How do I install the Techdebt skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add matteocervelli/techdebt in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Techdebt safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Techdebt?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Techdebt free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Techdebt?

matteocervelli (@matteocervelli) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Techdebt by matteocervelli — Agent Skill

Name: Techdebt
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: matteocervelli

Techdebt

Detect technical debt — duplicated code, dead code, TODOs, and oversized functions across the codebase. Use at the end of a session or when auditing code hygiene. Trigger on "find tech debt", "any dead code", "duplicated code", "code hygiene", "techdebt".

File contents

Tech Debt Finder

Purpose

Surface technical debt patterns before they accumulate: duplicates, dead code, complexity hotspots, TODOs, oversized files.

Quick Start

/techdebt              # scan current directory
/techdebt src/         # scan specific path
/techdebt --duplicates # only duplicate check
/techdebt --todos      # only TODO/FIXME markers
/techdebt --dead-code  # only dead code

How to Run

Execute the scan script — it auto-detects Python/JS/TS and skips missing tools:

bash $CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR/scripts/scan.sh [path] [filter-flag]

Then interpret and report the output using the Output Format below. The script handles tool invocation; your job is to classify findings by severity and suggest fixes.

Output Format

Produce a # Tech Debt Report with:

Summary table — category, count, severity (Low / Medium / High)
Details per category — file, line, symbol, suggestion
Quick Fixes — any automatable repairs (ruff --fix, eslint --fix)
Recommended Actions — prioritized: Immediate / This week / Backlog

Severity thresholds: duplicates (Low ≤2, Medium 3-5, High >5), dead code (Low ≤5, High >10), large functions (Medium >75 lines, High >100), large files (High >1000 lines), complexity CC >10 (Medium).

Tool Reference

Tools the script uses (installed = runs; missing = skipped with note):

Check	Python	JS/TS
Duplicates	pylint	jscpd
Dead code	vulture	ts-prune
Complexity/size	radon	eslint
Circular imports	pycycle	madge
TODOs	grep (no dep)	grep (no dep)

Install missing tools: uv add --dev vulture radon pylint / npm install -D jscpd ts-prune madge

Gotchas

.venv, node_modules, dist, __pycache__ are auto-excluded by the scan script
pylint --enable=duplicate-code is slow on large codebases; warn if scanning >500 files
ts-prune only works from the project root (needs tsconfig.json); run from a sub-path → 0 findings
radon cc = per-function cyclomatic complexity; radon raw = per-file LOC — different output formats
Deprecated registry dependency check requires ~/.claude/docs/development/registry.yaml; skip silently if absent

---name: techdebtdescription: Detect technical debt — duplicated code, dead code, TODOs, and oversized functions across the codebase. Use at the end of a session or when auditing code hygiene. Trigger on "find tech debt", "any dead code", "duplicated code", "code hygiene", "techdebt".--- # Tech Debt Finder ## Purpose Surface technical debt patterns before they accumulate: duplicates, dead code, complexity hotspots, TODOs, oversized files. ## Quick Start ```bash /techdebt # scan current directory /techdebt src/ # scan specific path /techdebt --duplicates # only duplicate check /techdebt --todos # only TODO/FIXME markers /techdebt --dead-code # only dead code ``` ## How to Run Execute the scan script — it auto-detects Python/JS/TS and skips missing tools: ```bash bash $CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR/scripts/scan.sh [path] [filter-flag] ``` Then **interpret and report** the output using the Output Format below. The script handles tool invocation; your job is to classify findings by severity and suggest fixes. ## Output Format Produce a `# Tech Debt Report` with: 1. **Summary table** — category, count, severity (Low / Medium / High) 2. **Details per category** — file, line, symbol, suggestion 3. **Quick Fixes** — any automatable repairs (`ruff --fix`, `eslint --fix`) 4. **Recommended Actions** — prioritized: Immediate / This week / Backlog Severity thresholds: duplicates (Low ≤2, Medium 3-5, High >5), dead code (Low ≤5, High >10), large functions (Medium >75 lines, High >100), large files (High >1000 lines), complexity CC >10 (Medium). ## Tool Reference Tools the script uses (installed = runs; missing = skipped with note): | Check | Python | JS/TS | | ---------------- | ---------------- | ------------ | | Duplicates | pylint | jscpd | | Dead code | vulture | ts-prune | | Complexity/size | radon | eslint | | Circular imports | pycycle | madge | | TODOs | grep (no dep) | grep (no dep)| Install missing tools: `uv add --dev vulture radon pylint` / `npm install -D jscpd ts-prune madge` ## Gotchas - `.venv`, `node_modules`, `dist`, `__pycache__` are auto-excluded by the scan script - `pylint --enable=duplicate-code` is slow on large codebases; warn if scanning >500 files - `ts-prune` only works from the project root (needs `tsconfig.json`); run from a sub-path → 0 findings - `radon cc` = per-function cyclomatic complexity; `radon raw` = per-file LOC — different output formats - Deprecated registry dependency check requires `~/.claude/docs/development/registry.yaml`; skip silently if absent

Frequently asked questions