Refactor Code

Apply systematic refactoring techniques to improve code clarity, maintainability, and performance without changing functionality.

When to Use

• •Addressing code smells identified in reviews
• •Reducing cyclomatic complexity
• •Extracting methods and classes
• •Improving naming and organization

Quick Reference

# Common refactoring patterns

# Extract method
# BEFORE: Long function with multiple responsibilities
def process_data(data):
    result = validate(data)
    formatted = format_data(result)
    return save(formatted)

# AFTER: Clear single responsibility
def process_data(data):
    validated = _validate_and_format(data)
    return save(validated)

def _validate_and_format(data):
    return format_data(validate(data))

Workflow

1. •Identify refactoring targets: From code review or analysis tools
2. •Plan changes: Document what will change and why
3. •Apply refactoring: Use IDE refactoring tools or manual changes
4. •Run tests: Verify all tests still pass
5. •Verify performance: Check no performance regression

Output Format

Refactoring report:

• •Issues addressed
• •Refactoring techniques applied
• •Metrics before/after (complexity, lines of code)
• •Test coverage status
• •Performance impact

References

• •See detect-code-smells skill for identifying issues
• •See CLAUDE.md > SOLID principles for refactoring goals
• •See run-tests skill for verification