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Problem: not following coding standards

AI Not Following Coding Standards? Enforce Code Quality and Best Practices

Get AI to follow coding standards, best practices, and quality guidelines with specific style and convention requirements.

Get AI to follow coding standards, best practices, and quality guidelines with specific style and convention requirements. This comprehensive guide will walk you through exactly why this happens and proven techniques to fix it permanently.

Why not following coding standards Happens

Understanding the root cause helps you prevent this issue in the future. Here are the main reasons:

  • Lack of style specifications
  • AI defaulting to basic patterns
  • Missing coding standard instructions
  • No quality requirements

How This Problem Shows Up

You'll typically notice this issue when your AI feels unreliable or frustrating to work with. Common symptoms include:

  • Inconsistent naming conventions
  • Poor code structure
  • Missing documentation
  • Violating style guidelines

Common Mistakes Users Make

These common pitfalls often make the problem worse. Avoid these to get better results:

❌ Vague Instructions

"Write about AI" instead of "Write a 500-word article about AI for small business owners"

❌ No Context Provided

Assuming the AI knows your background, expertise level, or specific requirements

❌ Single Prompt Approach

Using one prompt when you need multiple iterations or different techniques

Step-by-Step Fix

Follow these proven steps to resolve the issue systematically:

  1. 1
    Specify coding standards explicitly
  2. 2
    Include style guide requirements
  3. 3
    Request documentation and comments
  4. 4
    Enforce naming conventions

Best Prompt to Fix This Issue

Copy and paste this proven prompt template to get reliable results every time:

Write [LANGUAGE] code following [STANDARD] coding standards. Include:
- Proper naming conventions ([STYLE])
- Comprehensive documentation
- Code structure best practices
- [SPECIFIC STANDARD] compliance

Ensure professional, maintainable code: [CODING TASK]

Alternative AI Tools

If you're still having issues, these alternatives often handle this problem better:

Code formatting tools

Better for not following coding standards issues

Linting and style checkers

Better for not following coding standards issues

Code quality AI assistants

Better for not following coding standards issues

Standards-compliant AI coders

Better for not following coding standards issues

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't AI follow coding standards?▼
AI needs explicit instructions about coding standards, style guides, and conventions to follow them consistently.
How can I enforce coding standards?▼
Specify standards explicitly, include style guide requirements, request documentation, and enforce naming conventions in prompts.