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skills/code-refactor

Skills for code manipulation operations including line-based code transfer, bulk refactoring, and file analysis - converted from code-copy-mcp

name: code-refactor
description: Perform bulk code refactoring operations like renaming variables/functions across files, replacing patterns, and updating API calls. Use when users request renaming identifiers, replacing deprecated code patterns, updating method calls, or making consistent changes across multiple locations.
mhattingpete
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Code Refactor

Systematic code refactoring across files. Auto-switches to execution mode for 10+ files (90% token savings).

Mode Selection

  • 1-9 files: Use native tools (Grep + Edit with replace_all)
  • 10+ files: Automatically use code-execution skill

Execution example (50 files):

from api.code_transform import rename_identifier
result = rename_identifier('.', 'oldName', 'newName', '**/*.py')
# Returns: {'files_modified': 50, 'total_replacements': 247}
# ~500 tokens vs ~25,000 tokens traditional

When to Use

  • "rename [identifier] to [new_name]"
  • "replace all [pattern] with [replacement]"
  • "refactor to use [new_pattern]"
  • "update all calls to [function/API]"
  • "convert [old_pattern] to [new_pattern]"

Core Workflow (Native Mode)

1. Find All Occurrences

Grep(pattern="getUserData", output_mode="files_with_matches")     # Find files
Grep(pattern="getUserData", output_mode="content", -n=true, -B=2, -A=2)  # Verify with context

2. Replace All Instances

Edit(
  file_path="src/api.js",
  old_string="getUserData",
  new_string="fetchUserData",
  replace_all=true
)

3. Verify Changes

Grep(pattern="getUserData", output_mode="files_with_matches")  # Should return none

Workflow Examples

Rename Function

  1. Find: Grep(pattern="getUserData", output_mode="files_with_matches")
  2. Count: "Found 15 occurrences in 5 files"
  3. Replace in each file with replace_all=true
  4. Verify: Re-run Grep
  5. Suggest: Run tests

Replace Deprecated Pattern

  1. Find: Grep(pattern="\\bvar\\s+\\w+", output_mode="content", -n=true)
  2. Analyze: Check if reassigned (let) or constant (const)
  3. Replace: Edit(old_string="var count = 0", new_string="let count = 0")
  4. Verify: npm run lint

Update API Calls

  1. Find: Grep(pattern="/api/auth/login", output_mode="content", -n=true)
  2. Replace: Edit(old_string="'/api/auth/login'", new_string="'/api/v2/authentication/login'", replace_all=true)
  3. Test: Recommend integration tests

Best Practices

Planning:

  • Find all instances first
  • Review context of each match
  • Inform user of scope
  • Consider edge cases (strings, comments)

Safe Process:

  1. Search → Find all
  2. Analyze → Verify appropriate
  3. Inform → Tell user scope
  4. Execute → Make changes
  5. Verify → Confirm applied
  6. Test → Suggest running tests

Edge Cases:

  • Strings/comments: Ask if should update
  • Exported APIs: Warn of breaking changes
  • Case sensitivity: Be explicit

Tool Reference

Edit with replace_all:

  • replace_all=true: Replace all occurrences
  • replace_all=false: Replace only first (or fail if multiple)
  • Must match EXACTLY (whitespace, quotes)

Grep patterns:

  • -n=true: Show line numbers
  • -B=N, -A=N: Context lines
  • -i=true: Case-insensitive
  • type="py": Filter by file type

Integration

  • test-fixing: Fix broken tests after refactoring
  • code-transfer: Move refactored code
  • feature-planning: Plan large refactorings