Dead Code Detector

Find and safely remove dead, unused, or unreachable code.

Workflow

1. •Determine scope:
   • •Specific file/directory or entire project.
   • •Specific language(s) to focus on.
2. •Identify the project type and entry points:
   • •Check for package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, go.mod, etc.
   • •Identify entry points (main files, exported modules, route handlers).
3. •Scan for dead code by category:

Categories to Check

Unused Imports/Requires

• •Scan each file for imported symbols not referenced in the file body.

Unused Exports

• •Find exported functions/classes/constants and search the codebase for their usage.
• •Use grep -r or equivalent to verify each export is imported elsewhere.

Unused Variables & Parameters

• •Identify declared variables never read.
• •Find function parameters never referenced in the function body.
• •Respect _ prefix convention for intentionally unused params.

Unreachable Code

• •Code after unconditional return, throw, break, continue.
• •Conditions that are always true/false (e.g., if (false)).

Unused Files

• •Files not imported/required by any other file.
• •Test files and config files should be excluded from this check.

Commented-Out Code

• •Large blocks of commented code (>5 lines) that are likely stale.

1. •Present findings grouped by category with file paths and line numbers.
2. •For each finding, assess confidence (high/medium/low) based on static analysis limitations.
3. •Remove only with user approval, starting with high-confidence items.

Guidelines

• •Never auto-delete — always present findings and ask for confirmation.
• •Respect dynamic usage patterns: getattr(), eval(), reflection, decorators, dependency injection.
• •Check for framework conventions (e.g., Django views referenced in urls.py, React components used in JSX).
• •Exclude test files, config files, and type definition files from "unused" reports.
• •For libraries/packages, exported public API should not be flagged as dead code.
• •Note limitations: static analysis cannot catch all dynamic references.