Configure Dead Code

/configure:dead-code

Check and configure dead code detection tools.

When to Use This Skill

Context

• Project root: !pwd
• Package files: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'package.json' -o -name 'pyproject.toml' -o -name 'Cargo.toml' \)
• Knip config: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'knip.json' -o -name 'knip.config.*' \)
• Vulture config: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name '.vulture' -o -name 'vulture.ini' \)
• Pre-commit: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.pre-commit-config.yaml'
• Project standards: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.project-standards.yaml'

Parameters

Parse from command arguments:

• --check-only: Report compliance status without modifications (CI/CD mode)
• --fix: Apply fixes automatically without prompting
• --tool <knip|vulture|deadcode|machete>: Override tool detection

Dead code detection tools:

• JavaScript/TypeScript: Knip (finds unused files, exports, dependencies)
• Python: Vulture or deadcode (finds unused code)
• Rust: cargo-machete (finds unused dependencies)

Execution

Execute this dead code detection compliance check:

Step 1: Detect project language and existing tools

Check for language and tool indicators:

Use WebSearch or WebFetch to verify latest versions before configuring.

Step 2: Analyze current configuration

For the detected tool, check configuration completeness:

Knip:

• Config file exists (knip.json or knip.config.*)
• Entry points configured
• Ignore patterns set
• Plugin configurations
• Workspace support (monorepo)
• CI integration

Vulture:

• Configuration file exists
• Minimum confidence set
• Paths configured
• Ignore patterns
• Allowlist file (if needed)

cargo-machete:

• Installed as cargo subcommand
• Workspace configuration
• CI integration

Step 3: Generate compliance report

Print a formatted compliance report:

Dead Code Detection Compliance Report
======================================
Project: [name]
Language: [TypeScript | Python | Rust]
Tool: [Knip 5.x | Vulture 2.x | cargo-machete 0.6.x]

Configuration:
  Config file             knip.json                  [EXISTS | MISSING]
  Entry points            configured                 [CONFIGURED | AUTO-DETECTED]
  Ignore patterns         node_modules, dist         [CONFIGURED | INCOMPLETE]
  Plugin support          enabled                    [ENABLED | N/A]

Detection Scope:
  Unused files            enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]
  Unused exports          enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]
  Unused dependencies     enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]
  Unused types            enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]

Scripts:
  dead-code command       package.json scripts       [CONFIGURED | MISSING]

Integration:
  Pre-commit hook         .pre-commit-config.yaml    [OPTIONAL | MISSING]
  CI/CD check             .github/workflows/         [CONFIGURED | MISSING]

Overall: [X issues found]

If --check-only, stop here.

Step 4: Configure dead code detection (if --fix or user confirms)

Apply configuration based on detected language. Use templates from REFERENCE.md:

1. Install tool (e.g., bun add --dev knip, uv add --group dev vulture)
2. Create config file with entry points, exclusions, and plugins
3. Add scripts to package.json or create run commands
4. Add CI workflow step (warning mode, not blocking)

Step 5: Update standards tracking

Update .project-standards.yaml:

standards_version: "2025.1"
last_configured: "[timestamp]"
components:
  dead_code: "2025.1"
  dead_code_tool: "[knip|vulture|deadcode|machete]"
  dead_code_ci: true

Step 6: Print final report

Print a summary of changes applied, run an initial scan if possible, and provide next steps for reviewing findings.

For detailed configuration templates and usage examples, see REFERENCE.md.

Agentic Optimizations

Flags

Examples

# Check compliance and offer fixes
/configure:dead-code

# Check only, no modifications
/configure:dead-code --check-only

# Auto-fix with Knip
/configure:dead-code --fix --tool knip

Error Handling

• No language detected: Cannot determine appropriate tool, error
• Tool installation fails: Report error, suggest manual installation
• Configuration conflicts: Warn about multiple tools, suggest consolidation
• High number of findings: Suggest starting with allowlist

See Also

• /configure:linting - Configure linting tools
• /configure:all - Run all compliance checks
• Knip documentation: https://knip.dev
• Vulture documentation: https://github.com/jendrikseipp/vulture
• cargo-machete documentation: https://github.com/bnjbvr/cargo-machete