brownfield-dead

/brownfield-dead — Dead Code Finder

Purpose

Identify all dead code in the codebase: unused files and unused exports.

Trigger

• "Find dead code"
• "Show me what's not being used"
• "What can I delete safely?"

Type: /brownfield-dead

---

Steps

1. Load dead code analysis from DB

const queries = require('./.claude/query-helpers.js');
const deadCode = queries.getAllDeadCode();

Returns:

• deadFiles (array of files with 0 importers)
• unusedExports (array of exported symbols never imported)
• totalDeadFiles (count)
• totalUnusedExports (count)

Each file record includes:

• filePath, language, bytes, lastCommitDate, riskScore, lastAuthor
• For unused exports: file, exportName, exportType

2. Check graph coverage

If graph coverage < 80%, add a caveat:

"⚠ Graph coverage is %. Some 'dead' code may be dynamically imported or accessed via reflection. Verify before deleting."

3. Categorize dead files

Safe to delete (no one owns them):

• Generated files (dist/, build/, .next/)
• Test fixtures and mocks
• Legacy code without recent activity
• Empty index.js files with no imports

Needs investigation (high risk):

• Files with recent commits (< 30 days)
• Files with bug fixes in history
• Files in critical paths (even if unused)
• Files with risk score > 50

4. Build the report

Format:

# Dead Code Report

**Total dead files:** <N>
**Total unused exports:** <N>
**Graph coverage:** <X>%

---

## Dead Files

### Safe to Delete

[If any exist]

| File | Size | Last Touch | Risk | Language |
|------|------|-----------|------|----------|
| <file> | <Bytes> | <Days ago> | Safe | <lang> |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

> These files are not imported by anything and don't pose risk.
> Safe to delete immediately.

### Needs Review

[If any exist]

| File | Last Commit | Risk | Reason | Author |
|------|------------|------|--------|--------|
| <file> | <date> | <score> | High risk flag | <who> |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

> These have either recent activity or high risk scores.
> Verify they're truly unused before deleting.

---

## Unused Exports

### By File

**<file-1>** (imported by: 0)
- `exportName1` — unused
- `exportName2` — unused

**<file-2>** (imported by: 0)
- `someFunction` — unused

[List all files with unused exports]

---

## Recommendations

### Delete Immediately
```bash
rm <file-1>
rm <file-2>

Update imports:

grep -r "import.*from.*<file>" --include="*.js" | wc -l