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Parsing expressions In challenges dealing with algebraic expressions, don't make the golfer parse input strings like x^3-2x+1 or e^2^x, or to output in this form. This is cumbersome I/O that takes a l …

I'm for standardizing defaults in general, but I think we're not at that point for decision problem output. …

Exceptional edge cases Don't require special behavior when the input is the empty list, the number 0, a negative length, etc. This makes for nasty surprises for solvers who worked on a solution only …

Allowing standard loopholes in general Don't say "Standard loopholes are allowed". They ban silly things like making up a language where the solution is a single character or just printing the string …

We already have defaults for how to take input, so just use those. This includes reading from a file, STDIN, function input, etc. …

Assuming you've addressed sandbox feedback When your challenge is in the sandbox and someone suggests a change or clarification, make sure your edit actually addresses their point. Too often the same …

Using old challenges as a model Just because an old challenge did something doesn't mean yours should too. Many old challenges wouldn't pass muster nowadays. Don't be surprised if your challenge is d …

Pure programming puzzles Despite our name, programming puzzles aren't generally welcome here. I'm talking about challenges where you're given a task with some impossible-seeming restrictions and must …

Do X without Y This isn't always bad, but it's been a particular trap for beginners, so be careful. In the past, there were popular questions about doing a simple task but with the obvious method ba …

Narrow references Beware of challenge topics that tickle your fancy, but others won't appreciate. An in-joke among friends A reference to a movie you like A task from actual code you wrote A small …

Patching out approaches On your challenge, someone posts a solution that's cheap and not at all what you intended. You have the option to change the rules, but do so very carefully as there's many pit …

Tacked-on fixes If you clarify or modify your challenge after posting, don't just tack on a note to the end or to a list of bullet points. Edit in the change. It's confusing when the body of the ch …

Chameleon challenges Chameleon challenges look like they're about one thing but are really about another. In doing the challenge, most of the effort is spent on something peripheral. Fix this by bein …

Rules inferred from test cases Test cases are examples for people to check their understanding of the spec and the correctness of their code. They should not replace an explanation of how the output m …

Popularity Contests Popularity contests, while allowed, are heavily disfavored by site culture. You're likely better off reworking your challenge to use an objective winning criterion that isn't vote …