Clean code principles. Covers naming, functions, and readability. Use when writing or reviewing code for quality. USE WHEN: user mentions "code quality", "readability", "refactor", "clean up code", "naming", "magic numbers", asks about "how to write better code", "code smells", "DRY", "KISS", "YAGNI", "single responsibility" DO NOT USE FOR: SOLID principles - use `solid-principles` instead, Git workflow - use `git-workflow` instead, Performance optimization - use `performance` instead
Scanned 9/8/2026
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---
name: clean-code
description: |
Clean code principles. Covers naming, functions, and readability.
Use when writing or reviewing code for quality.
USE WHEN: user mentions "code quality", "readability", "refactor", "clean up code", "naming", "magic numbers",
asks about "how to write better code", "code smells", "DRY", "KISS", "YAGNI", "single responsibility"
DO NOT USE FOR: SOLID principles - use `solid-principles` instead,
Git workflow - use `git-workflow` instead,
Performance optimization - use `performance` instead
allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob
---
# Clean Code Core Principles
> **Deep Knowledge**: Use `mcp__documentation__fetch_docs` with technology: `clean-code` for comprehensive documentation.
## Naming
```typescript
// ❌ Bad
const d = new Date();
const yyyymmdd = formatDate(d);
function calc(a, b) { return a + b; }
const list = users.filter(x => x.active);
// ✅ Good
const currentDate = new Date();
const formattedDate = formatDate(currentDate);
function calculateTotal(price, quantity) { return price * quantity; }
const activeUsers = users.filter(user => user.isActive);
```
## Functions
```typescript
// ❌ Bad - Too many responsibilities
function processUser(user) {
validateUser(user);
saveToDatabase(user);
sendWelcomeEmail(user);
updateAnalytics(user);
}
// ✅ Good - Single responsibility
function createUser(userData: UserInput): User {
const user = validateAndBuildUser(userData);
return userRepository.save(user);
}
// Separately handle side effects
async function onUserCreated(user: User) {
await sendWelcomeEmail(user);
await analytics.trackSignup(user);
}
```
## Early Returns
```typescript
// ❌ Bad - Nested conditions
function getDiscount(user) {
if (user) {
if (user.isPremium) {
if (user.yearsActive > 2) {
return 0.2;
} else {
return 0.1;
}
} else {
return 0;
}
}
return 0;
}
// ✅ Good - Early returns
function getDiscount(user: User | null): number {
if (!user) return 0;
if (!user.isPremium) return 0;
if (user.yearsActive > 2) return 0.2;
return 0.1;
}
```
## Avoid Magic Numbers
```typescript
// ❌ Bad
if (user.age >= 18 && items.length <= 10) { ... }
setTimeout(callback, 86400000);
// ✅ Good
const MINIMUM_AGE = 18;
const MAX_CART_ITEMS = 10;
const ONE_DAY_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
if (user.age >= MINIMUM_AGE && items.length <= MAX_CART_ITEMS) { ... }
setTimeout(callback, ONE_DAY_MS);
```
## Principles Summary
| Principle | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| **DRY** | Don't Repeat Yourself |
| **KISS** | Keep It Simple, Stupid |
| **YAGNI** | You Aren't Gonna Need It |
| **SRP** | Single Responsibility Principle |
| **Composition** | Favor composition over inheritance |
## When NOT to Use This Skill
This skill is focused on code-level quality. Do NOT use for:
- **SOLID principles** - Use `solid-principles` skill for OOP design principles
- **Git commit quality** - Use `git-workflow` skill for version control best practices
- **Performance optimization** - Use `performance` skill for speed/memory optimization
- **Security vulnerabilities** - Use OWASP or security-specific skills
- **Build/tooling configuration** - Use framework-specific skills (e.g., `biome`, `vite`)
## Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Bad | Clean Code Solution |
|--------------|--------------|---------------------|
| **God Object** | Class with too many responsibilities | Split into focused classes (SRP) |
| **Magic Numbers** | Hard to understand context | Use named constants |
| **Deep Nesting** | Difficult to follow logic | Early returns, extract functions |
| **Long Parameter Lists** | Hard to use and maintain | Parameter objects or builder pattern |
| **Copy-Paste Code** | Duplicate bugs, hard to maintain | Extract shared functions (DRY) |
| **Vague Names** | `data`, `temp`, `x` | Intention-revealing names |
| **Side Effects in Getters** | Unexpected behavior | Pure functions, separate queries from commands |
| **Comments Instead of Code** | Outdated comments, cluttered | Self-documenting code with clear names |
## Quick Troubleshooting
| Issue | Check | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| **Complex function** | Cyclomatic complexity > 10 | Extract smaller functions, use early returns |
| **Unreadable code** | Need comments to explain | Rename variables/functions, extract logic |
| **Duplicated logic** | Copy-paste across files | Extract to shared utility/service |
| **Long file** | > 300 lines | Split by responsibility, separate concerns |
| **Unclear variable** | Name doesn't reveal intent | Rename to describe what it contains/represents |
| **Magic number appearing** | Unexplained literal values | Define const with descriptive name |
## Authoritative Sources
- **Clean Code** by Robert C. Martin - https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/clean-code-a/9780136083238/
- **Refactoring Catalog** by Martin Fowler - https://refactoring.com/catalog/
## Production Readiness
### Code Quality Gates
```javascript
// eslint.config.js
export default [
{
rules: {
// Complexity limits
complexity: ['error', { max: 10 }],
'max-depth': ['error', 4],
'max-lines-per-function': ['warn', { max: 50 }],
'max-params': ['warn', { max: 4 }],
// Maintainability
'no-duplicate-imports': 'error',
'no-else-return': 'error',
'prefer-const': 'error',
'no-var': 'error',
},
},
];
// biome.json
{
"linter": {
"rules": {
"complexity": {
"noExcessiveCognitiveComplexity": {
"level": "error",
"options": { "maxAllowedComplexity": 15 }
}
}
}
}
}
```
### Error Handling Patterns
```typescript
// Custom error hierarchy
class AppError extends Error {
constructor(
message: string,
public code: string,
public statusCode: number = 500,
public isOperational: boolean = true
) {
super(message);
this.name = this.constructor.name;
Error.captureStackTrace(this, this.constructor);
}
}
class ValidationError extends AppError {
constructor(message: string) {
super(message, 'VALIDATION_ERROR', 400);
}
}
class NotFoundError extends AppError {
constructor(resource: string, id: string) {
super(`${resource} not found: ${id}`, 'NOT_FOUND', 404);
}
}
// Error boundary pattern
async function handleRequest<T>(operation: () => Promise<T>): Promise<Result<T>> {
try {
const data = await operation();
return { success: true, data };
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof AppError && error.isOperational) {
return { success: false, error };
}
// Log unexpected errors
logger.error('Unexpected error', { error });
throw error; // Re-throw for crash recovery
}
}
```
### Code Review Automation
```yaml
# .github/workflows/code-quality.yml
name: Code Quality
on: [push, pull_request]
jobs:
quality:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: SonarCloud Scan
uses: SonarSource/sonarcloud-github-action@master
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
- name: Check cognitive complexity
run: npx @biomejs/biome check --diagnostic-level=error .
- name: Detect code duplication
run: npx jscpd src/ --threshold 5
```
### Testing Standards
```typescript
// Test naming convention
describe('UserService', () => {
describe('createUser', () => {
it('should create user with valid data', async () => {
// Arrange
const userData = { name: 'John', email: 'john@example.com' };
// Act
const user = await userService.createUser(userData);
// Assert
expect(user.id).toBeDefined();
expect(user.name).toBe('John');
});
it('should throw ValidationError for invalid email', async () => {
// Arrange
const invalidData = { name: 'John', email: 'invalid' };
// Act & Assert
await expect(userService.createUser(invalidData))
.rejects.toThrow(ValidationError);
});
});
});
// Test coverage thresholds
// vitest.config.ts
{
test: {
coverage: {
provider: 'v8',
thresholds: {
branches: 80,
functions: 80,
lines: 80,
statements: 80,
},
},
},
}
```
### Documentation Standards
```typescript
/**
* Creates a new user in the system.
*
* @param data - User creation data
* @returns The created user with generated ID
* @throws {ValidationError} If the data is invalid
* @throws {ConflictError} If email already exists
*
* @example
* ```ts
* const user = await createUser({
* name: 'John Doe',
* email: 'john@example.com'
* });
* ```
*/
async function createUser(data: CreateUserData): Promise<User> {
// Implementation
}
// README template for modules
/**
* # User Module
*
* ## Overview
* Handles user management including CRUD operations.
*
* ## Usage
* ```ts
* import { UserService } from './user';
* const service = new UserService(repository);
* ```
*
* ## API
* - `createUser(data)` - Creates a new user
* - `getUser(id)` - Retrieves user by ID
* - `updateUser(id, data)` - Updates user data
*/
```
### Monitoring Metrics
| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Cognitive complexity | < 15 |
| Cyclomatic complexity | < 10 |
| Code duplication | < 5% |
| Test coverage | > 80% |
| Technical debt ratio | < 5% |
### Checklist
- [ ] Meaningful variable/function names
- [ ] Single responsibility functions
- [ ] Early returns to reduce nesting
- [ ] Constants for magic numbers
- [ ] Consistent error handling
- [ ] Complexity limits in linter
- [ ] Test coverage thresholds
- [ ] JSDoc for public APIs
- [ ] Code duplication detection
- [ ] SonarQube quality gate
## Reference Documentation
- [SOLID Principles](../solid-principles/SKILL.md)
- [Design Patterns](../design-patterns/SKILL.md)
- [Quality Principles (Consolidated)](../../quality/common/SKILL.md)
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