Dead Code Scan
Find the code nobody calls anymore. No signup required.
Prerequisites
- None. Pure Claude Code. Will use a static analyzer if present
(
knip,ts-prune,vulture,deadcode), otherwise reasons from grep + imports.
Trigger
- "Find dead code in this repo"
- "Any unused exports / files?"
- "What can I safely delete?"
Workflow
Detect language and reach for the right tool if installed:
- JS/TS →
kniports-prune· Python →vulture· Go →deadcode/staticcheckParse its output. If none is installed, do a grep-based pass (below).
- JS/TS →
Grep-based pass:
- For each exported symbol, search the repo for references outside its own file. Zero references (and not a public API entry point) → candidate dead export.
- Unused imports: imported name never referenced in the file.
- Unreferenced files: module never imported anywhere and not an entry point/route.
- Unreachable code: statements after
return/throw/break;if (false)blocks.
Assign confidence — be conservative. Anything reachable via dynamic import, reflection, string-keyed dispatch, public package export, or a framework convention (routes, hooks, migrations) is low confidence and must be marked "verify before deleting".
Output:
## Dead Code Scan — 42 files
**High confidence: 6 · Verify first: 4**
### Safe to remove
- `utils/legacy.ts:1-60` — file never imported anywhere.
- `services/auth.ts:88` — `export function oldHash()` — 0 references.
- `components/Modal.tsx:14` — unused import `useMemo`.
- `parser.py:120-126` — unreachable block after `return` on line 119.
### Verify before deleting (dynamic / convention)
- `routes/webhooks.ts` — no static import, but may be auto-registered. Check the router.
- `tasks/cleanup.py` — referenced only by a string in a Celery schedule. Keep.
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