Audit

Codebase Audit

Systematic review of the entire codebase to identify cruft, outdated content, and issues before release. Uses parallel exploration for discovery, then interactive triage for decisions.

When to Use

• Pre-release cleanup
• Periodic codebase health check
• After major refactoring
• When onboarding to understand technical debt

Workflow

Phase 1: Discovery (Parallel Exploration)

Launch 5 parallel Explore agents to review different areas:

Task tool (subagent_type: Explore) - run all 5 in parallel:

1. DOCS: Review *.md files for outdated content, stale TODOs,
   inconsistencies, wrong command syntax, aspirational features
   documented as current

2. CODE: Review src/ for dead code, unresolved TODOs/FIXMEs,
   duplicate functions, commented-out code, debug artifacts,
   unused imports/exports

3. CONFIG: Review package.json, tsconfig, etc. for unused deps,
   misplaced deps (dev vs prod), broken scripts, stale configs,
   version drift

4. TESTS: Review tests/ for skipped tests, dead mocks, duplicate
   test names, flaky patterns, missing coverage, outdated fixtures

5. SPECS: Review .kspec/ for stale spec items, orphaned tasks,
   status mismatches, empty stubs, inbox items that should be
   promoted, accumulating session files

Each agent should report findings with:

• File and location
• What the issue is
• Why it's cruft (outdated, redundant, broken, etc.)
• Recommended action

Phase 2: Compilation

Organize all findings by severity:

Present compiled summary to user before triage.

Phase 3: Triage (Interactive)

Go through items one-by-one using AskUserQuestion:

For each item, present options:

- Fix now      → Execute the fix immediately
- Task         → Create task with context notes
- Inbox        → Add to inbox for later review
- Punt         → Skip, not worth tracking
- Discuss      → Need more context before deciding

Triage principles:

• One item at a time (don't batch)
• User decides disposition
• Execute decisions immediately
• Add context notes to tasks/inbox

Phase 4: Execution

For each decision type:

Fix now:

# Delete dead files
rm path/to/dead-file.js

# Quick edits
# Use Edit tool for small fixes

# Commit cleanup changes at end
git add -A && git commit -m "chore: Audit cleanup - [summary]"

Task:

kspec task add --title "Description" --priority N --slug slug-name --tag relevant-tag
kspec task note @slug "Context: file location, what needs doing, why"

Inbox:

kspec inbox add "Description of item for later" --tag tag1 --tag tag2

Phase 5: Summary

At end of triage, report:

## Audit Summary

### Fixed Now
- Item 1
- Item 2

### Tasks Created (N)
| Task | Priority | Description |
|------|----------|-------------|
| @slug | PN | Brief description |

### Inbox Added (N)
- Item description

### Punted (N)
- Reason for each

### Remaining
- Any items not yet triaged

Commit any direct fixes made during audit.

Key Principles

• Parallel discovery - Explore agents run concurrently for speed
• Severity-first - Critical items get triaged first
• Interactive triage - User controls every decision
• Immediate execution - Don't batch, act on each decision
• Full tracking - Everything either fixed or tracked
• Clean commit - End with committed state

Quick Reference

# Get session context first
kspec session start

# After triage, commit fixes
git add -A && git commit -m "chore: Audit cleanup"

# Create task with context
kspec task add --title "..." --priority N --slug slug --tag tag
kspec task note @slug "Context..."

# Add to inbox
kspec inbox add "Description" --tag tag

# Check what was created
kspec task list --status pending
kspec inbox list

Exploration Prompts

Use these prompts for the parallel Explore agents:

Docs:

Review documentation files for cruft in preparation for release. Look for: outdated content, stale TODOs, inconsistencies between docs, wrong command syntax, features documented that don't exist. Check README.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and other .md files.

Code:

Review src/ directory for code cruft. Look for: dead code, unused exports, unresolved TODO/FIXME comments, duplicate functions, commented-out code, debug artifacts, unused imports. Note file paths and line numbers.

Config:

Review configuration files for cruft. Look for: unused dependencies, misplaced deps (devDeps vs deps), broken npm scripts, stale tsconfig/eslint options, version inconsistencies. Check package.json, tsconfig.json, and config files.

Tests:

Review tests/ for cruft. Look for: skipped tests (.skip/.todo), dead mock files, duplicate test names, flaky patterns, missing coverage, outdated fixtures. Verify temp directory isolation pattern.

Specs:

Review .kspec/ for spec and task cruft. Look for: stale spec items, orphaned tasks, incorrect statuses, empty stubs, inbox items that should be promoted, tasks with empty slugs.

Tips

• Run tests before and after to catch regressions
• Check git status frequently during fixes
• For complex fixes, create tasks rather than fixing inline
• Group related fixes in a single commit
• If unsure about a fix, punt and discuss later