Code Refactoring
Rider/ReSharper-driven semantic refactorings across solutions opened in Rider. Each tool resolves the target through the IDE's reference index and rewrites every affected site — language-aware usages such as nameof, XML-doc <see cref>, XAML x:Name, Razor, C++/Unreal references, and ordinary references that grep cannot resolve — instead of a grep + text replace.
Invoking a tool
Always call a refactoring tool through execute_tool — direct calls are not routed:
execute_tool(command="<tool> --arg value [--flag true]")
reference/tools.md lists every available tool; the linked reference/tools/<tool>.md gives the exact parameters, response shape, outcomes, and error kinds for the one tool you are about to call. Read only that one — do not pre-load the whole tree.
Shared rules
- Prefer the MCP tool. It resolves references semantically across the solution; a text edit cannot. On any error you cannot fix by adjusting the input, or when
execute_tool is unavailable, fall back to a text-based edit.
- Trust the success signal. When a tool reports success, do not re-read the mutated files to verify. When a tool reports a count of touched/affected sites, a value of 1 for a type, method, property, field, or namespace is suspicious (declaration only, no callers) — surface it to the user.
- Do not retry blindly. Adjust the arguments (query, name, file path, namespace, member selection) between calls; a second identical call fails the same way.
- Argument hygiene. Parameter names are camelCase — hyphenated variants like
--new-name are rejected. Pass real values or omit optional parameters entirely; never encode an omitted value with a placeholder such as "", "/", "__omit__", or a fake path. Treat file paths and identifiers as opaque: copy them from search_* / get_symbol_info output (solution-relative, / separators) rather than synthesizing them.
- Library / external symbols cannot be refactored — the change must be made upstream. Confirm with the user.
Preview before applying
When a tool offers an analysis-only mode — rename's --preview true (the older --dryRun is a deprecated alias) returns the blast radius in affects without mutating files — use it first for:
- public / protected API changes;
- targets with many call sites or cross-language references (XAML, Razor, C++/Unreal,
<see cref>);
- any change where the user signalled hesitation.
Audit affects, then re-issue without --preview to apply. Preview resolves the symbol and counts usages only — it does not run conflict analysis, so a clean preview can still come back with conflicts on apply. Which tools expose an analysis mode is documented per tool in the reference; a tool without one (e.g. a namespace move) applies directly and reports no blast-radius counts, so for a high-impact call narrate what you are about to change before issuing it.
Conflicts and ambiguity
Tools that rewrite or remove use sites (rename, safe-delete, the extract family) can refuse the operation and report conflicts; a symbol query can also match more than one candidate (ambiguous). Both come back in the tool's response — see its reference file for the exact fields. A non-empty conflicts list always means no files were touched.
Each conflict entry is {kind, file, context}: kind mirrors ReSharper's ConflictType (snake_case); context is the engine's localized description; file is the first occurrence's path, or null for a textual-only conflict or a clash with a compiled-only symbol.
| Kind |
Meaning |
Action |
same_name_conflict |
New name collides with an existing member in the same scope. |
Pick a different name and retry. |
default_element_conflict |
Generic element-level conflict without a more specific category. |
Read context; if it names a colliding member, treat like same_name_conflict, else escalate. |
cannot_update_usage_conflict |
A call site can't be rewritten safely — downstream code would break. |
Escalate to user; do not auto-retry. |
cannot_remove, cannot_delete_safely, cannot_inline_usage_conflict, will_be_removed |
Engine refuses to remove/delete/inline/rewrite a use site. |
Escalate to user; do not auto-retry. |
not_accessible |
The symbol becomes invisible from one or more use sites after the change. |
Escalate to user — a visibility regression. |
will_be_made_public |
Access widens as a side-effect (e.g. promoted from private). |
Narrate the trade-off to the user before retrying. |
hierarchy_conflict |
Override/implementation hierarchy clashes with the result. |
Escalate to user; cross-type effect. |
text_only, default_conflict, invalid |
Generic textual conflict the engine couldn't categorise structurally. |
Read context; decide from the message. |
Escalate to the user (instead of auto-deciding) when there are more than 5 conflicts, or any entry is cannot_update_usage_conflict, cannot_remove, cannot_delete_safely, cannot_inline_usage_conflict, will_be_removed, not_accessible, or hierarchy_conflict. For a rename, also escalate when affects.callSites == 0 for a public/protected symbol — it usually means the query resolved to the wrong target.
For ambiguous matches, each candidate carries name, kind, fqn, file, and line. Re-issue with a more specific query — a fully qualified path like Namespace.Type.Method, or Type._field for a private member (bare short-name lookup prioritises type-level entries and misses private fields/methods). The candidate list is capped at 5; if you see 5, the query is too broad — narrow it rather than expecting the full set.
Known limitations
These hold across the toolset and are not reported in tool output:
- String and comment occurrences of an old name or namespace are not updated. Fix them with a regular edit pass afterward.
- XML-doc
<see cref> references: a method rename rewrites <see cref="Type.Method(int, int)"/> to <see cref="NewName"/>, dropping the containing type and parameter list. Surface to the user after method renames and offer a separate edit pass.
- Moving a type does not move its file — only the namespace declaration and references change. If the user also wants the file relocated to match, do that as a separate file operation.
Tool reference
reference/tools.md is the auto-generated index of every tool in the Rider refactoring toolset, each entry linking to its full parameter and response contract. It is regenerated from the live MCP descriptors, so it — not this file — is the source of truth for tool names, signatures, and response shapes. This skill carries only the workflow and judgment the contracts don't.
1---2name: refactoring-code3description: Use when semantic refactoring is needed in Rider-supported solutions and projects, including .NET/C#, F#, VB, C++, Unity, Unreal Engine, XAML, Razor, and other GameDev or mixed-language projects. Trigger when edits must update declarations and usages across IDE-resolved references — rename symbols, move types or namespaces, safe-delete unused code, extract interface/base class/method, change signatures, or reorganize namespaces. Do not use for file-only moves, config keys, strings, comments, prose-only edits, generated output, or logic changes with unchanged names/signatures.4---56# Code Refactoring78Rider/ReSharper-driven semantic refactorings across solutions opened in Rider. Each tool resolves the target through the IDE's reference index and rewrites every affected site — language-aware usages such as `nameof`, XML-doc `<see cref>`, XAML `x:Name`, Razor, C++/Unreal references, and ordinary references that grep cannot resolve — instead of a grep + text replace.910## Invoking a tool1112Always call a refactoring tool **through `execute_tool`** — direct calls are not routed:1314```15execute_tool(command="<tool> --arg value [--flag true]")16```1718[reference/tools.md](reference/tools.md) lists every available tool; the linked `reference/tools/<tool>.md` gives the exact parameters, response shape, outcomes, and error kinds for the one tool you are about to call. Read only that one — do not pre-load the whole tree.1920## Shared rules21221. **Prefer the MCP tool.** It resolves references semantically across the solution; a text edit cannot. On any error you cannot fix by adjusting the input, or when `execute_tool` is unavailable, fall back to a text-based edit.232. **Trust the success signal.** When a tool reports success, do not re-read the mutated files to verify. When a tool reports a count of touched/affected sites, a value of **1** for a type, method, property, field, or namespace is suspicious (declaration only, no callers) — surface it to the user.243. **Do not retry blindly.** Adjust the arguments (query, name, file path, namespace, member selection) between calls; a second identical call fails the same way.254. **Argument hygiene.** Parameter names are **camelCase** — hyphenated variants like `--new-name` are rejected. Pass real values or omit optional parameters entirely; never encode an omitted value with a placeholder such as `""`, `"/"`, `"__omit__"`, or a fake path. Treat file paths and identifiers as opaque: copy them from `search_*` / `get_symbol_info` output (solution-relative, `/` separators) rather than synthesizing them.265. **Library / external symbols cannot be refactored** — the change must be made upstream. Confirm with the user.2728## Preview before applying2930When a tool offers an analysis-only mode — rename's `--preview true` (the older `--dryRun` is a deprecated alias) returns the blast radius in `affects` without mutating files — use it first for:3132- public / protected API changes;33- targets with many call sites or cross-language references (XAML, Razor, C++/Unreal, `<see cref>`);34- any change where the user signalled hesitation.3536Audit `affects`, then re-issue without `--preview` to apply. Preview resolves the symbol and counts usages only — it does **not** run conflict analysis, so a clean preview can still come back with conflicts on apply. Which tools expose an analysis mode is documented per tool in the reference; a tool without one (e.g. a namespace move) applies directly and reports no blast-radius counts, so for a high-impact call narrate what you are about to change before issuing it.3738## Conflicts and ambiguity3940Tools that rewrite or remove use sites (rename, safe-delete, the extract family) can refuse the operation and report **conflicts**; a symbol query can also match more than one candidate (**ambiguous**). Both come back in the tool's response — see its reference file for the exact fields. A non-empty `conflicts` list always means **no files were touched**.4142Each conflict entry is `{kind, file, context}`: `kind` mirrors ReSharper's `ConflictType` (snake_case); `context` is the engine's localized description; `file` is the first occurrence's path, or `null` for a textual-only conflict or a clash with a compiled-only symbol.4344| Kind | Meaning | Action |45|------|---------|--------|46| `same_name_conflict` | New name collides with an existing member in the same scope. | Pick a different name and retry. |47| `default_element_conflict` | Generic element-level conflict without a more specific category. | Read `context`; if it names a colliding member, treat like `same_name_conflict`, else escalate. |48| `cannot_update_usage_conflict` | A call site can't be rewritten safely — downstream code would break. | Escalate to user; do not auto-retry. |49| `cannot_remove`, `cannot_delete_safely`, `cannot_inline_usage_conflict`, `will_be_removed` | Engine refuses to remove/delete/inline/rewrite a use site. | Escalate to user; do not auto-retry. |50| `not_accessible` | The symbol becomes invisible from one or more use sites after the change. | Escalate to user — a visibility regression. |51| `will_be_made_public` | Access widens as a side-effect (e.g. promoted from private). | Narrate the trade-off to the user before retrying. |52| `hierarchy_conflict` | Override/implementation hierarchy clashes with the result. | Escalate to user; cross-type effect. |53| `text_only`, `default_conflict`, `invalid` | Generic textual conflict the engine couldn't categorise structurally. | Read `context`; decide from the message. |5455Escalate to the user (instead of auto-deciding) when there are more than 5 conflicts, or any entry is `cannot_update_usage_conflict`, `cannot_remove`, `cannot_delete_safely`, `cannot_inline_usage_conflict`, `will_be_removed`, `not_accessible`, or `hierarchy_conflict`. For a rename, also escalate when `affects.callSites == 0` for a public/protected symbol — it usually means the query resolved to the wrong target.5657For **ambiguous** matches, each candidate carries `name`, `kind`, `fqn`, `file`, and `line`. Re-issue with a more specific query — a fully qualified path like `Namespace.Type.Method`, or `Type._field` for a private member (bare short-name lookup prioritises type-level entries and misses private fields/methods). The candidate list is capped at 5; if you see 5, the query is too broad — narrow it rather than expecting the full set.5859## Known limitations6061These hold across the toolset and are not reported in tool output:6263- **String and comment occurrences** of an old name or namespace are not updated. Fix them with a regular edit pass afterward.64- **XML-doc `<see cref>` references**: a method rename rewrites `<see cref="Type.Method(int, int)"/>` to `<see cref="NewName"/>`, dropping the containing type and parameter list. Surface to the user after method renames and offer a separate edit pass.65- **Moving a type does not move its file** — only the namespace declaration and references change. If the user also wants the file relocated to match, do that as a separate file operation.6667## Tool reference6869[reference/tools.md](reference/tools.md) is the auto-generated index of every tool in the Rider refactoring toolset, each entry linking to its full parameter and response contract. It is regenerated from the live MCP descriptors, so it — not this file — is the source of truth for tool names, signatures, and response shapes. This skill carries only the workflow and judgment the contracts don't.
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