simplify

Simplify Skill

Behavior-preserving code simplification. Reduce complexity, eliminate noise, and improve readability without changing what the code does.

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When to load this skill

Load when asked to:

• "Simplify this function/module"
• "Reduce complexity without changing behavior"
• "Clean up this code"
• "Refactor for readability"
• "Remove dead code / unused paths"

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Core Rule: Behavior Is Invariant

Every simplification MUST preserve observable behavior:

• Same inputs → same outputs
• Same side effects
• Same error conditions
• Same public API surface

If a simplification changes behavior, it is a bug, not a simplification.

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Simplification Checklist

Work through these categories in order. Stop at any category where a change risks behavior — flag it and ask before proceeding.

1. Dead Code Removal (zero-risk)

• Remove imports that are never used
• Remove variables assigned but never read
• Remove functions/methods never called (verify with usages search)
• Remove commented-out code blocks older than the last commit
• Remove pass statements in non-empty bodies

Verification: Run existing tests. If they pass, the removal was safe.

2. Redundancy Elimination (low-risk)

• Replace repeated literals with a named constant
• Collapse duplicate conditional branches with identical bodies
• Merge nested if chains into a single compound condition where intent is clearer
• Remove double negations (not not x → bool(x) or just x where truthy is enough)
• Replace if x == True: with if x: and if x == False: with if not x:

3. Standard Library Substitution (medium-risk — test after each)

• Replace manual loop patterns with built-ins (any(), all(), sum(), min(), max())
• Replace dict.get(key, None) with dict.get(key) (same default)
• Replace string concatenation in loops with "".join()
• Replace manual null-checks on dict access with dict.get()
• Replace len(x) == 0 with not x (only for types where falsy = empty)