Simplify

Simplify

Post-implementation simplification pass. Review recently changed code and actively simplify it while preserving all behavior.

Planner Entry

Run /simplify only on explicit request or when an actionable PR finding calls for it. It is not a default post-implementation or pre-PR pass.

The best code is code you don't have to write. The second best is code anyone can read.

Steps

1. Identify what to simplify

Run git diff --name-only (or git diff origin/<base>...HEAD --name-only for a branch) to get the changed files. Read each one.

2. Apply simplifications

Work through each changed file. Preserve behavior by inspection; defer broad test suites, lint, typecheck, and full verification until after this pass. Report any verification concerns and the focused task check to run next.

Inline one-off abstractions:

• Helper functions with a single call site — inline them
• Wrapper types that add no behavior — remove the wrapper
• Interfaces with a single implementation and no test mock — remove the interface

Remove speculative code:

• Unused function parameters or return values
• Config options that are parsed but never read
• "Reserved for future" scaffolding, empty extension points
• Feature flags with no toggle mechanism

Reduce nesting:

• Replace nested if/else with early returns (guard clauses)
• Replace nested ternaries with if/else or switch
• Extract deeply nested blocks into named functions

Replace cleverness with clarity: