Burndown

Tech Debt Burndown (/burndown)

Autonomous tech debt elimination skill that combines /deslop (AI slop detection) and /qa (architecture audit) into a fully agentic iterative fix loop. Unlike the detection-only commands, /burndown finds AND fixes issues until a completion checkpoint passes.

Architecture: Iterative Fix-Verify Loop

Scan for issues, prioritize by severity, fix iteratively, re-scan to verify. The stop-validator enforces a universal checkpoint schema — is_job_complete, linters_pass, what_remains: "none" must all pass.

CRITICAL: Autonomous Execution

THIS WORKFLOW IS 100% AUTONOMOUS. YOU MUST:

1. NEVER ask for confirmation - No "Should I fix this?", "Should I commit?"
2. Auto-fix all issues - Apply fixes without asking
3. Auto-commit and push - Commit after each batch of fixes, push after final batch
4. Run linters after every batch - Fix ALL linter errors including pre-existing
5. Re-scan to verify - Confirm fixes worked, catch regressions
6. Fill out checkpoint honestly - The stop hook checks your booleans

Only stop when the checkpoint passes. If critical issues remain, you're blocked.

Triggers

• /burndown (primary)
• /burndown [scope] (scoped to directory/file/pattern)
• "burn down debt"
• "burn down tech debt"
• "clean up the codebase"
• "fix the code slop"
• "remove ai slop"
• "codebase cleanup"

Scope Arguments

Completion Checkpoint Schema

Before stopping, create .claude/completion-checkpoint.json:

{
  "self_report": {
    "is_job_complete": true,
    "code_changes_made": true,
    "linters_pass": true,
    "category": "refactor"
  },
  "reflection": {
    "what_was_done": "Fixed 17 critical/high issues across 8 files. Reduced debt score from 47 to 6.",
    "what_remains": "none",
    "key_insight": "Reusable lesson about debt patterns found (>50 chars)",
    "search_terms": ["tech-debt", "refactor", "code-slop"]
  },
  "burndown_metrics": {
    "issues_at_start": 47,
    "issues_at_end": 6,
    "debt_reduction_percentage": 87.2,
    "iterations_required": 3,
    "files_modified": 8
  }
}

Extra fields (burndown_metrics, evidence, etc.) are allowed — the stop-validator ignores unknown keys. If validation fails, the blocking message shows exact requirements.

Workflow

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PHASE 0: ACTIVATION                                            │
│     └─► Create .claude/autonomous-state.json (auto-approval)    │
│     └─► Parse scope from arguments or detect from context       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗  │
│  ║  PHASE 0.5: LITE HEAVY PLANNING (MANDATORY)               ║  │
│  ║     └─► EnterPlanMode                                     ║  │
│  ║     └─► Launch 2 parallel Opus agents (from /heavy):      ║  │
│  ║         ├─► Reductive Analyst: "What debt can be deleted?"║  │
│  ║         └─► Capability Maximizer: "Zero-debt look like?" ║  │
│  ║     └─► Synthesize deletion vs improvement tradeoffs      ║  │
│  ║     └─► ExitPlanMode                                      ║  │
│  ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PHASE 1: MULTI-AGENT DETECTION SCAN                            │
│     └─► Launch 3 parallel detection agents:                     │
│         ├─► Code Slop Hunter (deslop patterns 1-25)             │
│         ├─► Architecture Auditor (qa size + coupling)           │
│         └─► Debt Classifier (qa scalability + maintainability)  │
│     └─► Store findings in .claude/burndown-scan.json            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PHASE 2: PRIORITIZATION                                        │
│     └─► Synthesize all agent findings                           │
│     └─► Deduplicate overlapping issues                          │
│     └─► Assign severity: Critical > High > Medium > Low         │
│     └─► Generate prioritized fix queue                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PHASE 3: ITERATIVE FIX LOOP                                    │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  FOR each batch in fix_queue (by severity, then file):    │  │
│  │     └─► Apply fixes via Edit tool                         │  │
│  │     └─► Run linters, fix ALL errors                       │  │
│  │     └─► Commit: "burndown: [summary]"                     │  │
│  │     └─► Update iteration count in state                   │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PHASE 4: RE-SCAN VERIFICATION                                  │
│     └─► Run detection agents again on modified files            │
│     └─► Compare: issues_before vs issues_after                  │
│     └─► Calculate debt_burned_percentage                        │
│     └─► If new issues introduced: add to queue, return to Phase 3
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PHASE 5: BROWSER VERIFICATION (CONDITIONAL)                    │
│     └─► If frontend files modified: run surf-verify.py          │
│     └─► If pure refactoring: skip with documented reason        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  PHASE 6: COMPLETION                                            │
│     └─► Update completion-checkpoint.json with metrics          │
│     └─► Stop hook validates checkpoint                          │
│     └─► If blocked: return to Phase 3                           │
│     └─► If passed: clean up state files, done                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Phase 0: Activation

State File (Automatic)

Create the state file at activation to enable auto-approval:

File: .claude/autonomous-state.json (with "mode": "burndown")

{
  "started_at": "2026-01-30T10:00:00Z",
  "last_activity_at": "2026-01-30T10:30:00Z",
  "session_id": "abc123",
  "iteration": 1,
  "plan_mode_completed": false,
  "coordinator": true,

  "scope": {
    "type": "directory",
    "value": "src/components/",
    "detected_from": "argument"
  },

  "scan_results": {
    "total_issues": 47,
    "by_severity": {
      "critical": 5,
      "high": 12,
      "medium": 20,
      "low": 10
    },
    "by_category": {
      "slop": 18,
      "architecture": 15,
      "scalability": 8,
      "dead_code": 6
    }
  },

  "fix_progress": {
    "batches_total": 5,
    "batches_completed": 2,
    "issues_fixed": 17,
    "issues_remaining": 30
  },

  "metrics": {
    "initial_debt_score": 47,
    "current_debt_score": 30,
    "debt_burned_percentage": 36.2
  }
}

Phase 0.5: Planning

Use EnterPlanMode to explore the scope and plan the approach.

Launch 2 parallel Task() agents for multi-perspective analysis:

• First Principles: "What tech debt can be DELETED entirely?"
• AGI-Pilled: "What would a zero-debt version look like?"

Synthesize tradeoffs (what to delete, what to improve, what to leave alone) and write the plan. Call ExitPlanMode when ready.

Phase 1: Multi-Agent Detection Scan

Launch 3 parallel agents to detect all tech debt issues.

Architecture: Task() (not TeamCreate) — Detection agents scan independent pattern categories (slop, architecture, scalability). They don't benefit from peer communication because their findings are deduplicated by the coordinator in Phase 2, not cross-pollinated.

Agent 1: Code Slop Hunter

Focus: deslop patterns 1-25 (AI-generated code slop)

Detects:

• Unnecessary defensive checks (redundant null guards, isinstance checks)
• Verbose variable declarations (assign-and-return, one-line intermediates)
• Over-commented code (comments restating obvious operations)
• Unnecessary exception handling (try/except on non-throwing code)
• Verbose truthiness patterns (len(x) > 0 instead of if x)
• Unnecessary memoization (useMemo on string concat, useCallback with [])
• Type assertion abuse (as any, as unknown, @ts-ignore)
• Verbose conditional rendering (condition ? X : null instead of condition && X)

Output format:

{
  "file": "src/components/Button.tsx",
  "line": 42,
  "pattern_id": "unnecessary_memoization",
  "severity": "medium",
  "current_code": "const label = useMemo(() => `${first} ${last}`, [first, last])",
  "fix_suggestion": "const label = `${first} ${last}`"
}

Agent 2: Architecture Auditor

Focus: qa size + coupling patterns

Detects:

• Files exceeding 500 lines (critical), 300 lines (warning)
• Functions exceeding 50 lines
• Cyclomatic complexity > 10
• React components exceeding 200 lines
• Circular dependencies
• Cross-domain imports (feature importing from unrelated feature)
• Deep imports (../../../other/internal/private)
• God objects (5+ unrelated responsibilities)
• Leaky abstractions (DB schemas exposed across boundaries)

Output format:

{
  "file": "src/services/userService.ts",
  "line": 1,
  "category": "file_size",
  "severity": "critical",
  "metric": 623,
  "threshold": 500,
  "refactor_approach": "Split into UserAuthService, UserProfileService, UserPreferencesService"
}

Agent 3: Debt Classifier

Focus: qa scalability + maintainability patterns

Detects:

• N+1 query patterns (loops containing queries/awaits)
• Missing pagination on list endpoints
• Unbounded data structures (growing without limits)
• Sequential awaits that could be parallelized
• Dead code (unused exports, unreachable branches)
• Type safety gaps (any, missing return types)
• Consistency violations (mixed naming conventions)
• Error handling gaps (empty catches, swallowed errors)

Output format:

{
  "file": "src/api/users.py",
  "line": 87,
  "category": "n_plus_one",
  "severity": "high",
  "description": "Query inside for loop fetches related data one-by-one",
  "fix_suggestion": "Use prefetch_related or eager loading"
}

Phase 2: Prioritization

After agents return, synthesize findings into a prioritized fix queue.

Severity Classification

Deduplication

Multiple agents may flag the same issue differently:

• Slop Hunter: "unnecessary memoization"
• Architecture Auditor: "component too complex"

Merge overlapping findings, keep highest severity.

Fix Queue Structure

{
  "queue": [
    {
      "batch": 1,
      "severity": "critical",
      "files": ["src/services/userService.ts"],
      "issues": [
        {"type": "file_size", "fix": "split_service"},
        {"type": "circular_dep", "fix": "extract_interface"}
      ]
    },
    {
      "batch": 2,
      "severity": "high",
      "files": ["src/api/users.py", "src/api/orders.py"],
      "issues": [
        {"type": "n_plus_one", "fix": "prefetch_related"},
        {"type": "sequential_await", "fix": "Promise.all"}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Phase 3: Iterative Fix Loop

Parallel Batch Execution

Before starting fixes, check if batches touch disjoint file sets. If batch 1 modifies {fileA, fileB} and batch 2 modifies {fileC, fileD} (no overlap), launch them as parallel Task() agents:

# Check file set overlap between batches
# If disjoint: launch parallel Task() agents, each fixing their batch
Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", description="Fix batch 1: [files]",
  prompt="Fix these issues in [fileA, fileB]: [issue list]. Run linters after. Commit: burndown: fix [summary]")
Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", description="Fix batch 2: [files]",
  prompt="Fix these issues in [fileC, fileD]: [issue list]. Run linters after. Commit: burndown: fix [summary]")
# Launch in a SINGLE message

# If overlapping: fix serially (default behavior below)

Fix Each Batch (Serial Fallback)

1. Apply fixes via Edit tool
2. Run linters after each batch:

   # JavaScript/TypeScript
   [ -f package.json ] && npm run lint 2>/dev/null || npx eslint . --ext .js,.jsx,.ts,.tsx
   [ -f tsconfig.json ] && npx tsc --noEmit
   
   # Python
   [ -f pyproject.toml ] && ruff check --fix .
   [ -f pyrightconfig.json ] && pyright
   

3. Fix ALL linter errors including pre-existing ones
4. Commit after each batch:

   git add <files> && git commit -m "burndown: fix [severity] issues in [files]"
   

Iteration Tracking

Update autonomous-state.json after each batch:

• Increment iteration
• Update batches_completed
• Update issues_fixed / issues_remaining
• Recalculate debt_burned_percentage

Phase 4: Re-Scan Verification

After fixing all batches, re-run detection on modified files.

Verification Checks

1. Issues reduced: issues_after < issues_before
2. No regressions: No new critical/high issues introduced
3. Fixes worked: Specific patterns no longer detected

Regression Handling

If re-scan finds new issues:

1. Add to fix queue
2. Return to Phase 3
3. Repeat until clean

Phase 5: Browser Verification (Conditional)

When Required

Skip Documentation

If skipping browser verification:

{
  "browser_verification_skipped": true,
  "browser_verification_skip_reason": "pure_refactoring|no_frontend_changes|dead_code_only|type_changes_only"
}

When Required

Use Surf CLI first:

python3 ~/.claude/hooks/surf-verify.py --urls "https://staging.example.com/affected-page"
cat .claude/web-smoke/summary.json

Phase 6: Completion

Update checkpoint with universal schema (see Completion Checkpoint Schema above) and try to stop. If blocked, address issues and retry.

Exit Conditions

Cleanup

On successful completion:

rm -f ~/.claude/autonomous-state.json .claude/autonomous-state.json

Comparison with /deslop and /qa

Example Session

User: /burndown src/components/

[Phase 0: Activation]
→ Created .claude/autonomous-state.json
→ Scope: {type: "directory", value: "src/components/"}

[Phase 0.5: Lite Heavy Planning]
→ EnterPlanMode
→ First Principles: "Delete unused Modal, Tooltip components"
→ AGI-Pilled: "Consolidate 5 button variants into 1 polymorphic Button"
→ Plan: Delete 2 components, consolidate buttons, fix slop in remaining
→ ExitPlanMode

[Phase 1: Detection Scan]
→ Code Slop Hunter: 18 issues (memoization, null guards, verbose patterns)
→ Architecture Auditor: 8 issues (file size, coupling)
→ Debt Classifier: 6 issues (dead code, type safety)
→ Total: 32 issues (4 critical, 8 high, 14 medium, 6 low)

[Phase 2: Prioritization]
→ Batch 1: Critical (circular dep in Modal.tsx, 600-line Table.tsx)
→ Batch 2: High (N+1 in DataGrid, memoization abuse in Form)
→ Batch 3: Medium (verbose patterns, dead imports)

[Phase 3: Fix Loop]
→ Iteration 1: Fix Batch 1 (critical) → lint → commit
→ Iteration 2: Fix Batch 2 (high) → lint → commit
→ Iteration 3: Fix Batch 3 (medium) → lint → commit

[Phase 4: Re-scan]
→ Re-scan modified files
→ Issues now: 6 (0 critical, 0 high, 2 medium, 4 low)
→ No regressions

[Phase 5: Browser Verification]
→ Frontend components modified → run surf-verify.py
→ Screenshot shows components working
→ Console: 0 errors

[Phase 6: Completion]
→ Checkpoint: is_job_complete=true, linters_pass=true, category=refactor
→ what_remains: "none"
→ Stop hook validates → PASS
→ debt_burned_percentage: 81.25%
→ Session complete

Skill Fluidity

You may use techniques from any skill for sub-problems without switching modes. Your autonomous state and checkpoint remain governed by /burndown.

Reference Files

Philosophy

Why "/burndown" Works

1. Iterative loop - Fixes are verified, regressions caught
2. Priority enforcement - Critical issues must be fixed
3. Honest checkpoint - Can't exit with lies
4. Combined detection - Best of deslop + qa
5. Autonomous execution - No confirmation fatigue

Debt Reduction Strategy

1. Delete first (First Principles) - Remove what shouldn't exist
2. Simplify second - Reduce complexity before optimizing
3. Fix patterns - Apply consistent fixes across codebase
4. Verify everything - Re-scan confirms fixes worked

Exit Philosophy

Zero critical issues = exit allowed. Medium/low issues = documented in what_remains. This prevents perfectionism loops while ensuring critical debt is addressed.