Optimization Rescue

Salvage optimization work done without proper benchmarks. Generate evidence, validate claims, and discover bugs hiding in "optimizations."

Valuable Outcomes

Bugs found during rescue are SUCCESS, not failure.

Phase 0: Pre-flight

Run /preflight first.

Phase 1: Audit

git diff --name-only origin/main...HEAD | grep '\.go$'

For each change, categorize:

• •Preallocation
• •Pooling
• •Buffer reuse
• •Data structure change
• •Potential bug (suspicious patterns)

Phase 2: Triage

Bug Warning Signs

• •make([]T, n) followed by append
• •Missing nil checks
• •Changed return semantics
• •Slice aliasing

Phase 3: Generate Evidence

Create Benchmarks

func BenchmarkFunction(b *testing.B) {
    data := createTestData()
    b.ReportAllocs()
    b.ResetTimer()
    for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
        _ = Function(data)
    }
}

Run Comparison

benchstat /tmp/baseline.txt /tmp/optimized.txt

Phase 4: Validate

Phase 5: Handle Bug Discovery

If rescue uncovers a bug instead of an optimization:

/validate-correctness

After validation:

1. •Record bug in validations.yaml (via validate-correctness)
2. •Record rescue as BUG_FOUND in rescues.yaml
3. •The bug fix becomes part of rescued branch (with tests!)

Phase 6: Reconstruct

git checkout main
git checkout -b mem-opt/<name>-rescued

Apply only:

• •KEEP changes (validated optimizations)
• •BUG_FOUND changes (with tests from /validate-correctness)

Discard everything else.

Phase 7: Record

# Append to rescues.yaml
  - branch: mem-opt/original
    date: 2026-01-06
    audited: 12
    kept: 3
    discarded: 7
    bugs_found: 2
    rescued_as: mem-opt/original-rescued
    lesson: "<pattern>"

Usage

/rescue-optimization