Python Anti Patterns

A comprehensive code review checklist that catches the Python mistakes that actually matter in production. Covers infrastructure gotchas like double retry layers and scattered timeout logic, architectural problems like exposing ORM models directly through APIs, and resource management issues like blocking calls in async code. The quick checklist at the end is genuinely useful during code reviews. What I appreciate most is that it focuses on the anti-patterns that cause real operational pain, not just style issues. Each example shows both the problematic code and the fix, making it practical for teams establishing coding standards.

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last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add wshobson/agents --skill python-anti-patterns --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Python Anti-Patterns Checklist

A reference checklist of common mistakes and anti-patterns in Python code. Review this before finalizing implementations to catch issues early.

When to Use This Skill

Reviewing code before merge
Debugging mysterious issues
Teaching or learning Python best practices
Establishing team coding standards
Refactoring legacy code

Note: This skill focuses on what to avoid. For guidance on positive patterns and architecture, see the python-design-patterns skill.

Infrastructure Anti-Patterns

Scattered Timeout/Retry Logic

# BAD: Timeout logic duplicated everywhere
def fetch_user(user_id):
    try:
        return requests.get(url, timeout=30)
    except Timeout:
        logger.warning("Timeout fetching user")
        return None

def fetch_orders(user_id):
    try:
        return requests.get(url, timeout=30)
    except Timeout:
        logger.warning("Timeout fetching orders")
        return None

Fix: Centralize in decorators or client wrappers.

SKILL.md on GitHub