datadog Techdebt Cleanup Skill
Analyze changes on the current branch to identify and fix technical debt, code duplication, and unnecessary complexity.
Instructions
Step 1: Get Branch Changes
Find the merge-base (where this branch diverged from master) and compare against it:
# Find upstream (DataDog org repo)
UPSTREAM=$(git remote -v | grep -E 'DataDog/[^/]+(.git)?\s' | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')
if [ -z "$UPSTREAM" ]; then
echo "No DataDog upstream found, using origin"
UPSTREAM="origin"
fi
# Find the merge-base (commit where this branch diverged from master)
MERGE_BASE=$(git merge-base HEAD ${UPSTREAM}/master)
echo "Comparing changes introduced on this branch since diverging from master using base commit: $MERGE_BASE"
git diff $MERGE_BASE --stat
git diff $MERGE_BASE --name-status
If no changes exist, inform the user and stop.
If changes exist, read the diff and the full content of modified source files (not test files) to understand context.
Step 2: Analyze for Issues
Look for:
Code Duplication
- Similar code blocks that should be extracted into shared functions
- Copy-pasted logic with minor variations
Unnecessary Complexity
- Over-engineered solutions (abstractions used only once)
- Excessive indirection or layers
- Backward compatibility shims that aren't needed
Redundant Code
- Dead code paths
- Overly defensive checks for impossible scenarios
Step 3: Report and Fix
Present a concise summary of issues found with file:line references.
Then ask the user if they want you to fix the issues. When fixing:
- Make one logical change at a time
- Do NOT change behavior, only refactor
- Skip trivial or stylistic issues