Large File Control

Large File Control

Use this skill before adding meaningful logic to a file that is already hard to scan or carries multiple responsibilities.

Read templates/large-file-control.md before deciding whether to inline or extract.

Workflow

1. Check file size, responsibilities, repeated conditionals, and test surface.
2. Identify whether the new behavior has a focused domain concept.
3. Prefer extraction only when it improves current locality, readability, or testability.
4. Keep code inline when extraction would only add indirection.
5. Avoid dumping logic into vague utils, helpers, manager, or service files.
6. Report the decision and rationale.

Guardrails

• Do not split mechanically by line count.
• Do not add a new abstraction for one caller unless it hides real complexity.
• Do not continue growing a file if the new code requires edits in many distant sections.
• If the right split is architectural, escalate to archi.

Output

Large File Decision
- file:
- signal:
- decision: inline/extract/defer/escalate
- rationale:
- verification: