Crap Analyzer

CRAP Analyzer

CRAP (Change Risk Anti-Patterns) flags functions that are both complex and poorly tested — the worst-risk code to ship.

CRAP(m) = comp(m)² × (1 − cov(m))³ + comp(m)

This skill scopes analysis to a diff, ranks findings worst-first, and turns each finding into a concrete refactor + test-stub proposal.

When DAE runtime quality gates are active, CRAP evidence is mandatory by default after implementation-affecting edits. Write machine-readable gate evidence to features/<feature>/evidence/quality/crap.json and validate it with python3 plugins/engineer/scripts/dae_guard.py quality-verify before completion or release.

Workflow

1. Determine the diff. First that works:

   • gh pr diff / gh pr diff <number> if a GitHub PR is referenced.
   • git diff --merge-base <main-branch> — detect the main branch with git remote show origin | grep 'HEAD branch'.
   • git diff --cached for staged changes.
   • git diff HEAD~N..HEAD for a named commit range.
   • Explicit file list if the user names files.

   Pipe the diff to scripts/compute_crap.py --diff -.

2. Locate or generate coverage. Let the script auto-discover coverage files first (lcov, Cobertura, JaCoCo, Clover, Go coverage.out, coverage.py JSON). If nothing is found, follow references/coverage-discovery.md to detect the toolchain, then ask before running it. On decline, proceed with coverage=0% and flag it in the report header.

3. Run the analyzer.

   python3 <skill-dir>/scripts/compute_crap.py --diff - --repo-root <repo> --threshold <N> --format both
   

   Default threshold is 20. Read .crap-analyzer.json at repo root if present and pass its threshold through. Full flag list and output JSON shape: references/script-reference.md.

   For DAE quality gates, use the strict policy thresholds unless project config explicitly relaxes them with audit fields:

   • fail at max_crap_score >= 30;
   • warn at max_crap_score >= 20;
   • require explicit coverage evidence in strict mode;
   • fail if high-risk findings exceed 0.

   Evidence shape:

   {
     "schema_version": 1,
     "gate": "crap",
     "tool": "crap-analyzer",
     "status": "PASS",
     "generated_at": "2026-05-22T00:00:00Z",
     "feature": "features/001-demo",
     "changed_files": ["src/app.py"],
     "coverage_source": "coverage.xml",
     "thresholds": {
       "max_crap_score": 30,
       "warn_crap_score": 20,
       "missing_coverage_policy": "assume_zero_and_fail_if_threshold_exceeded",
       "max_high_risk_findings": 0
     },
     "summary": {
       "changed_functions": 1,
       "max_crap_score": 8.0,
       "high_risk_findings": 0
     },
     "findings": []
   }
   

4. Present the report. Show the markdown table. For each finding, link file:start_line. If more than ~8 findings, surface the top 5 and mention the rest.

5. Propose fixes per finding, worst-first. For each function above threshold:

   • Read the function. Score alone is not enough — look at the code.
   • Refactor proposal. Extract-method diff or guard-clause rewrite. Patterns: references/refactor-patterns.md.
   • Test stubs. Cover each uncovered branch in the repo's test framework. Templates: references/test-stub-templates.md.
   • Respect codebase conventions. Read nearby code and match naming, error handling, DI, async patterns.

   When len(findings) >= 3, dispatch one subagent per finding in a single message — per-finding work is independent so parallelizing drops wall-clock from O(n) to O(1). Prompt template + aggregation rules: references/subagent-prompt.md. After subagents return, sort by CRAP descending and sanity-check every "safe to auto-apply" claim against step 7.

6. Present the wrap-up menu. Dispatch refactor / test-stub work via prompt the user. Menu structure and apply loop: references/wrap-up-menu.md. "Safe refactor" = pure extract-method with no behavior change (same inputs → same outputs, same side effects, same order). One Edit per action; confirm each before applying.

7. Never auto-apply:

   • Changes that reorder side effects or async operations (await, .then, subscribe, promise chains, RxJS / coroutine / goroutine ordering).
   • Changes to constructors, initializers, or lifecycle hooks.
   • Changes to reactive / stream operator ordering.
   • Template / markup / view changes — the script doesn't analyze those.

Report format

### 1. `file.py:42` — `do_thing` (CRAP 240)

**Why it's flagged:** complexity 15, coverage 0% (no tests touching body).

**Refactor proposal:**
<unified diff or code block>

**Test stubs to add:**
<framework-appropriate test block>

Keep each section tight — one paragraph of "why", diff, stubs. No preamble.

Config file

Optional .crap-analyzer.json at repo root:

{ "threshold": 20 }

Read if present, pass --threshold to the script. No other keys for now.

When not to use this skill

• Analyzing a full codebase unprompted — scope is diff-only by design.
• Running as a standalone CI replacement. In DAE runtime, the analyzer produces evidence and engineer owns the cross-plugin blocking gate.
• Files the script doesn't recognize. Supported extensions listed in references/script-reference.md; binaries, generated code, and config files are skipped automatically.