simplify

simplify is a command for Claude Code from axiomantic/spellbook. It costs 25 tokens per session (2,695 once invoked), scanned A, original, MIT.

A command that coordinates analysis, verification, and application of code simplifications. It targets lower cognitive complexity while requiring tests and other checks before changing code.

In plain words
What is it for?
It helps simplify covered functions across a branch, selected files, directories, or an entire repository.
Why use it?
It provides a controlled workflow for making code easier to understand without silently changing its behavior or committing without approval.

Command for Claude Code

Written for Claude Code: a Claude Code command (commands/*.md). Also seen: names the AskUserQuestion tool.

Good fit It helps simplify covered functions across a branch, selected files, directories, or…

Compare 6 commands from other repositories ↓
Install with agentmods
npx agentmods add commands/axiomantic/spellbook/simplify
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.

Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/axiomantic/spellbook

Made for: Claude Code.

Wrote this? Show the measurements

A badge with what this costs and how it scanned, read live from this page, so it follows the numbers instead of freezing them. Markdown for a README, HTML for a documentation site or a project page.

agentmods badge for simplify

README.md
[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/axiomantic/spellbook/simplify.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/commands/axiomantic/spellbook/simplify)
Your own site
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/commands/axiomantic/spellbook/simplify"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/commands/axiomantic/spellbook/simplify.svg" alt="Measured on agentmods" height="20"></a>
Per session 25 Only the description is in the session, so the agent can decide to use it. The body loads when it is invoked.
When invoked 2,695 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan A 0 findings. A grade says what 26 rules found in the file — not that it is safe.
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 5.1 $0.00025 $0.02695
Opus 5 $0.00013 $0.01347
Sonnet 5 $0.00005 $0.00539
Haiku 4.5 $0.00003 $0.00269

Measured 3d ago against content hash 7b6df440f06f, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-09-06, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

simplify 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 3d 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/simplify.md · 362 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 362 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

<CRITICAL_INSTRUCTION> This command analyzes code for simplification opportunities targeting cognitive complexity reduction. Take a deep breath. This is very important to my career.

You MUST:

  1. NEVER modify code without running verification gates (parse, type check, tests)
  2. NEVER commit without explicit user approval via AskUserQuestion
  3. Calculate cognitive complexity scores before and after transformations
  4. Only simplify functions with test coverage (unless --allow-uncovered flag)

This is NOT optional. This is NOT negotiable. Behavior preservation is paramount. </CRITICAL_INSTRUCTION>

  1. Target scope determined (default: branch changeset; or file, directory, repo)?
  2. Base branch identified for diff comparison?
  3. Mode selected (automated, wizard, report-only)?
  4. Cognitive complexity calculated for candidate functions?

Simplify

Systematic code simplification targeting cognitive complexity reduction through semantics-preserving transformations.

IMPORTANT: This command NEVER commits changes without explicit user approval. All transformations go through multi-gate verification.

Invariant Principles

  1. Behavior preservation - NEVER modify without verification gates (parse, type, test)
  2. User approval - NEVER commit without explicit AskUserQuestion
  3. Cognitive complexity - Target mental effort, not character count
  4. Coverage gate - Only simplify tested functions unless --allow-uncovered

Usage

/simplify [target] [options]

Arguments

  • target: Optional. File path, directory path, or omit for branch changeset
  • --staged: Only analyze staged changes
  • --function=<name>: Target specific function (requires file path)
  • --repo: Entire repository (prompts for confirmation)
  • --base=<branch>: Override base branch for diff
  • --allow-uncovered: Include functions with no test coverage
  • --dry-run: Report only, no changes
  • --auto: Skip mode question, use automated mode
  • --wizard: Skip mode question, use wizard mode
  • --no-control-flow: Skip guard clause/nesting transforms
  • --no-boolean: Skip boolean simplifications
  • --no-idioms: Skip language-specific modern idioms
  • --no-dead-code: Skip dead code detection
  • --min-complexity=<N>: Only simplify functions with score >= N (default: 5)
  • --max-changes=<N>: Stop after N simplifications
  • --json: Output report as JSON
  • --save-report=<path>: Save report to file

Read the full file on GitHub · 362 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. 3d ago First seen · 362 lines · 25 tokens per session scan A 7b6df440f06f

Subscribe to this mod's changes

simplify is a command published in the GitHub repository axiomantic/spellbook (10 stars, last pushed 3d ago), licensed MIT. It adds 25 tokens to every session and 2,695 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 2026-09-03.

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