refactor-safely

name	refactor-safely
description	Plan and execute safe refactoring using dependency analysis

Refactor Safely

Use the knowledge graph to plan and execute refactoring with confidence.

Steps

1. Run get_minimal_context_tool(task="<refactor goal>") to check graph freshness, risk, and suggested next tools.
2. Use refactor_tool with mode="suggest" for evidence-ranked remove, move, split, and document candidates.
3. Use refactor_tool with mode="dead_code" only when the suggested remove candidates need a deeper dead-code drill-down.
4. For renames, use refactor_tool with mode="rename" to preview all affected locations.
5. Use query_graph_tool for specific callers, callees, tests, docs, imports, or children before considering a raw neighborhood traversal. Use traverse_graph_tool only when the refactor candidate has a known start node and the question is broader than one relationship pattern.
6. Use apply_refactor_tool with dry_run=True first, then apply with the refactor_id only after the diff is acceptable.
7. Before renaming, moving, or deleting public code, follow documentation bridge edges when present: query_graph_tool(pattern="docs_for", target="<path::symbol>", detail_level="minimal") for specs/runbooks/issue notes attached to code, and query_graph_tool(pattern="implementations_of", target="<doc.md>::<section-slug>", detail_level="minimal") when the refactor starts from a Markdown contract section.
8. After changes, run review_tool(mode="changes") and inspect analysis_summary to verify impact, recommended tests, affected flows, and architecture risks.

Safety Checks

• Always preview before applying (rename mode gives you an edit list).
• Use review_tool(mode="changes").analysis_summary first; call review_tool(mode="impact") or review_tool(mode="affected_flows") only when a wider drill-down is needed.
• Run find_large_functions_tool to identify decomposition targets.
• Preserve authored dagayn: documentation directives. Update Markdown implemented-by path::symbol targets after code renames, and update code implements docs/spec.md#Section targets after doc heading/path changes. Do not add duplicate inverse directives unless there are two distinct claims.
• Treat suggestions as leads, not approval. Verify public APIs, dynamic dispatch, generated code, test artifacts, and framework entry points before removing or moving code.
• Prefer suggestions with explicit counts, thresholds, callers, communities, and reason codes; narrow truncated output with top_n or follow-up graph queries.

Function Concern Separation Profiles

When a split suggestion contains evidence.concern_separation, treat it as a role-aware refactoring profile, not a verdict that the function is bad.

• Read role first. Boundary functions, CLI handlers, adapters, coordinators, and test helpers may legitimately combine IO and orchestration.
• Read score against split_score_threshold. A score over the threshold means concern pressure can justify reviewing a large function for extraction; it does not prove that extraction is safe or required.
• Use reason_codes to identify the suspected pressure: callee community spread, callee scope spread, branch pressure, side-effect pressure, implicit context, or low context clarity.
• Use evidence.purity_likelihood only as side-effect evidence. It is not a proof of functional purity.
• Check missingness before acting. Low source, call, community, or unresolved call evidence lowers confidence and should trigger a source read or graph follow-up before recommending an edit.
• Use action as the first investigation step. Prefer extracting one cohesive decision, transformation, or context object before moving IO or changing public signatures.
• Do not turn this profile into a standalone review finding. Cite exact source behavior or a failing test when claiming a bug; cite the profile only as refactoring prioritization evidence.

CLI Fallback

Use MCP tools first. If the current MCP server profile does not expose a refactor-only tool such as apply_refactor_tool or find_large_functions_tool, run the same implementation through the CLI without restarting the agent:

dagayn tool refactor_tool --arg mode='"suggest"' --arg limit=10
dagayn tool refactor_tool --arg mode='"rename"' --arg old_name='"old_symbol"' --arg new_name='"new_symbol"'
dagayn tool apply_refactor_tool --arg refactor_id='"refactor_123"' --arg dry_run=true
dagayn tool query_graph_tool --arg pattern='"docs_for"' --arg target='"src/app.py::handler"'
dagayn tool query_graph_tool --arg pattern='"implementations_of"' --arg target='"docs/spec.md::contract-section"'

Token Efficiency Rules

• ALWAYS start with get_minimal_context_tool(task="<your task>") before any other graph tool.
• Use detail_level="minimal" on all calls. Only escalate to "standard" when minimal is insufficient.
• Target: complete any review/debug/refactor task in ≤5 tool calls and ≤800 total output tokens.