← ClaudeAtlas

zero-tech-debtlisted

Rework a patch from its intended end-state, not from the historical path that produced it — delete compat cruft, mode flags, fallbacks, and wrappers no one calls anymore. Triggers "zero tech debt", "rewrite as if from scratch", "delete the compat layer", "kill the legacy path", "this has too many flags", or when a feature has accreted mode props and shims over multiple iterations and you want the shape it should have shipped with.
darkroomengineering/cc-settings · ★ 29 · AI & Automation · score 85
Install: claude install-skill darkroomengineering/cc-settings
# Zero Tech Debt Rework the change from the intended end-state, not from the historical path that produced the current patch. The principles (no compat hacks, no abstractions you don't need, no dead branches) are in `AGENTS.md` — this skill is the workflow for applying them to a specific patch. ## When to invoke - A feature has accreted mode props, route aliases, or fallbacks across iterations - A migration left behind a compatibility shim that no current caller uses - You catch yourself preserving an old shape "just in case" with no concrete caller in mind - The diff is bigger than the change it represents because it's making the old structure better instead of removing it For restructuring code outside the current diff use `/refactor`. This skill is for the patch in front of you. (Claude Code 2.1.147 renamed `/simplify` to `/code-review` and removed the old cleanup-and-fix behavior; the native command is now a correctness reporter, not a code tightener.) ## Steps 1. **State the intended end-state.** One or two sentences. If you can't name it, stop and ask the user — you'll otherwise optimize toward the current shape. 2. **Search for real callers before preserving compatibility.** For each mode prop, route alias, fallback branch, or wrapper: grep for current callers. No caller → delete it, don't improve it. 3. **Reshape around the final product surface.** Prefer one clear component or flow over mode flags. Split only when there's an obvious boundary — state, layout, co