Agent skill
refactor-with-confidence
Safe code refactoring combining Sherpa's refactor workflow, Julie's reference checking and safe renaming, and Goldfish's before/after checkpointing. Activates for code improvement with systematic testing, refactoring, and verification. Use when cleaning up or improving existing code.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/development/refactor-with-confidence-anortham-mcp-toolbox-workflow
SKILL.md
Refactor with Confidence Workflow
Purpose
Perform safe, systematic code refactoring with test protection and full tracking. Combines Sherpa's refactor workflow guidance, Julie's safe refactoring tools, and Goldfish's before/after state preservation.
When to Activate
- "refactor this code", "cleanup", "improve code quality"
- "reorganize", "simplify", "optimize"
- "extract", "rename", "restructure"
Trinity for Safe Refactoring
Sherpa: Guides refactor phases (Tests → Refactor → Verify) Julie: Safe renames, reference checking, impact analysis Goldfish: Pre/post state checkpoints, decision tracking
Orchestration
Pre-Refactor: Baseline State
1. Goldfish: checkpoint({ description: "Pre-refactor baseline: [current state]" })
2. Sherpa: approach({ workflow: "refactor" })
3. Julie: get_symbols → Capture current structure
Phase 1: Tests First (Sherpa)
guide() → "Ensure test coverage exists"
Check existing tests:
- Run test suite
- Verify coverage for code being refactored
- Add missing tests if needed
checkpoint({ description: "Verified test coverage for [component]" })
guide({ done: "test coverage verified" })
Phase 2: Refactor Code (Julie + Sherpa)
guide() → "Refactor while staying green"
Julie safe refactoring:
- fast_refs → Check all references before rename
- rename_symbol → Workspace-wide safe rename
- fuzzy_replace → Targeted improvements
- Tests stay green throughout!
checkpoint({ description: "Refactored: [specific changes made]" })
guide({ done: "refactoring complete, tests still green" })
Phase 3: Verify (Sherpa + Goldfish)
guide() → "Verify no regressions"
Verification:
- Run full test suite → All green
- get_symbols → Verify structure
- fast_refs → Check updated references
checkpoint({ description: "Refactor verified: all tests pass, [N] files updated" })
guide({ done: "verified refactor, all tests pass" })
Example: Extract Helper Class
User: "This UserService is too big, extract validation logic"
PRE-REFACTOR:
→ checkpoint({ description: "Pre-refactor: UserService 487 lines with inline validation" })
→ approach({ workflow: "refactor" })
PHASE 1: TESTS
→ guide()
→ Run tests → 23 tests pass ✅
→ checkpoint({ description: "Verified UserService has 23 passing tests" })
PHASE 2: REFACTOR
→ guide()
→ Julie: Create UserValidator class
→ Julie: fuzzy_replace to extract validation methods
→ Julie: rename_symbol to update references
→ Tests → 23 tests still pass ✅
→ checkpoint({ description: "Extracted UserValidator class, UserService now 312 lines" })
PHASE 3: VERIFY
→ guide()
→ fast_refs({ symbol: "UserService" }) → All references updated
→ get_symbols → Structure cleaner
→ Full test suite → 23 tests pass ✅
→ checkpoint({ description: "Refactor complete: UserService 312 lines, UserValidator 175 lines, all 23 tests pass" })
Result: Clean separation, all tests green, tracked in Goldfish!
Key Behaviors
✅ DO:
- Checkpoint before and after
- Ensure tests exist first
- Use Julie's safe tools
- Keep tests green throughout
- Verify all references updated
❌ DON'T:
- Refactor without tests
- Skip reference checking
- Break tests during refactoring
- Forget final verification
Safe refactoring: Test → Refactor → Verify. Sherpa guides, Julie protects, Goldfish preserves!
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