Simplify

Simplify

Simplify code in a bounded, evidence-driven way: smaller, clearer, and easier to maintain while preserving behavior unless the user explicitly asks otherwise.

Use when

• User asks for refactor/cleanup without adding new features.
• A file or hunk looks noisy (duplication, dead code, redundant guards).
• You need clearer names and tighter structure with minimal risk.

Do not use when

• User is requesting new behavior or a product-level redesign.
• You do not have a concrete target file/hunk.
• The change would require broad API/contract breakage without approval.

Input contract

• target (required): file path or hunk identifier to simplify.
• scope (optional): file or hunk (default file).
• max_passes (optional): default 2, clamp to [1, 4].
• preserve_behavior (optional): default true.
• focus (optional): subset of reuse, dead_code, redundant_guards, naming, duplication, efficiency.

Parsing rules (priority order)

1. If structured args are provided, use them directly.
2. Else infer from user language:
   • "this file", explicit path, or pasted diff -> target
   • "just this block/hunk" -> scope=hunk
   • "two passes/max 3 rounds" -> max_passes
   • "don't change behavior" -> preserve_behavior=true
   • keywords like "remove dead code", "rename", "dedupe" -> focus
3. Defaults:
   • scope=file, max_passes=2, preserve_behavior=true
4. If target is still missing, ask for one concrete file or hunk.

Canonical workflow

1. Understand baseline
   • Read the target and identify purpose, invariants, and public interfaces.
2. Run bounded simplify passes (1..max_passes)
   • Apply only high-signal improvements:
     • remove dead code / unreachable branches
     • collapse redundant guards and repeated conditionals
     • deduplicate copy-paste logic into local helpers where appropriate
     • improve naming for intent clarity
     • replace ad-hoc logic with existing utilities when available
3. Behavior safety check
   • If preserve_behavior=true, avoid interface/semantic changes.
   • If a behavior change seems necessary, stop and ask for confirmation.
4. Verification
   • Run targeted checks (lint/test/build scope relevant to changed files).
5. Stop when:
   • no further meaningful simplification remains (status=already_simple), or
   • simplification applied safely (status=simplified), or
   • blocked by missing context/approval (status=needs_user_input), or
   • pass budget reached (status=max_passes_reached).

Guardrails

• Never run unbounded refactor loops.
• Do not introduce speculative abstractions with no local payoff.
• Do not touch unrelated files "while here".
• Prefer small, reviewable edits over sweeping rewrites.
• Keep comments only for non-obvious WHY; remove narrative noise.

Output format

Always return:

• status: simplified | already_simple | needs_user_input | max_passes_reached
• passes_run: number of simplify passes executed
• target: normalized file/hunk target
• focus_used: normalized focus dimensions
• changes: concise bullet list of concrete simplifications
• behavior_safety: why behavior is preserved (or what approval is needed)
• verification: checks run + outcomes
• next_action: required unless status=simplified or already_simple

Examples

• target="crates/core/src/agent/mod.rs" max_passes=2 focus="dead_code,redundant_guards"
• target="src/main.rs#L120" scope="hunk" preserve_behavior=true
• target="diff:latest" focus="reuse,duplication,naming" max_passes=3