Refactoring

Overview

Use this skill when the code works but is too costly to reason about or change safely.

When to Use

• structural cleanup
• duplication reduction
• local complexity reduction

When NOT to Use

• urgent bug response without a stable repro
• large rewrites justified only by taste

Core Moves

1. Name the reason for refactoring.
2. Define the behavior that must remain stable.
3. Choose the smallest safe sequence.
4. Validate after each meaningful step.

Optional Modules

• Extraction pass — Pull out a smaller unit when a file or function does too much.
• Naming pass — Rename concepts once structure is clearer.
• Rollback plan — Clarify how to stop or revert if the cleanup becomes risky.

Activation Triggers

• Use extraction when responsibilities are mixed.
• Use naming when the main confusion is semantic rather than structural.
• Use rollback planning when the refactor touches core paths.

Expected Output

• clear refactoring objective
• incremental change set
• behavior-preservation evidence

Verification

• The change removed complexity rather than moving it around.
• Behavior was checked after meaningful steps.
• The refactor stayed inside its declared boundary.

Handoff Signals

• The cleanup exposes a larger architectural issue.
• The next safe step belongs to another owner or specialty.

Pairs Well With

• code-style
• testing
• architecture-review

Anti-patterns

• Calling a rewrite a refactor.
• Mixing cleanup and new behavior without saying so.
• Expanding scope because the codebase “needs it anyway.”