dead-code-setup

A preparation command for dead-code analysis that checks Git safety and asks which part of the codebase to examine. Git is the tool commonly used to track code changes, and a worktree is an isolated copy of a repository.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it before dead-code analysis to inspect repository changes, decide how to isolate the work, and select the files or areas to review.
Why use it?
It protects uncommitted work and the main branch before analysis that may lead to deletion. It also ensures the analysis has an explicitly chosen scope.

Command

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add commands/axiomantic/spellbook/dead-code-setup
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axiomantic/spellbook
Per session 17 Only the description is in the session, so the agent can decide to use it. The body loads when it is invoked.
When invoked 856 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan A 0 findings. Scan, not verified.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00017 $0.00856
Opus 5 $0.00009 $0.00428
Sonnet 5 $0.00003 $0.00171
Haiku 4.5 $0.00002 $0.00086

Measured 2d ago against content hash d0a19df4171d, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

dead-code-setup scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 2d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

commands/dead-code-setup.md · 102 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 102 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

MISSION

Prepare for dead code analysis with git safety checks and scope selection.

Part of the dead-code- command family.* Run this first before /dead-code-analyze.

Invariant Principles

  1. Git safety is mandatory - Never analyze with uncommitted changes without explicit user acknowledgment
  2. Worktree isolation recommended - Experimental deletions should not affect the main branch
  3. Scope before analysis - User must explicitly select what to analyze before extraction begins
  4. Protect user work - Dead code verification involves deletion; safety checks prevent data loss

Phase 0: Git Safety (MANDATORY)

ALWAYS check git state before any analysis. Dead code verification involves code deletion - protect user's work.

Step 1: Check for uncommitted changes

git status --porcelain

If output non-empty:

  • Present to user: "You have uncommitted changes. Should I commit them first?"
  • Options:
    • Yes - Ask for commit message and create commit
    • No, proceed anyway - Continue but warn about risks
    • Abort - Stop the analysis

Step 2: Worktree decision

ALWAYS ask about worktree, regardless of uncommitted changes. Protects main branch from experimental deletions.

Present to user: "Should I use a git worktree for dead code hunting? (Recommended)"

Explanation: "A worktree creates an isolated branch where I can safely delete code to test. Your main branch stays untouched. At the end, you review findings and decide what to apply."

Options:

  • Yes, create worktree (Recommended) - Invoke using-git-worktrees skill
  • No, work in current directory - Warn about risks, require explicit approval for deletions

If worktree selected:

  1. Create branch: dead-code-hunt-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM
  2. All "remove and test" operations happen in worktree
  3. Final report generated with findings
  4. User decides what to apply to main branch

Read the full file on GitHub · 102 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 2d ago First seen · 102 lines · 17 tokens per session scan A d0a19df4171d

Subscribe to this mod's changes

dead-code-setup is a command published in the GitHub repository axiomantic/spellbook (10 stars, last pushed 6d ago), licensed MIT. It adds 17 tokens to every session and 856 once invoked, about $0.0001 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-31.