# Whawkinsiv Solo Founder Superpowers Optimize > Optimize - Skill: `tomevault-io/whawkinsiv-solo-founder-superpowers-optimize` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/whawkinsiv-solo-founder-superpowers-optimize` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/whawkinsiv-solo-founder-superpowers-optimize/raw - Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS) - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/whawkinsiv-solo-founder-superpowers-optimize --- # Optimize Reduce waste and improve efficiency. **Only optimize after you have real users and real problems** — premature optimization is the most common waste of founder time. **This skill is for making existing things faster and leaner.** For building features, use **build**. For fixing bugs, use **debug**. For monitoring performance in production, use **monitor**. For database schema design, use **database**. ## Workflow ``` Optimize your app: - [ ] Measure first — get actual numbers (page load, API speed, bundle size) - [ ] Speed — fix the slowest page or API endpoint - [ ] Dependencies — update packages, remove unused ones - [ ] Database — clean orphaned data, optimize slow queries - [ ] Code — remove dead code and unused files - [ ] Re-measure — verify improvements with numbers ``` ## When to Optimize (and When NOT To) **Don't optimize when:** - Building your MVP - Fewer than ~100 active users - Everything works fine - You haven't measured the problem **Optimize when:** - Users complain about slowness (Speed) - Bundle size warnings or security alerts appear (Dependencies) - App noticeably slower than when you launched (Speed/Database) - You're paying for hosting you shouldn't need (Speed/Database) **Rule:** Make it work → get users → measure → THEN make it lean. --- ## Priority Order When multiple things need work: 1. **Speed** — Users feel this immediately. Slow = churn. 2. **Dependencies** — Security vulnerabilities are urgent. Bundle bloat affects speed. 3. **Database** — Affects long-term performance and hosting costs. 4. **Code** — Affects maintainability. Lowest user impact. --- ## Speed Optimization ### Targets | Metric | Good | Bad | |--------|------|-----| | Page load | < 3s | > 5s | | API response | < 500ms | > 1s | | Time to interactive | < 5s | > 8s | ### Step 1: Measure **Claude Code** (can measure directly): ``` Audit app performance: - Measure page load times for the 3 most important pages - Log API response times for the 5 most-used endpoints - Identify the slowest database queries - Check total bundle size Report findings with specific numbers. ``` **Lovable / Replit / Cursor** (measure manually first): 1. Open your app in Chrome → Right-click → Inspect → Network tab → Reload 2. Note the "Load" time at the bottom — that's your page load time 3. Click a button that calls your API — note the request time in Network tab 4. Then paste findings into chat: ``` My app's performance numbers: - Homepage loads in [X] seconds - [Main feature] API takes [X] seconds - [Other page] loads in [X] seconds What's slow and how do I fix it? ``` ### Step 2: Fix **Tell AI:** ``` Optimize these performance issues: [paste audit findings] Apply fixes in this order: 1. Add caching for slow API calls 2. Add database indexes for slow queries 3. Optimize and lazy-load images 4. Code split large bundles Run build and tests after each fix. ``` ### Step 3: Prevent **Tell AI:** ``` Add performance monitoring: - Log API calls > 500ms - Log database queries > 100ms - Alert if page load > 3s ``` See [PERFORMANCE-CHECKS.md](PERFORMANCE-CHECKS.md) for detailed testing methods. --- ## Dependencies Optimization The most relevant optimization at any stage — even pre-launch. ### Signs You Need This - Security vulnerability warnings when you run `npm install` - Bundle size > 500KB - "What does this package do?" ### Audit **Tell AI:** ``` Audit dependencies: - List packages not imported anywhere in code - List packages with security vulnerabilities - Analyze bundle size by package - Find packages with lighter alternatives Report: package name, size impact, and recommendation. ``` ### Fix **Tell AI:** ``` Clean up dependencies: [paste audit findings] Steps: - Remove unused packages from package.json - Update packages with security vulnerabilities - Replace heavy packages with lighter alternatives After changes: delete node_modules, fresh npm install, run build and tests. ``` **Common replacements:** | Heavy | Light Alternative | |-------|-------------------| | moment.js | date-fns or dayjs | | lodash (full) | lodash-es (tree-shakeable) | | axios | fetch (built-in) | ### Prevent **Tell AI:** ``` Set up dependency hygiene: - Add npm audit to CI pipeline - Configure Dependabot for automatic security updates ``` See [DEPENDENCIES.md](DEPENDENCIES.md) for detailed patterns. --- ## Database Optimization **When this matters:** After months of real usage, when queries slow down or hosting costs climb. ### Signs You Need This - Pages that were fast are now slow - Database hosting costs increasing - Queries timing out under load ### Audit and Fix **Tell AI:** ``` Audit database for optimization opportunities: - Find missing indexes on frequently queried columns - Find slow queries (> 100ms) - Find orphaned records (foreign keys pointing to deleted rows) - Find tables with no recent reads/writes For each issue, apply the fix: - Add indexes for slow queries - Set up ON DELETE CASCADE for dependent records - Create cleanup job for orphaned/soft-deleted records (> 90 days) Always backup before making schema changes. ``` --- ## Code Cleanup **When this matters:** After your codebase has grown significantly through AI-assisted iteration. Multiple rounds of "build feature, rebuild feature" leave dead code. ### Signs You Need This - Files you don't recognize - Components that aren't used anywhere - "I'm afraid to delete this" ### Audit and Fix **Tell AI:** ``` Audit codebase for unused code: - Find components not imported anywhere - Find functions never called - Find commented-out code blocks For each: verify nothing references it, then remove it. For duplicate/similar code, use **dry** — it covers deduplication across UI, database, and logic. Run build and tests after cleanup. ``` **Safety rule:** If unsure, comment out first and test. Delete after confirming nothing breaks. --- ## Common Mistakes | Mistake | Fix | |---------|-----| | Optimizing before measuring | AUDIT first, always | | Optimizing during MVP | Ship first, optimize when users complain | | Updating all packages at once | Update one at a time, test each | | Deleting code without verifying | Check imports/references before removing | | Dropping database columns in production | Test migrations on staging first | --- ## Success Looks Like After optimization, you should see: - Pages load < 3 seconds - Zero security vulnerabilities in dependencies - No obviously unused packages - Database queries respond < 100ms - Automated checks catch future regressions --- ## Related Skills - **monitor** — Track performance in production after optimizing - **debug** — Fix broken things (optimize fixes slow things) - **deploy** — Hosting configuration affects performance - **database** — Schema design and query optimization - **dry** — Find and eliminate code duplication across UI, database, and logic - **build** — Feature development (optimize after building, not during) --- > Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/whawkinsiv) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.