Code Simplification Protocol

Operate only on files changed since the last commit. Apply fixes directly — do not report without fixing.

Step 1: Identify Changed Files

git diff --name-only HEAD
git diff --name-only --cached

Combine both lists, deduplicate. If the list is empty, check git diff --name-only HEAD~1.

Step 2: Scan Each File

For each changed file, check for these issues in order:

Dead Code

• Exported symbols with zero references (lsp_find_references → 0 results)
• Commented-out code blocks older than this change
• Unreachable branches (if (false), code after return)

Unused Imports

• Run lsp_diagnostics — flag any "unused import" or "declared but not used" warnings
• Remove them directly with Edit

Redundant Logic

• Duplicate conditional branches with identical bodies
• Boolean expressions that simplify (x === true → x, !x === false → x)
• Wrapper functions that only call one other function with no transformation

Deep Nesting

• Flag any block nested more than 4 levels deep
• Apply early-return / guard-clause pattern to flatten

Unclear Naming

• Single-letter variables outside loop counters (i, j, k are acceptable)
• Generic names: data, result, temp, obj, val, stuff, thing
• Rename using lsp_rename to preserve all references

Step 3: Apply Fixes

• Use Edit for targeted line changes
• Use lsp_rename for symbol renames (propagates across all files)
• Use ast_grep_replace for structural patterns (always dryRun=true first)
• One fix at a time — run lsp_diagnostics on the file after each change

Step 4: Verify Build

After all fixes are applied, verify the build still passes:

# Detect build system and run appropriate check
[ -f package.json ] && npm run build 2>&1 | tail -20
[ -f Cargo.toml ] && cargo check 2>&1 | tail -20
[ -f go.mod ] && go build ./... 2>&1 | tail -20

If the build fails, revert the last change and skip that simplification.

Step 5: Report

## Simplification Summary

Files reviewed: N
Changes applied: N

| File | Change | Lines affected |
|------|--------|----------------|
| path/to/file.ts | Removed unused import `X` | 3 |
| path/to/file.ts | Renamed `data` → `userProfile` | 12, 34, 67 |
| path/to/file.go | Flattened 5-level nesting with guard clause | 45–62 |

Build: PASS

Constraints

• Never modify files not in the changed set
• Never reformat unrelated code (whitespace-only changes outside touched lines)
• Never extract new abstractions — simplify what exists, do not restructure
• If a rename would touch more than 20 files, ask before proceeding