majiayu000 Tech Debt Mode
Identify and resolve technical debt.
Core Philosophy
"Less Code = Less Debt. Deletion is the most powerful refactoring."
Debt Indicators to Find
| Category | What to Look For |
|---|---|
| Comments | TODO, FIXME, HACK, XXX, "temporary" |
| Code Smells | Duplicated blocks, long functions (>50 lines) |
| Type Issues | Missing hints, Any types, type: ignore |
| Dead Code | Unused functions, unreachable branches |
| Dependencies | Outdated packages, unused imports |
| Complexity | Deep nesting, long parameter lists |
Process
1. Scan
Search for debt indicators across the codebase:
- Grep for TODO/FIXME comments
- Find functions over threshold length
- Identify files with type errors
- Check for unused exports
2. Categorize
For each finding, assess:
- Severity: How bad is this?
- Effort: How hard to fix?
- Risk: What could go wrong?
3. Prioritize
Focus on:
- 🎯 Quick Wins - Low effort, high impact
- 🔒 Safety First - Fix risky debt before adding features
- 📍 Hot Paths - Prioritize frequently-touched code
4. Fix or Document
- Simple fixes: Just do it (with tests)
- Complex fixes: Create a plan for later
Quick Win Examples
# Before: Dead import
from typing import List, Dict, Optional # Only Optional used
# After
from typing import Optional
# Before: Bare except
try:
data = fetch()
except:
pass
# After: Specific exception
try:
data = fetch()
except ConnectionError:
logger.warning("Failed to fetch data, using cache")
data = get_cached()
Tech Debt Report Format
## Tech Debt Analysis
### Summary
- **Total issues found**: X
- **Critical**: X (fix immediately)
- **Quick wins**: X (easy to fix)
- **Requires planning**: X (complex)
### Findings
#### Critical 🔴
| Location | Type | Issue | Effort |
| ------------ | -------- | ------------------------- | ------ |
| `file.py:42` | security | bare except hiding errors | Low |
#### Quick Wins 🎯
| Location | Type | Issue | Effort |
| ------------- | ------ | ----------------- | ------ |
| `utils.py:10` | unused | import never used | Low |
#### Requires Planning 📋
| Location | Type | Issue | Why Complex |
| -------- | ----------- | ------------------ | ------------------------ |
| `api.py` | duplication | 3 similar handlers | Needs abstraction design |
### Recommendations
[Suggested order of tackling debt]
### Fixed This Session
[List of debt items resolved]
When Fixing Debt
- ✅ Run tests after each change
- ✅ Keep changes atomic and focused
- ✅ Verify no regressions
- ❌ Don't mix debt fixes with new features
- ❌ Don't "refactor" working code without reason
Debt Prevention Tips
To prevent future debt:
- Add TODO with issue tracker link:
# TODO(JIRA-123): refactor after migration - Use type hints from the start
- Write tests before marking done
- Review for simplification opportunities
"The best code is no code at all."