🎯

refactoring-surgeon

🎯Skill

from erichowens/some_claude_skills

What it does

refactoring-surgeon skill from erichowens/some_claude_skills

📦

Part of

erichowens/some_claude_skills(148 items)

refactoring-surgeon

Installation

Add MarketplaceAdd marketplace to Claude Code

/plugin marketplace add erichowens/some_claude_skills

Install PluginInstall plugin from marketplace

/plugin install adhd-design-expert@some-claude-skills

Install PluginInstall plugin from marketplace

/plugin install some-claude-skills@some-claude-skills

git cloneClone repository

git clone https://github.com/erichowens/some_claude_skills.git

Claude Desktop ConfigurationAdd this to your claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "prompt-learning": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args...

📖 Extracted from docs: erichowens/some_claude_skills

Need more details? View full documentation on GitHub →

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Last UpdatedJan 23, 2026

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Skill Details

SKILL.md

"Expert code refactoring specialist for improving code quality without changing behavior. Activate on: refactor, code smell, technical debt, legacy code, cleanup, simplify, extract method, extract class, DRY, SOLID principles. NOT for: new feature development (use feature skills), bug fixing (use debugging skills), performance optimization (use performance skills)."

Overview

# Refactoring Surgeon

Expert code refactoring specialist focused on improving code quality without changing behavior.

Quick Start

Ensure tests exist - Never refactor without a safety net
Identify the smell - Name the specific code smell you're addressing
Make small changes - One refactoring at a time, commit frequently
Run tests after each change - Behavior must remain identical
Don't add features - Refactoring ≠ enhancement
Document significant changes - Explain the "why" for future maintainers

Core Capabilities

| Category | Techniques |

|----------|------------|

| Extraction | Extract Method, Extract Class, Extract Interface |

| Movement | Move Method, Move Field, Inline Method |

| Simplification | Replace Conditional with Polymorphism, Decompose Conditional |

| Organization | Introduce Parameter Object, Replace Magic Numbers |

| Legacy Migration | Strangler Fig, Branch by Abstraction, Parallel Change |

Code Smells Reference

Bloaters

```

┌─────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐

│ Long Method │ │ Large Class │ │ Long Parameter │

│ > 20 lines? │ │ > 200 lines? │ │ List │

│ → Extract Method │ │ → Extract Class │ │ → Parameter Object │

└─────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────┘

```

OO Abusers

```

│ Switch Statements │ │ Refused Bequest │ │ Parallel │

│ Type-checking? │ │ Unused inheritance?│ │ Hierarchies │

│ → Polymorphism │ │ → Delegation │ │ → Move Method │

```

Change Preventers

```

┌─────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────┐

│ Divergent Change │ │ Shotgun Surgery │

│ One class, many │ │ One change, many │

│ reasons to change? │ │ classes affected? │

│ → Extract Class │ │ → Move/Inline │

└─────────────────────┘ └─────────────────────┘

```

Reference Examples

Complete refactoring examples in ./references/:

| File | Pattern | Use Case |

|------|---------|----------|

| extract-method.ts | Extract Method | Long methods → focused functions |

| replace-conditional-polymorphism.ts | Replace Conditional | switch/if → polymorphic classes |

| introduce-parameter-object.ts | Parameter Object | Long params → structured objects |

| strangler-fig-pattern.ts | Strangler Fig | Legacy code → gradual migration |

Anti-Patterns (10 Critical Mistakes)

1. Big Bang Refactoring

Symptom: Rewriting entire modules in one massive change

Fix: Strangler fig pattern, small incremental changes with tests

2. Refactoring Without Tests

Symptom: Changing structure without test coverage

Fix: Write characterization tests first, add coverage for affected areas

3. Premature Abstraction

Symptom: Creating generic frameworks "for future flexibility"

Fix: Wait for three concrete examples before abstracting (Rule of Three)

4. Renaming Without IDE Support

Symptom: Find-and-replace that misses occurrences

Fix: Use IDE refactoring tools, search for usages first

5. Mixing Refactoring and Features

Symptom: Adding new functionality while restructuring

Fix: Separate commits - refactor first, then add features

6. Ignoring Code Reviews

Symptom: Large refactoring PRs that are hard to review

Fix: Small, focused PRs with clear commit messages

7. Over-Abstracting

Symptom: Three layers of abstraction for a simple operation

Fix: YAGNI - start concrete, abstract when patterns emerge

8. Incomplete Refactoring

Symptom: Starting Extract Method but leaving partial duplication

Fix: Complete the refactoring or revert - no half-measures

9. Refactoring Production During Incidents

Symptom: "I'll just clean this up while I'm here..."

Fix: Never refactor during incidents - fix the bug, create a ticket

10. Not Measuring Improvement

Symptom: Refactoring without knowing if it helped

Fix: Track metrics: complexity, test coverage, build time

Safety Checklist

Before Refactoring:

[ ] Code compiles/runs successfully
[ ] All tests pass
[ ] Test coverage is adequate for area being refactored
[ ] Commit current state (can rollback)

During Refactoring:

[ ] Make small, incremental changes
[ ] Run tests after each change
[ ] Keep behavior identical
[ ] Don't add features while refactoring

After Refactoring:

[ ] All tests still pass
[ ] No new warnings/errors
[ ] Code is more readable
[ ] Complexity metrics improved
[ ] Document significant changes

Quality Checklist

[ ] No behavior changes (tests prove this)
[ ] Improved readability
[ ] Reduced complexity (cyclomatic, cognitive)
[ ] Better adherence to SOLID principles
[ ] Removed duplication (DRY)
[ ] More testable code
[ ] Clear naming
[ ] Appropriate abstractions (not over-engineered)

Validation Script

Run ./scripts/validate-refactoring.sh to check:

Test coverage presence
Code smell indicators
Duplication patterns
Complexity metrics
SOLID violations
Refactoring safety (git, uncommitted changes)

External Resources

[Refactoring.Guru](https://refactoring.guru/)
[Martin Fowler's Refactoring Catalog](https://refactoring.com/catalog/)
[Working Effectively with Legacy Code](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/working-effectively-with/0131177052/)

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