stale-module-pruner

name	stale-module-pruner
description	Ripgrep-powered dead-code crawler that finds stale, broken, or orphaned JavaScript/CJS/MJS modules in the Agent Studio framework. Walks a target directory, checks each file for external references, and surfaces (or deletes) unreferenced files. Prevents registry bloat and silent tool dropouts from modules no one calls.
version	1.0.0
model	sonnet
category	validation
invoked_by	both
user_invocable	true
tools	["Read","Bash","Glob","Grep"]
agents	["developer","code-simplifier"]
best_practices	["Always run in dry-run mode first before enabling --delete","Cross-check findings against test files before deletion","Save report before any destructive pass"]
error_handling	strict
streaming	supported
verified	true
lastVerifiedAt	"2026-02-22T00:00:00.000Z"
source	builtin
trust_score	100
provenance_sha	89a1a99e97a88406

Stale Module Pruner

Overview

Ripgrep-powered dead-code crawler for the Agent Studio framework. Walks a target directory (default: .claude/lib), then for each .js/.cjs/.mjs file checks whether its module name appears in any other file across the codebase. Files with no external references are flagged as STALE and optionally deleted.

Core principle: Dead modules that stay in .claude/lib/ create false positive references in the ecosystem scanner, inflate the registry, and mislead other tools about what capabilities are actually active. Regular pruning keeps the framework lean and the scanner signal clean.

When to Invoke

Skill({ skill: 'stale-module-pruner' });

Invoke when:

• Post-archival cleanup: after moving modules to _archive/, run pruner on lib/
• After bulk refactors that relocated or merged modules
• Before running validate-ecosystem-integrity.cjs to reduce noise
• As part of a maintenance sprint

Mandatory Skills

Skill	Purpose	When
task-management-protocol	Track pruning progress	Always
ripgrep	Search for module references	During scan
code-semantic-search	Verify intent when uncertain	On ambiguous hits
context-compressor	Compress large result sets	When output is large
verification-before-completion	Gate completion	Before marking done
memory-search	Check prior pruning patterns	At start

Iron Laws

1. Always dry-run first. Run without --delete and save the STALE list before any destructive pass. Never delete files on a first invocation without reviewing the candidates. One false positive can remove an actively-used module.