Dead Code Cleanup

Dead Code Cleanup with Repowise

Repowise detects dead code through graph analysis — no LLM needed, works even with a template-rendered wiki.

When the user asks about dead/unused code

Call get_dead_code() to get findings sorted by confidence tier. Useful parameters:

• safe_only=true — only findings confirmed safe to delete (confidence >= 0.7)
• kind="unreachable_file" — files with no importers
• kind="unused_export" — public symbols nobody uses
• kind="zombie_package" — monorepo packages with no consumers
• directory="src/old/" — limit to a specific directory
• tier="high" — only high-confidence findings (>= 0.8)
• min_confidence=0.7 — raise the floor (default is 0.5) for a release-ready cleanup
• group_by="directory" or group_by="owner" — roll up to see where the dead code concentrates and who owns the most of it

How to present findings

• Only suggest deletion for findings with safe_to_delete: true
• For lower-confidence findings, present them as "candidates to investigate" not "things to delete"
• Dynamically-loaded code (plugins, handlers, adapters) may appear as dead code but isn't — Repowise filters common patterns but edge cases exist

Before deleting anything

1. Confirm with the user. Present the file/symbol name, confidence score, and why Repowise thinks it's dead.
2. Call get_risk(targets=["path/to/file"]) to double-check dependents.
3. Recently-modified "dead" code is more likely a false positive — flag this if the finding has recent git activity.

Safe deletion order

1. Unreachable files first (whole file removal, cleanest)
2. Unused internal symbols next
3. Unused exports last (highest false-positive risk due to potential dynamic imports)