| name | refactor-code |
| description | Refactor Python code to improve quality while keeping functionality intact. Use when cleaning up complexity, removing duplication, or tightening structure. |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | claude cursor opencode |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0","languages":"python","audience":"developers","workflow":"refactor","since":"2026-02-25"} |
Refactor Code
Improve readability, maintainability, and testability without changing behavior.
When to run this skill
- You’ve been asked to clean up tangled logic or long functions
- Technical debt (duplication, inconsistent naming) is slowing future work
- Tests are hard to reason about, or core modules mix responsibilities
Steps
-
Code quality improvements
- Break large functions or classes into smaller helpers
- Extract reusable utilities and keep them pure when possible
- Rename variables/functions to clearly express intent
- Replace
dict/tuple blobs with Pydantic BaseModels where appropriate
-
Reduce complexity
- Flatten deeply nested conditionals (guard clauses, early returns)
- Replace repetitive code with loops/fixtures/generator helpers
- Favor composition over inheritance; inject dependencies explicitly
- Replace boolean flags with clear strategy objects or enums
-
Enhance maintainability
- Add or strengthen type hints and docstrings
- Centralize configuration/timeouts/paths in constants or settings modules
- Align with SOLID principles when refactoring services or handlers
- Improve logging and error handling so future debuggers have context
-
Optimize but stay Pythonic
- Use list/dict comprehensions when they improve clarity
- Avoid premature micro-optimizations—profile before optimizing loops
- Keep dependencies explicit instead of hiding global state
Checklist
