refactoring

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Apply systematic code refactoring with small steps, clear boundaries, and proven techniques. Use when improving existing code, reducing technical debt, cleaning up legacy code, or when user mentions refactoring, code cleanup, or code improvement.

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Sourceiamkhan21/skills

Added on2026-02-22

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SKILL.md Content

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Refactoring

Quick Start

Define scope and boundaries
Cover with tests
Refactor in small steps (one technique per commit)
Verify after each change

Workflow

Before Refactoring

Define scope, find boundaries (junction points between code to change and everything else)
Cover with tests (edge cases, explicit/implicit input, specify desired result on boundaries)
Make linter/compiler stricter

See references/01-preparation.md

Planning a Refactor

Gather detailed problem description
Explore codebase to verify assertions
Consider options and alternatives
Interview user about implementation details
Define exact scope (in/out)
Check test coverage
Break into tiny commits

See references/02-planning-workflow.md

During Refactoring

Small atomic steps
One technique per commit
No features or bug fixes during refactor
Test every change
Refactor tests separately from production code

See references/03-process-heuristics.md

Techniques Index

Level	File	Techniques
Setup	04-low-hanging-fruit.md	Formatting, linting, language/API features
Code	05-names.md	Naming problems & solutions
Code	06-duplication.md	DRY, extraction techniques
Code	07-conditions.md	Guard clauses, complexity reduction
Code	08-functional-pipeline.md	Composition, data flow
Design	09-abstraction.md	Abstraction levels, leak prevention
Design	10-side-effects.md	Isolation, CQS
Design	11-error-handling.md	Error types, strategies
Design	12-generics.md	Generics, composition
Architecture	13-module-integration.md	Coupling, cohesion
Architecture	14-architecture.md	Layers, dependencies
Architecture	15-declarative-style.md	Declarative patterns
Architecture	16-static-typing.md	Type design
Support	17-test-code.md	Refactoring tests
Support	18-comments-docs.md	Documentation

Principles

Small steps: Each commit leaves code in working state (Fowler: "Make each refactoring step as small as possible, so that you can always see the program working")
One technique at a time: Don't mix refactoring techniques
No scope creep: No features or bug fixes during refactor
Test-driven: Verify after every change

Templates

See references/19-plan-template.md for refactor plan issue/PR template.

Quick Reference

See references/20-cheatsheet.md for technique summary.