java-boy-scoutlisted

# The Boy Scout Rule in Java Leave the code cleaner than you found it. Not rewritten — cleaner. Small, safe, obviously-correct improvements made in passing keep a codebase from decaying, without turning every ticket into a refactor. ## The bargain While making the change you were asked for, fix what is *in front of you*. Do not go looking. **In scope** — the method you are editing, the ones it calls, the file you are already in. **Out of scope** — the rest of the package, unrelated files, anything needing its own test plan. ## Safe cleanups Each of these is verifiable by the existing test suite and reviewable in seconds: | Cleanup | Skill | |---|---| | Rename a cryptic variable or method | `java-clean-names` | | Delete a redundant or stale comment | `java-clean-comments` | | Delete commented-out code | `java-clean-comments` | | Extract a named method from a long one | `java-clean-functions` | | Replace a magic number with a constant | `java-clean-general` | | Replace nesting with a guard clause | `java-clean-functions` | | Return `Optional` or an empty list instead of null | `java-clean-functions` | | Add `final` to a field that never changes | `java-clean-general` | | Replace an `instanceof` chain with a sealed switch | `java-clean-general` | | Add the missing boundary test you noticed | `java-clean-tests` | | Add `@Disabled` reason text | `java-clean-tests` | | Delete a genuinely unused private method | `java-clean-functions` | ## Stop here Leave these for their ow