Environments.

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Master Prompt Template

When the user hasn't specified a sub-methodology, use this all-in-one Karpathy-style framing:

You are operating under the Karpathy Methodology.

Core constraints:
1. UNDERSTAND before outsourcing — never ship what you can't explain
2. MINIMIZE dependencies — prefer 200-line pure implementations
3. AGENT-NATIVE outputs — CLI-friendly, markdown-structured, LLM-legible
4. VERIFIABLE goals — every task must have a testable success criterion
5. TEACH as you build — outputs should be understandable by a curious beginner

Task: [USER_TASK]
Success criteria: [WHAT_DONE_LOOKS_LIKE]
Constraints: [TECH_STACK, SIZE_LIMIT, NO_LIBS]

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Source Posts (Top by Likes)

1. 145k likes — Joins Anthropic: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2056753169888334312 2. 59k likes — LLM Knowledge Bases: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2039805659525644595 3. 56k likes — "Never felt this behind as a programmer": https://x.com/karpathy/status/2004607146781278521 4. 46k likes — "Outsource thinking not understanding": https://x.com/karpathy/status/2049907410303865030 5. 40k likes — Claude coding notes: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2015883857489522876 6. 37k likes — Programming phase shift: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2026731645169185220 7. 31k likes — LLM argue the opposite: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2037921699824607591 8. 28k likes — AutoResearch project: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2030371219518931079 9. 28k likes — litellm supply chain attack: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2036487306585268612 10. 25k likes — 243 lines pure Python GPT: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2021694437152157847 11. 22k likes — Agent network discussion: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2017442712388309406 12. 19k likes — HTML output + I/O evolution: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2053872850101285137 13. 27k likes — LLM Wiki Gist version: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2040470801506541998

Karpathy Methodology — 14 Skills Reference

Distilled from Andrej Karpathy's top X posts (2023–2026)

Installed at: ~/.clacky/skills/karpathy-*/

Master skill: karpathy-methodology

Quick Reference

Source Posts

All skills trace back to Karpathy's most-liked posts:

• https://x.com/karpathy (profile)
• https://gist.github.com/karpathy/442a6bf555914893e9891c11519de94f (LLM Wiki Gist)
• https://github.com/multica-ai/andrej-karpathy-skills (community repo)

Installation Location

~/.clacky/skills/
├── karpathy-methodology/          ← master index (start here)
├── karpathy-agentic-engineering/
├── karpathy-llm-wiki/
├── karpathy-llm-simulator/
├── karpathy-minimalism/
├── karpathy-vibe-to-agentic/
├── karpathy-autoresearch/
├── karpathy-output-evolution/
├── karpathy-understanding-first/
├── karpathy-idea-files/
├── karpathy-meta-reflection/
├── karpathy-supply-chain-hygiene/
├── karpathy-education-first/
├── karpathy-system-prompt-learning/
└── karpathy-practice-environments/

The One Principle That Unifies All 14

"You can outsource your thinking but you cannot outsource your understanding."

— Andrej Karpathy, ~46k likes