Dead Code Eliminator Skill

Identifies and safely removes dead code, unused functions, unreachable code paths, and orphaned files from codebases to reduce complexity and maintenance burden.

Purpose

Enable safe dead code removal for:

• Codebase simplification
• Migration preparation
• Technical debt reduction
• Build size optimization
• Maintenance cost reduction

Capabilities

1. Unused Function Detection

• Find uncalled functions
• Identify unused exports
• Detect unreferenced methods
• Map call graphs

2. Unreachable Code Identification

• Analyze control flow
• Find code after returns
• Detect impossible conditions
• Identify dead branches

3. Unused Variable Detection

• Find unread variables
• Identify write-only variables
• Detect unused parameters
• Flag shadowed variables

4. Orphan File Detection

• Find unimported modules
• Identify orphaned assets
• Detect unused configuration
• Map file dependencies

5. Safe Removal Verification

• Verify no runtime references
• Check dynamic imports
• Validate reflection usage
• Test after removal

6. Impact Analysis

• Estimate removal scope
• Calculate size reduction
• Assess risk level
• Document dependencies

Tool Integrations

| Tool | Language | Integration Method | |------|----------|-------------------| | ts-prune | TypeScript | CLI | | unimported | JavaScript | CLI | | deadcode | Python | CLI | | UCDetector | Java | Eclipse Plugin | | unused | Rust | CLI | | deadcode | Go | CLI | | webpack-bundle-analyzer | JavaScript | CLI |

Output Schema

json
{
  "analysisId": "string",
  "timestamp": "ISO8601",
  "deadCode": {
    "functions": [
      {
        "file": "string",
        "name": "string",
        "line": "number",
        "confidence": "high|medium|low",
        "reason": "string"
      }
    ],
    "variables": [],
    "files": [],
    "unreachable": []
  },
  "impact": {
    "filesAffected": "number",
    "linesRemovable": "number",
    "estimatedSizeReduction": "string"
  },
  "risks": [],
  "recommendations": []
}

Integration with Migration Processes

• code-refactoring: Pre-refactoring cleanup
• legacy-decommissioning: Feature removal
• monolith-to-microservices: Service extraction prep

Related Skills

• static-code-analyzer: Combined analysis
• code-smell-detector: Related smell detection

Related Agents

• legacy-decommissioning-specialist: Uses for cleanup
• code-transformation-executor: Executes removal