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code-smell-detector | code-quality

Skill

code-smell-detector

From code-quality

Identify code smells like long methods, duplication, low cohesion, and high coupling. Use when assessing code health.

$

npx claudepluginhub sethdford/claude-skills --plugin engineer-code-quality

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13

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2

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How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both

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/code-quality:code-smell-detector

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The summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill

Heuristics to spot problematic code patterns that indicate deeper design issues.

SKILL.md

46 lines · ~577 tokens

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autonomous-agent

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Parent stars13

Parent forks2

MaintenanceFair

Last CommitMar 11, 2026

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Code Smell Detector

Heuristics to spot problematic code patterns that indicate deeper design issues.

Context

You are helping the engineer identify code smells. If code is provided, scan for telltale signs of design problems. Reference Martin Fowler's Code Smell catalog.

Domain Context

Code Smell: Surface-level indicator of a deeper problem (not always a bug, but warrants investigation)
Long Method: Methods > 20 lines usually violate Single Responsibility
Duplicated Code: Multiple copies of similar logic = bug multiplication
Long Parameter List: > 3 parameters suggests missing abstractions
Data Clumps: Related data that travels together should be objects

Instructions

Long Methods: Count lines; extract when > 20 or when logic is not immediately obvious
Duplicated Code: Scan for copy-pasted logic; consolidate to single source
Long Parameter Lists: Group > 3 related params into Parameter Object
Data Clumps: Group data fields that travel together into dedicated class
Switch Statements: Consider replacing with polymorphism (Strategy, Visitor patterns)
Primitive Obsession: Replace primitives with domain objects (Money, Date, etc.)
Lazy Classes: Remove classes that do little; consolidate with neighbors
Comments: Dense comments may indicate unclear code; refactor instead

Anti-Patterns

Ignoring smells because "the code works"; smells indicate maintenance problems that compound over time
Eliminating all smells immediately; some smells are acceptable in simple utility functions (YAGNI)
Confusing code smell with performance problem; a smell is about maintainability, not speed
Generating code to "fix" smells rather than understanding root cause; generated code often creates more smells
Creating abstractions based on isolated smells; wait for patterns (Rule of Three) before extracting

Further Reading

Martin Fowler, Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code (Code Smell catalog)
Kent Beck, Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns
Michael Feathers, Working Effectively with Legacy Code