TDD Production Code Refactoring Process. Triggers on 'tidy up', 'tidy this', 'clean up code'. Use for refactoring production code with test coverage.
Scanned 9/9/2026
Install to Claude Code
npx -y skills add SDiamante13/dotfiles --skill tidy --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
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---
name: tidy
allowed-tools:
- Read
- Edit
- Write
- Glob
- Grep
- Bash
- Workflow
description: TDD Production Code Refactoring Process. Triggers on 'tidy up', 'tidy this', 'clean up code'. Use for refactoring production code with test coverage.
metadata:
author: Fishbowl Team
version: "0.2.0"
---
# TDD Production Code Refactoring Process
STARTER_CHARACTER = 🟣
**NEVER** make changes to Test code in this process.
This process is for refactoring production code with test coverage.
## Initial Setup
1. **Locate Test File Proactively**
- If user provides a file path, search for its test file using common patterns:
- `filename.test.ext`, `filename.spec.ext`
- `__tests__/filename.ext`
- `tests/filename.ext`
- Mirror path with `/test/` instead of `/src/`
- Use Glob and Grep to search multiple patterns in parallel
- If multiple test files found, show options and ask which one
- If no test file found, inform user and ask them to provide the test file path
- **Only ask user if ambiguous or not found** - otherwise proceed automatically
2. **Verify Tests Pass**
- Run the test suite to establish baseline
- If tests fail initially, stop and report to user
3. **Scan for Refactoring Opportunities**
- Read the production code file thoroughly
- Identify ALL refactoring opportunities by priority:
1. Dead code (commented code, unused variables)
2. Poor names (unclear variables/methods)
3. Long methods (> 25 lines)
4. Duplication (repeated code blocks)
5. Complex conditionals (nested ifs, no guard clauses)
6. Unnecessary locals (single-use variables)
7. Unused imports
- **Present numbered list** of all findings to user
- **Ask user which ones to proceed with** (e.g., "all", "1-5", "2,4,7")
- Wait for user confirmation before starting refactoring
## Refactoring Loop
The approval is interactive and **stays here** (Initial Setup step 3): you present the
numbered findings, ask which to proceed with, and wait for user confirmation. Only the
deterministic apply → green-gate → commit/revert loop is encoded as a **Workflow**, so the
strike cap, green gate, and exact commit-message format run reliably instead of by prose.
Once the user has confirmed the subset, invoke the `Workflow` tool with the bundled script,
passing the human-approved refactor list (in priority order):
```
Workflow({
scriptPath: "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/tidy/workflow.js",
args: {
refactors: ["<approved refactor 1>", "<approved refactor 2>", ...], // priority order
testCommand: "<how to run the suite>", // optional; agent infers if omitted
productionFile: "<path>", // optional; the file being tidied
testFile: "<path>" // optional; NEVER modified
}
})
```
For each approved refactor the workflow runs:
1. An agent applies **only that one** refactoring (one at a time, in priority order) to
**production code** — it **NEVER touches test code** — and returns the diff.
2. A gate agent (Haiku) runs the test suite and returns `{ passed, output }`.
3. If `passed === true`: commit with message format `"- r <refactoring>"` (quotes must
include the - r). The loop **does not commit until the gate reports `passed === true`**.
4. If tests fail: revert this attempt's changes and retry — up to **three** attempts.
It returns `{ total, attempted, committed, halted, outcomes }`, where each outcome carries
`{ index, refactor, committed, commitMessage, attempts, halted }`. Give a brief status
update after each refactor from the returned outcomes.
**Stop conditions:**
- If a refactor fails three times (the workflow halts and returns `halted: true`)
- If no further refactoring opportunities found
- Pause and check with user
When the workflow returns `halted: true`, **pause and check with the user** before doing
anything else — report which refactor failed and its attempt output; do not continue to the
next refactor on your own.
## Code Style Guidelines
- Prefer self-explanatory, readable code over comments
- Use functional helper methods for clarity
- Remove comments and dead code
- Extract paragraphs into methods
- Use better variable names
- Remove unused imports
- Remove unhelpful local variables
- Methods should be small and focused (ideally < 25 lines)
## Common Refactorings (in priority order)
1. **Remove dead code** - commented code, unused variables
2. **Better names** - rename unclear variables/methods
3. **Extract methods** - break up long methods
4. **Remove duplication** - DRY principle
5. **Simplify conditionals** - reduce nesting, use guard clauses
6. **Remove unnecessary locals** - inline single-use variables
7. **Clean imports** - remove unused imports
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