Entropy Reduction Loop
Iteratively scan and fix code smells to improve codebase quality.
Philosophy: Impactful cleanup over nitpicking. Focus on changes that matter.
The Job
- •Scan codebase for code smells
- •Identify ONE smell to fix
- •Fix with minimal changes
- •Run tests to verify
- •Commit the fix
- •Repeat until no more meaningful improvements
Iteration Flow
code
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ 1. Scan for code smells │ │ 2. If no meaningful smells → COMPLETE │ │ 3. Pick ONE smell to fix │ │ 4. Fix with minimal changes │ │ 5. Run tests to verify │ │ 6. Commit the fix │ │ 7. Append to progress.txt │ │ 8. Loop back to step 1 │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Code Smells to Look For
High Impact:
- •Duplicate code that should be a function
- •Unused exports and dead code
- •Overly complex functions (break them down)
- •Inconsistent patterns (use the established pattern)
Medium Impact:
- •Missing type annotations
- •Unreachable code branches
- •Deeply nested conditionals
- •Long parameter lists
Low Impact (skip unless asked):
- •Minor formatting
- •Comment improvements
- •Variable renaming (unless confusing)
Priority Order
- •Unused code - Remove dead code first
- •Duplicates - Extract shared logic
- •Complexity - Break down large functions
- •Inconsistency - Align with patterns
- •Types - Add missing annotations
Progress Format
Append to progress.txt after each fix:
code
## Entropy Fix - [Date/Time] - Smell: Duplicate email validation in 3 files - Fix: Extracted to `src/utils/validation.ts` - Files: auth.ts, profile.ts, settings.ts - Impact: Reduced code by 45 lines ---
Stop Condition
When no more meaningful improvements exist:
- •Output:
<promise>COMPLETE</promise>
"Meaningful" means:
- •Reduces actual complexity
- •Improves maintainability
- •Removes real duplication
- •NOT just cosmetic changes
Example Usage
User: "Run entropy loop to clean up the codebase"
The skill will:
- •Scan for code smells
- •Fix one smell per iteration
- •Continue until codebase is clean
Checklist Per Iteration
- • Identified ONE meaningful code smell
- • Fix is minimal and focused
- • Tests still pass
- • Committed the fix
- • Documented in progress.txt
- • Did NOT make unrelated changes