/de-sloppify — 7-Step Cleanup Pipeline
What
Runs an ordered, verified cleanup pipeline over a .NET codebase. Order matters:
formatting first (it touches every file — get the churn out of the way before
anything else), dead code late (earlier steps reveal it). Random cleanup misses
things and creates merge conflicts; the pipeline doesn't.
Three rules make it safe:
- Verify after each step —
dotnet build + dotnet test between steps. A
cleanup that breaks something is worse than the mess it was fixing.
- Commit per step — each step is its own commit, so a bad Step 4 reverts
without losing Steps 1-3.
- Safe removals only — before deleting "dead" code, check for reflection,
DI-convention, and serialization usage that Roslyn cannot see.
Per-step commands, safety checklists, and code examples live in
references/cleanup-steps.md — read it before executing.
When
- "Clean up", "tidy up", "de-sloppify", "housekeeping", "tech debt"
- After a large feature merge or dependency upgrade (new warnings accumulate)
- Pre-release hardening, or a scheduled quarterly cleanup sprint
- Before performance work (dead code out, classes sealed for devirtualization)
- Never mixed with feature work — cleanup commits stay pure
How
Step 0: Pick the Steps
| Scenario |
Steps to run |
| Full cleanup pass / pre-release / quarterly |
All 7 |
| Quick tidy before PR |
1, 2, 6 |
| After large feature merge |
1, 2, 3, 4 |
| After dependency upgrade |
2, 3 |
| Before performance work |
4, 6 |
| CI warning threshold exceeded |
3 only |
| Tech debt sprint |
4, 5 |
Steps 1-7 (execute in order, details in references/cleanup-steps.md)
| # |
Step |
Tool |
Commit message |
| 1 |
Format all code |
dotnet format |
chore: apply dotnet format |
| 2 |
Remove unused usings |
dotnet format analyzers --diagnostics IDE0005 |
chore: remove unused using statements |
| 3 |
Fix analyzer warnings |
MCP get_diagnostics → triage by category |
chore: fix analyzer warnings |
| 4 |
Remove dead code |
MCP find_dead_code + safety check (reflection/DI/serialization grep) |
chore: remove dead code |
| 5 |
Resolve TODOs |
grep TODO/HACK/FIXME → fix, file issue, or delete |
chore: resolve TODO comments |
| 6 |
Seal non-inherited classes |
MCP get_type_hierarchy per candidate + test-project grep |
chore: seal non-inherited classes |
| 7 |
Propagate CancellationToken |
MCP detect_antipatterns → trace async chains |
chore: propagate CancellationToken through async chains |
After every step: dotnet build + dotnet test, then commit. If a step breaks
the build or tests, fix or revert that step before continuing — never carry a
red state into the next step. Delegate structural steps (4, 6, 7) to the
refactor-cleaner agent.
Final Report
## De-Sloppify Report
| Step | Changes | Files Affected |
|------|---------|----------------|
| 1. Format | Applied consistent formatting | 23 files |
| 2. Usings | Removed 47 unused usings | 18 files |
| 3. Analyzers | Fixed 12 warnings (8 nullability, 3 unused vars, 1 obsolete) | 9 files |
| 4. Dead Code | Removed 3 unused types, 5 unused methods | 6 files |
| 5. TODOs | Fixed 2, created issues for 3, removed 1 stale | 5 files |
| 6. Sealed | Sealed 14 classes | 14 files |
| 7. CancellationToken | Added propagation to 8 async chains | 11 files |
**Total: 7 commits, 86 files improved**
Example
User: /de-sloppify — full pass before the release
Claude: Running the 7-step pipeline...
Step 1: dotnet format — 23 files reformatted. Build + tests green. Committed.
Step 2: IDE0005 — 47 unused usings removed across 18 files. Green. Committed.
Step 3: 12 warnings triaged: 8 nullability fixed with null checks,
3 unused vars removed, 1 CS0618 migrated off the obsolete API. Committed.
Step 4: find_dead_code → 9 candidates. Safety check: PaymentProcessor is
registered via DI convention — kept. Removed 3 types, 5 methods. Committed.
Step 5: 6 TODOs → 2 fixed, 3 became issues (#141-#143), 1 stale removed. Committed.
Step 6: 14 classes sealed (2 skipped: xUnit fixture base, virtual members). Committed.
Step 7: 8 async chains now propagate ct end-to-end. Committed.
7 commits, 86 files improved. Full report above.
Related
references/cleanup-steps.md — per-step commands, safety checks, examples/verify — run the full verification pipeline after cleanup/health-check — re-grade the project to quantify the improvement/code-review — cleanup handles style; review handles logic and design
1---
2name: de-sloppify
3description: >
4 Systematic code cleanup pipeline for .NET projects. Runs 7 ordered steps:
5 formatting, unused usings, analyzer warnings, dead code removal, TODO resolution,
6 sealed class audit, and CancellationToken propagation. Each step is verified
7 independently with tests between phases. Load this skill when: "clean up",
8 "de-sloppify", "tidy up", "remove dead code", "code cleanup", "housekeeping",
9 "tech debt", "fix warnings", "seal classes", "add CancellationToken",
10 "unused usings", "format code".
11---
12
13# /de-sloppify — 7-Step Cleanup Pipeline
14
15## What
16
17Runs an ordered, verified cleanup pipeline over a .NET codebase. Order matters:
18formatting first (it touches every file — get the churn out of the way before
19anything else), dead code late (earlier steps reveal it). Random cleanup misses
20things and creates merge conflicts; the pipeline doesn't.
21
22Three rules make it safe:
23
241. **Verify after each step** — `dotnet build` + `dotnet test` between steps. A
25 cleanup that breaks something is worse than the mess it was fixing.
262. **Commit per step** — each step is its own commit, so a bad Step 4 reverts
27 without losing Steps 1-3.
283. **Safe removals only** — before deleting "dead" code, check for reflection,
29 DI-convention, and serialization usage that Roslyn cannot see.
30
31Per-step commands, safety checklists, and code examples live in
32`references/cleanup-steps.md` — read it before executing.
33
34## When
35
36- "Clean up", "tidy up", "de-sloppify", "housekeeping", "tech debt"
37- After a large feature merge or dependency upgrade (new warnings accumulate)
38- Pre-release hardening, or a scheduled quarterly cleanup sprint
39- Before performance work (dead code out, classes sealed for devirtualization)
40- Never mixed with feature work — cleanup commits stay pure
41
42## How
43
44### Step 0: Pick the Steps
45
46| Scenario | Steps to run |
47|----------|-------------|
48| Full cleanup pass / pre-release / quarterly | All 7 |
49| Quick tidy before PR | 1, 2, 6 |
50| After large feature merge | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
51| After dependency upgrade | 2, 3 |
52| Before performance work | 4, 6 |
53| CI warning threshold exceeded | 3 only |
54| Tech debt sprint | 4, 5 |
55
56### Steps 1-7 (execute in order, details in references/cleanup-steps.md)
57
58| # | Step | Tool | Commit message |
59|---|------|------|----------------|
60| 1 | Format all code | `dotnet format` | `chore: apply dotnet format` |
61| 2 | Remove unused usings | `dotnet format analyzers --diagnostics IDE0005` | `chore: remove unused using statements` |
62| 3 | Fix analyzer warnings | MCP `get_diagnostics` → triage by category | `chore: fix analyzer warnings` |
63| 4 | Remove dead code | MCP `find_dead_code` + **safety check** (reflection/DI/serialization grep) | `chore: remove dead code` |
64| 5 | Resolve TODOs | grep TODO/HACK/FIXME → fix, file issue, or delete | `chore: resolve TODO comments` |
65| 6 | Seal non-inherited classes | MCP `get_type_hierarchy` per candidate + test-project grep | `chore: seal non-inherited classes` |
66| 7 | Propagate CancellationToken | MCP `detect_antipatterns` → trace async chains | `chore: propagate CancellationToken through async chains` |
67
68After every step: `dotnet build` + `dotnet test`, then commit. If a step breaks
69the build or tests, fix or revert that step before continuing — never carry a
70red state into the next step. Delegate structural steps (4, 6, 7) to the
71`refactor-cleaner` agent.
72
73### Final Report
74
75```markdown
76## De-Sloppify Report
77
78| Step | Changes | Files Affected |
79|------|---------|----------------|
80| 1. Format | Applied consistent formatting | 23 files |
81| 2. Usings | Removed 47 unused usings | 18 files |
82| 3. Analyzers | Fixed 12 warnings (8 nullability, 3 unused vars, 1 obsolete) | 9 files |
83| 4. Dead Code | Removed 3 unused types, 5 unused methods | 6 files |
84| 5. TODOs | Fixed 2, created issues for 3, removed 1 stale | 5 files |
85| 6. Sealed | Sealed 14 classes | 14 files |
86| 7. CancellationToken | Added propagation to 8 async chains | 11 files |
87
88**Total: 7 commits, 86 files improved**
89```
90
91## Example
92
93```
94User: /de-sloppify — full pass before the release
95
96Claude: Running the 7-step pipeline...
97
98Step 1: dotnet format — 23 files reformatted. Build + tests green. Committed.
99Step 2: IDE0005 — 47 unused usings removed across 18 files. Green. Committed.
100Step 3: 12 warnings triaged: 8 nullability fixed with null checks,
101 3 unused vars removed, 1 CS0618 migrated off the obsolete API. Committed.
102Step 4: find_dead_code → 9 candidates. Safety check: PaymentProcessor is
103 registered via DI convention — kept. Removed 3 types, 5 methods. Committed.
104Step 5: 6 TODOs → 2 fixed, 3 became issues (#141-#143), 1 stale removed. Committed.
105Step 6: 14 classes sealed (2 skipped: xUnit fixture base, virtual members). Committed.
106Step 7: 8 async chains now propagate ct end-to-end. Committed.
107
1087 commits, 86 files improved. Full report above.
109```
110
111## Related
112
113- `references/cleanup-steps.md` — per-step commands, safety checks, examples
114- `/verify` — run the full verification pipeline after cleanup
115- `/health-check` — re-grade the project to quantify the improvement
116- `/code-review` — cleanup handles style; review handles logic and design
codewithmukesh