Serena Safe Refactor

Automated refactoring workflow that ensures safety by analyzing impact before making changes.

When to Apply

• •Renaming functions or classes
• •Changing function signatures
• •Extracting or moving code
• •Large-scale refactoring operations

Workflow

Phase 1: Impact Analysis

1. •Use serena_find_symbol to locate the target
2. •Use serena_find_referencing_symbols to find all usages
3. •Review impact scope

Phase 2: Preparation

1. •Check for tests covering the target code
2. •Identify potential breaking changes
3. •Plan migration strategy if needed

Phase 3: Execution

1. •Use serena_rename_symbol for safe renaming
2. •Use serena_replace_symbol_body for implementation changes
3. •Use serena_replace_content for pattern-based changes

Phase 4: Verification

1. •Run tests to verify changes
2. •Check for compilation errors
3. •Review affected files

Best Practices

1. •Always find references before refactoring
2. •Make atomic changes - one symbol at a time
3. •Verify with tests after each change
4. •Use rename_symbol instead of replace_content when possible

Safety Checklist

• • All references found and reviewed
• • Tests exist for the target code
• • Breaking changes documented
• • Rollback plan prepared

Example Usage

// Safe rename of a function
const workflow = [
  'serena_find_symbol("oldFunctionName")',
  'serena_find_referencing_symbols("oldFunctionName")',
  'serena_rename_symbol("oldFunctionName", "newFunctionName")',
];

Context

• •Learned from repeated refactoring patterns
• •Emphasizes safety and impact analysis
• •Confidence: High (based on 5+ observed usages)