refactor

name	refactor
description	Refactor existing code for quality, performance, or maintainability. Enforces six quality principles with ratchet gate.
argument-hint	[file-or-module-path]
context	fork

Refactor Skill — Quality-Driven Code Improvement

Usage

/refactor src/service/extraction.py
/refactor src/repository/

Provide a file path or directory. The skill analyzes the target against six quality principles, plans the changes, and executes them one principle at a time.

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Overview

Refactoring improves the internal structure of existing code without changing its observable behavior. No new features. No behavior changes. Every change must trace to a violation of one of the six quality principles.

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Steps

Step 1 — Read Quality Principles

Read .claude/skills/code-gen/SKILL.md in full. The six principles are the refactoring standard. Every change planned in Step 4 must cite a specific principle.

Step 2 — Analyze Current State

For each file in the target path:

• Architecture compliance: does the file import from a layer above it? (see layering rules in architecture/SKILL.md)
• Function lengths: count lines in each function. Flag any over 50 lines.
• Type coverage: identify any any (TypeScript) or missing type hints (Python). Count unannotated parameters and return types.
• Test coverage baseline: run the test suite and record current pass/fail counts and coverage percentage.
• Dead code: identify unused imports, unreachable branches, commented-out code.
• Documentation style: identify comments that restate the code rather than explaining non-obvious decisions.

Record findings in a structured list before proceeding.

Step 3 — Identify Violations

Map each finding from Step 2 to one of the six principles:

1. Small Modules — file exceeds 300 lines (block) or 200 lines (warning).
2. Static Typing — any, missing annotations, untyped domain concepts.
3. Functions Under 50 Lines — function body exceeds 50 lines.
4. Explicit Error Handling — bare except, untyped catches, swallowed errors.
5. No Dead Code — unused imports, commented-out code, unreachable branches.
6. Self-Documenting — comments that restate what the code does, not why.

Only violations of these six principles justify a change. Do not refactor code that complies with all six principles.

Step 4 — Plan Changes with Superpowers

Invoke superpowers:writing-plans to produce a structured refactoring plan. This ensures the plan is reviewed before execution and prevents ad-hoc changes that drift from the six principles.

Produce a written plan before touching any code:

File: src/service/extraction.py
Change: Split extract_data() into extract_raw(), validate_schema(), transform_fields()
Principle: #3 — extract_data() is 87 lines
Risk: One caller in api/routes.py — update import after split

File: src/service/extraction.py
Change: Add return type annotation to all 4 functions
Principle: #2 — return types missing
Risk: None

List every file, what will change, which principle it violates, and any known call-site impact.

Step 5 — Execute One Principle at a Time

Apply changes for one principle across all affected files. Then run the test suite. Then proceed to the next principle.

Order of execution:

1. Static typing (lowest risk, foundation for other changes)
2. Dead code removal
3. Function decomposition
4. Module splitting (if needed)
5. Error handling
6. Self-documenting cleanup

After each principle: run tests, run lint, run type checks. If anything breaks, fix it before moving to the next principle.

Step 6 — Spawn code-reviewer

After all changes are complete, spawn the code-reviewer agent on the full diff.

The reviewer will return findings at three severity levels:

• BLOCK — must fix before this refactor is considered complete.
• WARN — should fix; document if deferring.
• INFO — optional improvement.

Step 7 — Fix BLOCK Findings

Address every BLOCK finding. Re-run the reviewer after each fix cycle. Maximum 3 retry cycles.

If BLOCK findings remain after 3 cycles, stop and report the unresolved issues. Do not ship code with unresolved BLOCK findings.

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Non-Negotiable Rules

• Tests must pass after every change. If a refactor breaks a test, fix the code — not the test.
• No behavior changes. The refactored code must produce identical outputs for all existing inputs.
• No new features. If you identify a missing capability, open a story and use /improve.
• Every change traces to a principle. If you cannot cite which of the six principles a change addresses, do not make the change.
• Update all call sites. When renaming or moving a symbol, update every import and reference before committing.

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Output

The target path contains refactored code that:

• Passes the full test suite.
• Has no new lint or type errors.
• Has no BLOCK findings from the code reviewer.
• Has coverage equal to or better than the baseline recorded in Step 2.

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Gotchas

• Refactoring without tests. If the target code has no tests, write characterization tests before refactoring. Refactoring untested code silently introduces regressions.
• Big-bang changes. Applying all principles at once makes failures hard to diagnose. Execute one principle at a time.
• Renaming without updating imports. A renamed function that is still referenced by its old name will fail at runtime, not compile time in Python. Search all call sites.
• Breaking layering while splitting modules. When extracting a new file, verify it does not introduce an upward dependency.
• Deleting "unused" code that is used dynamically. Python's getattr, decorator registries, and plugin systems reference symbols by string. Verify with a project-wide search before deleting.