bulk-sweep-classify

name	bulk-sweep-classify
description	Classify every regex match before a bulk find-replace/syntax-modernization sweep — four match categories, scoped transform, allowlist-aware verification. Use when bulk-renaming commands/tools/paths or migrating syntax across many files.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Grep, Edit
created	"2026-07-05T00:00:00.000Z"
modified	"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z"
reviewed	"2026-07-06T00:00:00.000Z"

Bulk Sweep — Classify Every Match First

When you modernize a syntax across many files with a regex / sed / perl pass — a command rename (/ns:cmd → /ns-cmd), a tool/binary rename, a path or import-style migration, an API-version bump in prose — the matched set is heterogeneous even though every hit looks textually identical. One pattern catches genuine stale targets and several look-alikes that must NOT be transformed. Blindly rewriting all matches corrupts the look-alikes silently: the sweep reports success, and the damage surfaces far downstream (a broken designed filename, a rewritten immutable record).

The discipline: enumerate the matches and bucket every one into a category before editing. The regex sees text; the transform needs semantics.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use something else instead when...
A find-replace where the delimiter/token also appears in filenames, config keys, URLs, designs, or historical records	The pattern is structural (function shape, call form) → code-quality-plugin:ast-grep-search. Also when the rename is textually simple but code-targeted (an API rename, call-site migration, or import-path change in source files): route it through ast-grep-search first — structural matching won't touch strings/comments/URLs, so category-2 false positives shrink to near-zero (see the routing step below)
Command-syntax migration (/ns:cmd → /ns-cmd), tool rename in docs, path/import migration, API-version bump in prose	A one-off literal string search with no look-alike risk → tools-plugin:rg-code-search
Docs trees mixing live guidance with ADRs / changelogs / design PRDs, all matching the same regex	The whole match-set is genuinely uniform and you have verified it

The Four Categories

Read the surrounding line of each match and bucket it. Each category needs different handling.

Category	Handling	Canonical example (command-syntax sweep)
1. Genuine stale target	Transform	/configure:mcp → /configure-mcp in live docs
2. False positive — merely matches the pattern	Leave	laurigates/dotfiles:latest (docker tag); redis://host:6379 (digit after :, not a command)
3. Out-of-scope design legitimately using the old form — esp. delimiter embedded in designed filenames/paths	Leave — transforming corrupts the design	/sync:daily PRD whose colon also appears in sync:daily-state.json, .claude/commands/sync:daily.md
4. Immutable / historical record matching the pattern	Supersede-note; do NOT rewrite the body	Accepted ADRs documenting the old /namespace:command convention

Category 3 is the sharpest trap. The delimiter you're replacing (:, /, ., -) often also appears in filenames, config keys, or URLs that the matched token participates in. Hyphenating /sync:daily → /sync-daily also rewrites every sync:daily-state.json path in the same doc — silently breaking a design.

Category 4 follows the standard supersede-don't-rewrite convention: set Status: Superseded plus a top-note, leave the body as a historical record.

Execution

Step 0: Route by sweep target — code vs. prose/docs

Before enumerating, decide what you are sweeping. This picks the transform engine and shrinks the classify workload:

• Sweep target is code — an API rename, call-site migration, or import-path change in source files. Do the transform structurally with ast-grep -p '<old>' -r '<new>' --lang <l>, delegating the transform mechanics to code-quality-plugin:ast-grep-search. An ast-grep pattern matches AST nodes, so it inherently won't match inside strings, comments, or URLs — the whole category-2 false-positive bucket shrinks to near-zero. The classify pass then focuses on categories 3 (designed filenames/paths) and 4 (immutable records) only, and Steps 1–2's false-positive tightening is largely unnecessary. Proceed to Step 3 with the ast-grep result in hand.

• Sweep target is prose/docs/mixed — command renames in markdown, tool names in docs trees, an API-version bump in prose. Regex sees text, not semantics, so the four-category discipline below is unchanged and remains this skill's core case. Run the full Step 1 → Step 5 pipeline.

The decision hinges on whether a structural matcher can see your target: code has an AST, prose does not. When in doubt (a rename that spans both source and its surrounding docs), split it — ast-grep the source, then run the four-category pass over the docs.

Run this classify-then-transform sweep:

Step 1: Enumerate every match, deduped, before touching anything

git grep -nhoE '/[a-z][a-z0-9-]*:[a-z][a-z0-9-]*' -- <scope> | sort -u

Adjust the pattern to your migration. The point is a complete, deduped inventory in hand before any edit.

Step 2: Tighten the pattern to drop false positives at the source

Drive the false-positive exclusion into the pattern wherever you can, so the sweep mechanically cannot touch category-2 hits. Example: requiring a letter after the colon (:[a-z]) excludes :6379 ports and redis:// URLs. This removes the whole class from manual consideration.

Step 3: Bucket every remaining hit into categories 1–4

Read the surrounding line of each match. Reserve manual judgment for categories 3 and 4 — they look like real targets and can only be told apart by reading intent. Record which files/lines fall into categories 2–4 (the intentionally-preserved set).

Step 4: Scope the transform to category-1 files ONLY

perl -i -pe 's{/([a-z][a-z0-9-]*):([a-z][a-z0-9-]*)}{/$1-$2}g' <category-1 files>

Pass only the category-1 files. Hand-handle categories 3 and 4: category 3 is left untouched; category 4 gets a supersede/status note with its body left intact.

Step 5: Verify against the preserved set, not literal zero

Re-run the enumeration from Step 1. The correct success test is NOT "zero matches remain":

Zero matches remain outside the intentionally-preserved set.

Categories 3 and 4 are supposed to keep matching. Confirm the grep returns only the category 2–4 lines you identified in Step 3.

For the code route (Step 0), the preserved set is whatever ast-grep's structural match legitimately leaves behind — the old form still cited inside strings, comments, or URLs that the AST matcher never touched. Verify it the same way: re-run the enumeration and confirm the only remaining matches are those non-code occurrences (plus any categories 3/4), not genuine call sites.

The Verification Trap

The naive success test — "re-run the grep; it should return nothing" — is wrong, because categories 3 and 4 legitimately still match. A verification that demands literal zero will either fail spuriously or — worse — pressure you into corrupting a category-3 design or rewriting a category-4 record just to force the count to zero. Enumerate the preserved buckets up front, then verify the grep returns only those.

Agentic Optimizations

Context	Command
Enumerate deduped matches	git grep -nhoE '<pattern>' -- <scope> | sort -u
Count matches per file	git grep -cE '<pattern>' -- <scope>
Preview a scoped transform	perl -ne 's{<from>}{<to>}g and print' <files>
Apply to category-1 files only	perl -i -pe 's{<from>}{<to>}g' <category-1 files>
Verify preserved-set only	git grep -nE '<pattern>' -- <scope> (expect only categories 2–4)

Related

• verify-upstream-before-patching / read-issue-thread-before-contributing — establish authoritative intent before acting, don't trust a surface signal
• git-hazards — an automated pass reporting success is not proof the result is correct; verify the content, not the exit code
• code-quality-plugin:ast-grep-search — structural search/replace when the pattern depends on AST shape rather than text