maid-runner-cleanup-and-refactor

name

maid-runner-cleanup-and-refactor

description

Use in maid-runner when asked to audit the codebase for cleanup and refactor opportunities (dead code, duplication, long functions, weak abstractions, stale TODOs, orphaned manifests), capture confirmed findings, and create a draft-manifest queue of safe-refactor work for the Codex MAID loop to implement. Anchored on Feathers' Working Effectively With Legacy Code (characterization, seams, sprout method) and Fowler's Refactoring (named maneuvers and code-smell vocabulary). Covers characterization, behavior preservation, manifest evolution via maid-evolver, draft planning, plan self-review, schema validation, and optional branch/commit handoff.

MAID Runner Cleanup And Refactor

Use this skill in /home/atomrem/projects/codefrost-dev/maid-runner when the user wants a planning-grade pass over the codebase to find cleanup and refactor opportunities: dead private code, duplicated validator logic, long methods that drifted, weak abstractions, stale TODO/FIXME notes, orphaned or unreferenced manifests, and structural debt that slows new MAID waves. The output is a findings document plus a split-before-promote draft queue. This skill plans only. It does not implement.

Skill Coordination

This skill is the planning front end for cleanup work. The implementation engines are the existing skills:

• safe-refactor performs the actual restructuring under characterization tests with behavior preservation.
• maid-evolver handles any intentional change to an existing manifest contract (renames, signature changes, splits, removals).
• maid-runner-draft-implement promotes and implements approved drafts.
• maid-implementation-review reviews implementation work before handoff.

Drafts produced by this skill must name which engine will own implementation so the downstream loop selects the right workflow.

Anchor Rules

This skill is anchored on two rule sets from agent-rules-selector:

• Primary: working-effectively-with-legacy-code (Feathers). Use his discipline for any audit that touches code without trustworthy tests: characterize before changing, find a seam before breaking a dependency, prefer sprout method or sprout class over editing the legacy block, and break one hard dependency at a time. Treat every confirmed cleanup target as legacy code until characterization tests prove otherwise.
• Secondary: refactoring (Fowler). Use his named maneuvers and code-smell vocabulary when describing each draft (Long Method, Duplicate Code, Primitive Obsession, Extract Method, Pull Up Method, Replace Magic Literal With Symbolic Constant, Introduce Parameter Object, etc.). Naming the maneuver makes the draft's scope unambiguous and easier for the reviewer agent to check.

If a draft falls outside both lenses (for example a deep-module redesign or an architecture decision), invoke agent-rules-selector to pick a different primary rule rather than stretching this skill's anchors.

Scope

This skill is for planning and reference artifacts, not implementation.

Do:

• read the current code before assuming an old refactor target still exists;
• run small static probes (grep, ruff, mypy, manifest chain queries) to confirm each target is real;
• distinguish confirmed cleanups from speculative "nice to have" ideas;
• save findings in a concise Markdown reference under docs/plans/;
• create a split-before-promote draft queue under manifests/drafts/;
• review draft manifests for substance before handoff;
• validate all new drafts in schema mode and run root schema validation.

Do not:

• restructure code in place;
• weaken any anti-gaming validation rule to make a refactor easier;
• delete public artifacts without an explicit maid-evolver plan;
• mix performance and refactor scope in the same draft (use the maid-runner-performance-optimization skill for measurable speedups);
• promote draft manifests into manifests/;
• commit or push unless the user explicitly asks.

If the user asks to implement selected drafts, use maid-runner-draft-implement instead.

Refactor Contract

Cleanup and refactor work must keep MAID's manifest contract and the public API stable. Treat these as invariants for every proposed change:

• the same inputs must produce the same ValidationResult.success, error codes, warnings, and JSON output as before the refactor;
• every public artifact declared in active manifests must still exist with the same signature, or be removed under an explicit maid-evolver plan;
• characterization tests must exist for every file in scope before any restructuring touches it (Feathers' rule);
• the manifest chain stays loadable: uv run maid validate --mode schema must pass at every step;
• no silent fallbacks, no fake/stale return values, no dead-code removal that changes observable behavior;
• private helpers (_ prefix) can be renamed, split, or removed without an evolver plan provided behavior is preserved.

Start

1. Check the branch and dirty worktree:

git status --short --branch --untracked-files=all

Work around unrelated user or automation changes. Do not revert them.

2. Read the current surfaces likely involved:

• docs/maid-philosophy-and-vision.md
• docs/plans/maid-runner-cleanup-refactor-backlog.md if it exists
• maid_runner/core/validate.py
• maid_runner/core/chain.py
• maid_runner/core/manifest.py
• maid_runner/core/_validation_test_artifacts.py
• maid_runner/core/test_runner.py
• maid_runner/validators/python.py
• maid_runner/validators/typescript.py
• maid_runner/validators/svelte.py
• maid_runner/validators/base.py
• maid_runner/validators/registry.py
• maid_runner/graph/builder.py
• maid_runner/coherence/engine.py
• maid_runner/cli/commands/

3. Read prior cleanup-relevant insights when present, especially clean-code, duplication, dead-code, manifest-drift, and characterization notes under .claude/insights/.

4. Inventory the cost surface:

find maid_runner -name '*.py' -not -path '*/tests/*' \
  | xargs wc -l | sort -n | tail -20
find manifests -maxdepth 2 -name '*.manifest.yaml' | wc -l
find tests -name 'test_*.py' | wc -l

Use the size and count to rank candidates: the longest files and the most- frequently-imported helpers usually have the highest cleanup leverage.

Audit Workflow

Prefer confirmed targets over intuition. Build small static probes that prove each finding, and record exact file paths and line ranges. Frame every finding in Fowler's vocabulary so the eventual maneuver is obvious: Long Method for oversized functions, Duplicate Code for parallel branches, Primitive Obsession for stringly-typed flags, Shotgun Surgery for changes that ripple across many modules, Comments for stale notes that should be deleted or replaced with explanatory tests.

Probe shapes that are usually enough:

# Dead private helpers: defined but never referenced outside their own module.
rg -n "^def _[a-z]" maid_runner | while read hit; do
  name=$(echo "$hit" | sed -E 's/.*def (_[a-z_0-9]+).*/\1/')
  rg -n "$name" maid_runner | wc -l
done

# Long functions: rough proxy via consecutive non-blank lines per def.
rg -n "^def |^    def " maid_runner --no-heading

# Duplicated validator logic.
diff -u maid_runner/validators/python.py maid_runner/validators/typescript.py \
  | rg "^[+-]" | head -40

# Orphaned manifests: declared files that no longer exist on disk.
uv run maid validate --quiet 2>&1 | rg -i "not found|missing"

# Stale TODO/FIXME with no owner or date.
rg -n "TODO|FIXME|XXX|HACK" maid_runner docs

Good cleanup categories:

• private helpers defined and only self-referenced;
• near-duplicate methods across the language validators that could move to BaseValidator without changing public behavior;
• functions or methods longer than ~80 lines or with more than two clear responsibilities;
• modules over ~600 lines that mix multiple concerns;
• nested conditionals and early returns that could become guard clauses;
• magic strings or numbers that already have a constant elsewhere;
• inconsistent error-code usage where a shared helper would be safer;
• stale TODO/FIXME comments that the manifest history shows are resolved;
• orphaned manifests whose files were renamed or removed without a refactor manifest;
• snapshot manifests that have been fully superseded by feature work and can be archived;
• tests that mock heavily where a fake would simplify maintenance, per the testability rules in ~/.codex/AGENTS.md.

For each confirmed target, capture:

• file path, line range, and call sites;
• which manifest declares the affected artifacts (if any);
• which engine should own the work (safe-refactor for behavior-preserving cleanup, maid-evolver for any public-contract change);
• the Fowler maneuver(s) the eventual draft will apply (Extract Method, Pull Up Method, Introduce Parameter Object, etc.);
• the Feathers seam the refactor will rely on (constructor parameter, extracted method, wrapper around a static call, adapter around a global), or note that the file is already test-friendly and no seam is needed;
• characterization plan: what tests must exist before the refactor begins;
• behavior-preservation plan: which observable outputs anchor the equivalence proof;
• closure shape, with the invariant from the Refactor Contract that must be preserved.

Findings Document

Save confirmed findings as Markdown under docs/plans/, usually:

docs/plans/maid-runner-cleanup-refactor-backlog.md

Use this structure:

• Purpose
• Refactor Contract (link to the section in the skill)
• Confirmed Cleanup Targets
• Speculative Ideas (kept separate until measured against the cost surface)
• Manifest-Evolution Targets (each one names the evolver plan)
• Gradual Closure Backlog
• Suggested Acceptance Criteria
• Verification Notes

Keep it technical and actionable. Do not write marketing text or generic "improve quality" entries. Each confirmed entry must cite the file, the function or method, and the call-site evidence that justifies the change.

Pure Markdown-only updates are normally documentation changes in this repo, so a separate MAID manifest is not required unless the user asks or the change touches code/test artifacts.

Draft Manifest Queue

Create one epic plus implementation-sized child drafts under manifests/drafts/. Use the next available numeric wave. For a cleanup queue, use names like:

035-00-maid-runner-cleanup-refactor-roadmap.epic.yaml
035-01-characterize-validate-engine.manifest.yaml
035-02-extract-shared-validator-base.manifest.yaml

Epic requirements:

• first lines:

# draft-kind: epic
# promotion: split-before-promote

• metadata.status: planning;
• planned child order with characterization drafts before any restructuring;
• concise rationale tying the queue to maintainability without weakening validation or the MAID contract;
• temptations that prevent broad rewrites, dead-code deletion without characterization, and bundled performance work;
• at least one valid file section, because schema v2 requires a writable section.

Child draft requirements:

• first line:

# draft-kind: implementation

• one confirmed cleanup target or tightly related cluster per draft;
• exact production files likely to change in files.edit or files.create;
• exact public artifacts that must remain stable, with signatures, return types, and attribute types;
• behavioral or characterization test-function artifacts that lock the observable behavior before any restructuring;
• explicit engine: metadata naming safe-refactor or maid-evolver so the draft-implement loop selects the right workflow;
• the Fowler maneuver(s) named in the description so the reviewer agent can confirm the diff matches the declared scope;
• files.read for supporting docs, existing tests, and adjacent helpers;
• 3-5 task-specific temptations, each with a concrete instead;
• a focused validate: command that runs the relevant tests once promoted.

Prefer an ordered queue. A sensible starting shape:

1. Characterize the largest mixed-concern modules before any restructuring (validate.py, chain.py, test_runner.py).
2. Extract shared validator behavior into BaseValidator without changing public Python, TypeScript, or Svelte validator surfaces.
3. Split overgrown methods (ValidationEngine.validate_behavioral, _run_verify) into named guard-clause helpers with the same outputs.
4. Replace magic strings with the constants that already exist (error codes, file-tracking statuses, severities).
5. Remove confirmed dead private helpers with characterization-anchored behavior tests.
6. Archive or supersede snapshot manifests fully replaced by feature work, using maid-evolver.
7. Resolve or remove stale TODO/FIXME comments backed by closed manifests.
8. Migrate heavily-mocked tests toward fakes per the testability rules in ~/.codex/AGENTS.md.

Adjust the order if the current repo state shows some drafts are already implemented or promoted.

Draft Self-Review

Before handoff, review every draft as if trying to game it.

Blockers to fix before reporting ready:

• vague goals that do not name the file, function, or duplication being removed;
• missing Fowler maneuver name in the description (Extract Method, Pull Up Method, etc.), so the reviewer cannot match the diff to a known scope;
• missing Feathers seam (or an explicit note that no seam is needed) when the target file lacks trustworthy tests;
• production artifacts without exact signatures;
• missing args: [] for zero-argument functions or methods;
• new public classes without declared public attributes/methods;
• test functions that only assert "code still runs" without locking observable behavior, JSON output, or error codes;
• characterization drafts that skip negative cases (error paths, empty input, unicode/edge cases);
• temptations that name a risk without a procedural instead;
• drafts that delete public artifacts without a paired maid-evolver plan;
• drafts that bundle a performance change in with a cleanup;
• drafts that mix more than one Fowler maneuver per child (Shotgun Surgery in the refactor itself); split into separate drafts;
• validate commands that do not include the tests declared in the manifest.

For child drafts, make sure the test plan includes:

• at least one characterization test that locks current observable output (including error codes and JSON shape where relevant);
• at least one negative test proving the refactor does not change error behavior;
• for maid-evolver drafts: a test that proves the evolution path (renames map correctly, signatures match the new contract, removed artifacts no longer appear in merged_artifacts_for).

Validation

Run direct schema validation for each new draft:

uv run maid validate manifests/drafts/<draft>.manifest.yaml --mode schema --quiet

Then run root schema validation so inactive-draft markers are checked:

uv run maid validate --mode schema --quiet

Also run:

git diff --check

If any schema check fails, fix the draft rather than lowering scope.

Branch And Commit Handoff

Only create branches or commits when the user explicitly asks.

When committing:

1. Create a branch from the current branch, preserving active checkout context.
2. Stage only the findings document and intended draft-manifest files.
3. Inspect:

git status --short --untracked-files=all
git diff --cached --name-only
git diff --cached --stat
git diff --cached --check

4. Re-run uv run maid validate --mode schema --quiet.
5. Commit with a scoped message such as:

docs(maid): add cleanup and refactor draft queue

Never push without explicit user approval.