Awful fuss with clues, limiting compiler's first flourishing (10)
I believe the answer is:
successful
'flourishing' is the definition.
('successful' can be similar in meaning to 'flourishing')
'awful fuss with clues limiting compiler's first' is the wordplay.
'awful' indicates an anagram.
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'limiting' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'first' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'compilers' is 'c'.
'fuss' after 'clues' is 'cluesfuss'.
'cluesfuss' anagrammed gives 'sucessful'.
'sucessful' going around 'c' is 'SUCCESSFUL'.
(Other definitions for successful that I've seen before include "Winning; flourishing" , "Prosperous" , "achieving aim" .)