Architecture Simplification

Purpose

Over time, codebases accumulate "just in case" abstractions. This skill guides the safe removal of unnecessary complexity: remove the noise around the core logic without changing the core logic itself.

When to Use

• An interface has only one implementation and no second one is planned
• A wrapper, factory, or layer only passes arguments straight through
• Two code paths do the same thing and should be consolidated

Inputs

• The suspect abstraction(s) and their call sites
• A green test suite covering the affected area

Workflow

1. Identify the abstraction cost. Does this interface have only one implementation? Does this wrapper class just pass arguments straight through? Measure before cutting:

   grep -rn "implements IUserRepository" src/    # count implementations
   grep -rn "IUserRepository" src/ | wc -l       # count references
   

2. Run the tests first. The affected area must be green before any removal — this is the behavioral baseline.

3. Inline the logic. Move the logic from the unnecessary abstraction directly into the caller.

4. Delete the dead code. Remove the interface, wrapper, or factory that is no longer needed.

5. Test verification. Re-run the same tests; the observable behavior of the system must not have changed.

Example: if a UserRepository implements IUserRepository but there is only ever one database, inline UserRepository and delete IUserRepository.

Output

• The simplified code with the abstraction removed
• Before/after test evidence showing unchanged behavior

Verification

• Tests covering the area were green before the change (baseline)
• Same tests green after the change — observable behavior preserved
• No references to the removed abstraction remain (searched, not assumed)
• Diff contains only removal/inlining — no core-logic rewrites

Failure Modes

• Rewrite disguised as simplification — do not rewrite the entire subsystem; simplification removes the noise around the core logic, not the logic itself.
• Cutting without a baseline — without a green pre-change test run, "tests pass after" proves nothing.
• Speculative retention — keeping the interface "in case we need it later" recreates the original problem.