delete-thislisted

# Delete This ## The failure mode this fixes Codebases accrete. Every feature adds; almost nothing subtracts. Agents make this worse — they're trained to produce code, not remove it, so they route around dead code instead of deleting it. The result is a graveyard of commented-out blocks, flags that are always true, abstractions invented for a second caller that never arrived, and TODOs from engineers who left two years ago. Every line of it is read, parsed, and feared by everyone who touches the file. The best refactor is often a deletion. This skill finds what no longer earns its place and removes it *safely* — proving it's dead before it's gone. ## When to Use This Skill - A file or module feels heavier than what it does - Before adding a feature to an already-cluttered area (clear the ground first) - You see commented-out code, `// TODO (2023)`, or `if (false)` branches - An abstraction is used by exactly one caller - A feature flag has been at one value for months **Don't use when:** you can't yet prove the code is unused, or when "dead" code is actually a public API / plugin surface others depend on. When in doubt, prove first (step 2). For a small dead line you noticed *while editing something else*, don't open a deliberate sweep — that's `boyscout` territory (bounded, in-scope cleanup). This skill is the deliberate, repo-wide hunt. ## Instructions ### 1. Inventory the candidates Scan the target scope and list deletion candidates by category: - **Dead branches*