refactor-without-breaking-behavior

name	refactor-without-breaking-behavior
description	Plan and execute behavior-preserving refactors by identifying safe structural changes, staging edits incrementally, adding regression coverage, and validating outcomes. Use for legacy cleanup, module extraction, renames, or simplification where behavior must stay the same.

Refactor Without Breaking Behavior

Overview

Favor disciplined cleanup over clever rewrites.

Core Workflow

1. Establish the current behavior from tests, docs, logs, or direct inspection.
2. Choose a safe seam for change: extraction, rename, split, dedupe, or dead-code removal.
3. Add characterization or regression tests before touching risky code when coverage is weak.
4. Refactor in small, reviewable steps and validate after each meaningful change.
5. Summarize what changed structurally and why behavior should remain the same.

Deliver

• Produce an incremental refactor plan when the code is especially messy.
• Add or update tests that protect the existing behavior.
• Call out any incidental bug fixes separately from the refactor itself.

Guardrails

• Do not change public behavior unless the user explicitly asks for it.
• Prefer extraction and simplification over broad rewrites.
• Stop and surface the tradeoff if the safest path requires larger architectural movement.