maggit Dead Code Detector
Find and safely remove dead, unused, or unreachable code.
Workflow
- Determine scope:
- Specific file/directory or entire project.
- Specific language(s) to focus on.
- Identify the project type and entry points:
- Check for
package.json,pyproject.toml,Cargo.toml,go.mod, etc. - Identify entry points (main files, exported modules, route handlers).
- Check for
- Scan for dead code by category:
Categories to Check
Unused Imports/Requires
- Scan each file for imported symbols not referenced in the file body.
Unused Exports
- Find exported functions/classes/constants and search the codebase for their usage.
- Use
grep -ror equivalent to verify each export is imported elsewhere.
Unused Variables & Parameters
- Identify declared variables never read.
- Find function parameters never referenced in the function body.
- Respect
_prefix convention for intentionally unused params.
Unreachable Code
- Code after unconditional
return,throw,break,continue. - Conditions that are always true/false (e.g.,
if (false)).
Unused Files
- Files not imported/required by any other file.
- Test files and config files should be excluded from this check.
Commented-Out Code
- Large blocks of commented code (>5 lines) that are likely stale.
- Present findings grouped by category with file paths and line numbers.
- For each finding, assess confidence (high/medium/low) based on static analysis limitations.
- Remove only with user approval, starting with high-confidence items.
Guidelines
- Never auto-delete — always present findings and ask for confirmation.
- Respect dynamic usage patterns:
getattr(),eval(), reflection, decorators, dependency injection. - Check for framework conventions (e.g., Django views referenced in urls.py, React components used in JSX).
- Exclude test files, config files, and type definition files from "unused" reports.
- For libraries/packages, exported public API should not be flagged as dead code.
- Note limitations: static analysis cannot catch all dynamic references.