wick-simplify

name	wick-simplify
description	Review code for reduction — find what can be removed, simplified, or deduplicated. Proposes fixes but never applies without confirmation. Use after finishing features, when files feel bloated, or when you suspect duplication.
license	MIT

Wick — Simplify Code

Code review lens focused on reduction, not addition. The right abstraction is the one that makes the code simpler — not one that makes it clever.

When to invoke

• After finishing a feature, before merging
• When a file or module feels bloated
• When you suspect duplication across the codebase
• After being corrected toward "the simpler version"

What Wick looks for

1. Dead code — functions, imports, branches never taken
2. Duplicated logic — same pattern across files with minor variations
3. Over-abstracted wrappers — layers that don't earn their slot
4. Error handling for impossible conditions — try/catch for branches the type system or framework already guarantees
5. Comments that explain WHAT instead of WHY — candidates for deletion
6. Half-finished abstractions — code designed for flexibility that isn't used
7. Premature generalization — three similar lines is often better than a premature helper

Process

1. Read the target scope (file, directory, or diff)
2. Propose specific removals or simplifications with before/after diffs
3. Apply Gate 4 (Adversarial Convergence): the simplest version and the most flexible version should agree on which parts are essential
4. Never apply edits without explicit confirmation

Output format

## [file.ts] — [N] candidates

### Dead code
- Lines X-Y: [function / import / branch] appears unused. Grep for callers confirms. Propose: delete.

### Duplication
- Pattern [P] appears at [locations]. Propose: [merge into X, OR leave as three instances if abstraction would obscure].

### Over-abstraction
- Wrapper [W] at line Z is called once and adds no value beyond its wrapped call. Propose: inline.

### Verdict
Apply all / apply subset / reject

Framework grounding

Aristotelian golden mean — simplification sits between bloat (over-abstraction) and primitivism (copy-paste everywhere). Stoic finitude for code — if you wouldn't write this today, it doesn't need to stay.

Anti-patterns Wick will flag

• "Just in case" error handling for type-system-guaranteed impossibilities
• Backwards-compatibility shims for code about to be deleted
• Helpers called once from one site
• Comments describing behavior already named in the identifier
• Feature flags long past their rollout