code-simplifier

$27

Rule Categories by Priority

Priority

Category

Impact

Prefix

Rules

1

Context Discovery

CRITICAL

ctx-

4

2

Behavior Preservation

CRITICAL

behave-

6

3

Scope Management

HIGH

scope-

5

4

Control Flow Simplification

HIGH

flow-

9

5

Naming and Clarity

MEDIUM-HIGH

name-

6

6

Duplication Reduction

MEDIUM

dup-

5

7

Dead Code Elimination

MEDIUM

dead-

5

8

Language Idioms

LOW-MEDIUM

idiom-

7

Quick Reference

1. Context Discovery (CRITICAL)

• ctx-read-claude-md - Always read CLAUDE.md before simplifying

• ctx-detect-lint-config - Check for linting and formatting configs

• ctx-follow-existing-patterns - Match existing code style in file and project

• ctx-project-over-generic - Project conventions override generic best practices

2. Behavior Preservation (CRITICAL)

• behave-preserve-outputs - Preserve all return values and outputs

• behave-preserve-errors - Preserve error messages, types, and handling

• behave-preserve-api - Preserve public function signatures and types

• behave-preserve-side-effects - Preserve side effects (logging, I/O, state changes)

• behave-no-semantics-change - Forbid subtle semantic changes

• behave-verify-before-commit - Verify behavior preservation before finalizing

3. Scope Management (HIGH)

• scope-recent-code-only - Focus on recently modified code only

• scope-minimal-diff - Keep changes small and reviewable

• scope-no-unrelated-refactors - No unrelated refactors

• scope-no-global-rewrites - Avoid global rewrites and architectural changes

• scope-respect-boundaries - Respect module and component boundaries

4. Control Flow Simplification (HIGH)

• flow-early-return - Use early returns to reduce nesting

• flow-guard-clauses - Use guard clauses for preconditions

• flow-no-nested-ternaries - Never use nested ternary operators

• flow-explicit-over-dense - Prefer explicit control flow over dense expressions

• flow-flatten-nesting - Flatten deep nesting to maximum 2-3 levels

• flow-single-responsibility - Each code block should do one thing

• flow-positive-conditions - Prefer positive conditions over double negatives

• flow-optional-chaining - Use optional chaining and nullish coalescing

• flow-boolean-simplification - Simplify boolean expressions

5. Naming and Clarity (MEDIUM-HIGH)

• name-intention-revealing - Use intention-revealing names

• name-nouns-for-data - Use nouns for data, verbs for actions

• name-avoid-abbreviations - Avoid cryptic abbreviations

• name-consistent-vocabulary - Use consistent vocabulary throughout

• name-avoid-generic - Avoid generic names

• name-string-interpolation - Prefer string interpolation over concatenation

6. Duplication Reduction (MEDIUM)

• dup-rule-of-three - Apply the rule of three

• dup-no-single-use-helpers - Avoid single-use helper functions

• dup-extract-for-clarity - Extract only when it improves clarity

• dup-avoid-over-abstraction - Prefer duplication over premature abstraction

• dup-data-driven - Use data-driven patterns over repetitive conditionals

7. Dead Code Elimination (MEDIUM)

• dead-remove-unused - Delete unused code artifacts

• dead-delete-not-comment - Delete code, never comment it out

• dead-remove-obvious-comments - Remove comments that state the obvious

• dead-keep-why-comments - Keep comments that explain why, not what

• dead-remove-todo-fixme - Remove stale TODO/FIXME comments

8. Language Idioms (LOW-MEDIUM)

• idiom-ts-strict-types - Use strict types over any (TypeScript)

• idiom-ts-const-assertions - Use const assertions and readonly (TypeScript)

• idiom-rust-question-mark - Use ? for error propagation (Rust)

• idiom-rust-iterator-chains - Use iterator chains when clearer (Rust)

• idiom-python-comprehensions - Use comprehensions for simple transforms (Python)

• idiom-go-error-handling - Handle errors immediately (Go)

• idiom-prefer-language-builtins - Prefer language and stdlib builtins

Workflow

• Discover context: Read CLAUDE.md, lint configs, examine existing patterns

• Identify scope: Focus on recently modified code unless asked to expand

• Apply transformations: Use rules in priority order (CRITICAL first)

• Verify behavior: Ensure outputs, errors, and side effects remain identical

• Keep diffs minimal: Small, focused changes that are easy to review

How to Use

Read individual reference files for detailed explanations and code examples:

• Section definitions - Category structure and impact levels

• Rule template - Template for adding new rules

Reference Files

File

Description

references/_sections.md

Category definitions and ordering

assets/templates/_template.md

Template for new rules

metadata.json

Version and reference information