configure-dead-code

created	"2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z"
modified	"2026-04-19T00:00:00.000Z"
reviewed	"2025-12-16T00:00:00.000Z"
description	Dead-code detection: Knip, Vulture, cargo-machete, deadcode. Use when setting up unused-code scanning, migrating tools, or adding dead-code CI checks.
allowed-tools	Glob, Grep, Read, Write, Edit, Bash, AskUserQuestion, TodoWrite, WebSearch, WebFetch
args	[--check-only] [--fix] [--tool <knip|vulture|deadcode|machete>]
argument-hint	[--check-only] [--fix] [--tool <knip|vulture|deadcode|machete>]
name	configure-dead-code

/configure:dead-code

Check and configure dead code detection tools.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use another approach when...
Setting up dead code detection for a new project	Running an existing dead code scan (knip, vulture)
Auditing whether Knip, Vulture, or cargo-machete is configured correctly	Manually removing specific unused exports or imports
Migrating between dead code detection tools	Debugging why a specific file is flagged as unused
Adding dead code checks to CI/CD pipelines	Reviewing dead code findings one by one
Standardizing dead code detection across a monorepo	Configuring linting rules (/configure:linting instead)

Context

• Project root: !pwd
• Package files: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'package.json' -o -name 'pyproject.toml' -o -name 'Cargo.toml' \)
• Knip config: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'knip.json' -o -name 'knip.config.*' \)
• Vulture config: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name '.vulture' -o -name 'vulture.ini' \)
• Pre-commit: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.pre-commit-config.yaml'
• Project standards: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.project-standards.yaml'

Parameters

Parse from command arguments:

• --check-only: Report compliance status without modifications (CI/CD mode)
• --fix: Apply fixes automatically without prompting
• --tool <knip|vulture|deadcode|machete>: Override tool detection

Dead code detection tools:

• JavaScript/TypeScript: Knip (finds unused files, exports, dependencies)
• Python: Vulture or deadcode (finds unused code)
• Rust: cargo-machete (finds unused dependencies)

Execution

Execute this dead code detection compliance check:

Step 1: Detect project language and existing tools

Check for language and tool indicators: