ia-simplifying-codelisted

# Simplifying Code ## Principles | Principle | Rule | |-----------|------| | **Preserve behavior** | Output must do exactly what the input did -- no silent feature additions or removals. Specifically preserve: async/sync boundaries (do not convert sync to async or reverse), error propagation paths (do not alter strategy), logging/telemetry/guards/retries that encode operational intent, and domain-specific steps (do not collapse into generic helpers that hide intent) | | **Explicit over clever** | Prefer explicit variables over nested expressions. Readable beats compact | | **Simplicity over cleanliness** | Prefer straightforward code over pattern-heavy "clean" code. Three similar lines beat a premature abstraction | | **Surgical changes** | Touch only what needs simplifying. Match existing style, naming conventions, and formatting of the surrounding code | | **Surface assumptions** | Before changing a block, identify what imports it, what it imports, and what tests cover it. Edit dependents in the same pass | ## Process 1. **Read first** -- understand the full file and its dependents before changing anything. Apply Chesterton's Fence: if you see code that looks unnecessary but don't understand why it's there, check `git blame` before removing it. First understand the reason, then decide if the reason still applies. 2. **Identify invariants** -- what must stay the same? Public API, return types, side effects, error behavior 3. **Identify targets** -- find the highest-impac