refactor-safely

name	refactor-safely
description	Refactor without behavior drift by establishing baseline checks, moving in small steps, and verifying after each risky boundary.

Refactor Safely

When To Use

• Code needs cleanup, decomposition, renaming, or structural movement.
• Behavior should remain unchanged.
• The target area has limited tests or hidden integration points.

Workflow

1. Define the behavior that must not change.
2. Run or create a baseline check before editing.
3. Make one mechanical change at a time.
4. Preserve public APIs until callers are migrated.
5. Search for call sites and generated references before deleting.
6. Verify after each risky boundary, not only at the end.

Preferred Tools

• as_code_outline
• as_file_search_text
• as_project_verify
• as_file_patch
• as_git_controller

Output

• invariant behavior
• refactor steps
• changed boundaries
• verification
• remaining risks