---
name: code-refactoring
description: Simplify and refactor code while preserving behavior, improving clarity, and reducing complexity. Use when simplifying complex code, removing duplication, or applying design patterns. Handles Extract Method, DRY principle, SOLID principles, behavior validation, and refactoring patterns.
metadata:
  tags: refactoring, code-quality, DRY, SOLID, design-patterns, clean-code, simplification, behavior-preservation
  platforms: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Codex
---


# Code Refactoring


## When to use this skill

- **Code review**: Discovering complex or duplicated code
- **Before adding new features**: Cleaning up existing code
- **After bug fixes**: Removing root causes
- **Resolving technical debt**: Regular refactoring

## Instructions

### Step 1: Extract Method

**Before (long function)**:
```typescript
function processOrder(order: Order) {
  // Validation
  if (!order.items || order.items.length === 0) {
    throw new Error('Order must have items');
  }
  if (!order.customerId) {
    throw new Error('Order must have customer');
  }

  // Price calculation
  let total = 0;
  for (const item of order.items) {
    total += item.price * item.quantity;
  }
  const tax = total * 0.1;
  const shipping = total > 100 ? 0 : 10;
  const finalTotal = total + tax + shipping;

  // Inventory check
  for (const item of order.items) {
    const product = await db.product.findUnique({ where: { id: item.productId } });
    if (product.stock < item.quantity) {
      throw new Error(`Insufficient stock for ${product.name}`);
    }
  }

  // Create order
  const newOrder = await db.order.create({
    data: {
      customerId: order.customerId,
      items: order.items,
      total: finalTotal,
      status: 'pending'
    }
  });

  return newOrder;
}
```

**After (method extraction)**:
```typescript
async function processOrder(order: Order) {
  validateOrder(order);
  const total = calculateTotal(order);
  await checkInventory(order);
  return await createOrder(order, total);
}

function validateOrder(order: Order) {
  if (!order.items || order.items.length === 0) {
    throw new Error('Order must have items');
  }
  if (!order.customerId) {
    throw new Error('Order must have customer');
  }
}

function calculateTotal(order: Order): number {
  const subtotal = order.items.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.price * item.quantity, 0);
  const tax = subtotal * 0.1;
  const shipping = subtotal > 100 ? 0 : 10;
  return subtotal + tax + shipping;
}

async function checkInventory(order: Order) {
  for (const item of order.items) {
    const product = await db.product.findUnique({ where: { id: item.productId } });
    if (product.stock < item.quantity) {
      throw new Error(`Insufficient stock for ${product.name}`);
    }
  }
}

async function createOrder(order: Order, total: number) {
  return await db.order.create({
    data: {
      customerId: order.customerId,
      items: order.items,
      total,
      status: 'pending'
    }
  });
}
```

### Step 2: Remove Duplication

**Before (duplication)**:
```typescript
async function getActiveUsers() {
  return await db.user.findMany({
    where: { status: 'active', deletedAt: null },
    select: { id: true, name: true, email: true }
  });
}

async function getActivePremiumUsers() {
  return await db.user.findMany({
    where: { status: 'active', deletedAt: null, plan: 'premium' },
    select: { id: true, name: true, email: true }
  });
}
```

**After (extract common logic)**:
```typescript
type UserFilter = {
  plan?: string;
};

async function getActiveUsers(filter: UserFilter = {}) {
  return await db.user.findMany({
    where: {
      status: 'active',
      deletedAt: null,
      ...filter
    },
    select: { id: true, name: true, email: true }
  });
}

// Usage
const allActiveUsers = await getActiveUsers();
const premiumUsers = await getActiveUsers({ plan: 'premium' });
```

### Step 3: Replace Conditional with Polymorphism

**Before (long if-else)**:
```typescript
class PaymentProcessor {
  process(payment: Payment) {
    if (payment.method === 'credit_card') {
      // Credit card processing
      const cardToken = this.tokenizeCard(payment.card);
      const charge = this.chargeCreditCard(cardToken, payment.amount);
      return charge;
    } else if (payment.method === 'paypal') {
      // PayPal processing
      const paypalOrder = this.createPayPalOrder(payment.amount);
      const approval = this.getPayPalApproval(paypalOrder);
      return approval;
    } else if (payment.method === 'bank_transfer') {
      // Bank transfer processing
      const transfer = this.initiateBankTransfer(payment.account, payment.amount);
      return transfer;
    }
  }
}
```

**After (polymorphism)**:
```typescript
interface PaymentMethod {
  process(payment: Payment): Promise<PaymentResult>;
}

class CreditCardPayment implements PaymentMethod {
  async process(payment: Payment): Promise<PaymentResult> {
    const cardToken = await this.tokenizeCard(payment.card);
    return await this.chargeCreditCard(cardToken, payment.amount);
  }
}

class PayPalPayment implements PaymentMethod {
  async process(payment: Payment): Promise<PaymentResult> {
    const order = await this.createPayPalOrder(payment.amount);
    return await this.getPayPalApproval(order);
  }
}

class BankTransferPayment implements PaymentMethod {
  async process(payment: Payment): Promise<PaymentResult> {
    return await this.initiateBankTransfer(payment.account, payment.amount);
  }
}

class PaymentProcessor {
  private methods: Map<string, PaymentMethod> = new Map([
    ['credit_card', new CreditCardPayment()],
    ['paypal', new PayPalPayment()],
    ['bank_transfer', new BankTransferPayment()]
  ]);

  async process(payment: Payment): Promise<PaymentResult> {
    const method = this.methods.get(payment.method);
    if (!method) {
      throw new Error(`Unknown payment method: ${payment.method}`);
    }
    return await method.process(payment);
  }
}
```

### Step 4: Introduce Parameter Object

**Before (many parameters)**:
```typescript
function createUser(
  name: string,
  email: string,
  password: string,
  age: number,
  country: string,
  city: string,
  postalCode: string,
  phoneNumber: string
) {
  // ...
}
```

**After (grouped into object)**:
```typescript
interface UserProfile {
  name: string;
  email: string;
  password: string;
  age: number;
}

interface Address {
  country: string;
  city: string;
  postalCode: string;
}

interface CreateUserParams {
  profile: UserProfile;
  address: Address;
  phoneNumber: string;
}

function createUser(params: CreateUserParams) {
  const { profile, address, phoneNumber } = params;
  // ...
}

// Usage
createUser({
  profile: { name: 'John', email: 'john@example.com', password: 'xxx', age: 30 },
  address: { country: 'US', city: 'NYC', postalCode: '10001' },
  phoneNumber: '+1234567890'
});
```

### Step 5: Apply SOLID Principles

**Single Responsibility**:
```typescript
// ❌ Bad example: multiple responsibilities
class User {
  constructor(public name: string, public email: string) {}

  save() {
    // Save to DB
  }

  sendEmail(subject: string, body: string) {
    // Send email
  }

  generateReport() {
    // Generate report
  }
}

// ✅ Good example: separated responsibilities
class User {
  constructor(public name: string, public email: string) {}
}

class UserRepository {
  save(user: User) {
    // Save to DB
  }
}

class EmailService {
  send(to: string, subject: string, body: string) {
    // Send email
  }
}

class UserReportGenerator {
  generate(user: User) {
    // Generate report
  }
}
```

## Output format

### Refactoring Checklist

```markdown
- [ ] Function does one thing only (SRP)
- [ ] Function name clearly describes what it does
- [ ] Function is 20 lines or fewer (guideline)
- [ ] 3 or fewer parameters
- [ ] No duplicate code (DRY)
- [ ] if nesting is 2 levels or fewer
- [ ] No magic numbers (extract as constants)
- [ ] Understandable without comments (self-documenting)
```

## Constraints

### Mandatory Rules (MUST)

1. **Test first**: Write tests before refactoring
2. **Small steps**: Change one thing at a time
3. **Behavior preservation**: No functional changes

### Prohibited (MUST NOT)

1. **Multiple tasks simultaneously**: No refactoring + feature addition at the same time
2. **Refactoring without tests**: Risk of regression

## Best practices

1. **Boy Scout Rule**: Leave code cleaner than you found it
2. **Refactoring timing**: Red-Green-Refactor (TDD)
3. **Incremental improvement**: Consistency over perfection
4. **Behavior preservation**: Refactoring involves no functional changes
5. **Small commits**: Commit in focused units

---

## Behavior Validation (Code Simplifier Integration)

### Step A: Understand Current Behavior

Fully understand current behavior before refactoring:

```markdown
## Behavior Analysis

### Inputs
- [list of input parameters]
- [types and constraints]

### Outputs
- [return values]
- [side effects]

### Invariants
- [conditions that must always be true]
- [edge cases]

### Dependencies
- [external dependencies]
- [state dependencies]
```

### Step B: Validate After Refactoring

```bash
# 1. Run tests
npm test -- --coverage

# 2. Type check
npx tsc --noEmit

# 3. Lint check
npm run lint

# 4. Compare with previous behavior (snapshot tests)
npm test -- --updateSnapshot
```

### Step C: Document Changes

```markdown
## Refactoring Summary

### Changes Made
1. [Change 1]: [reason]
2. [Change 2]: [reason]

### Behavior Preserved
- [x] Same input → same output
- [x] Same side effects
- [x] Same error handling

### Risks & Follow-ups
- [potential risks]
- [follow-up tasks]

### Test Status
- [ ] Unit tests: passing
- [ ] Integration tests: passing
- [ ] E2E tests: passing
```

---

## Troubleshooting

### Issue: Tests fail after refactor
**Cause**: Behavior change occurred
**Solution**: Revert and isolate the change, then retry

### Issue: Code still complex
**Cause**: Multiple responsibilities mixed in one function
**Solution**: Extract into smaller units with clear boundaries

### Issue: Performance regression
**Cause**: Inefficient abstraction introduced
**Solution**: Profile and optimize the hot path

---

## Multi-Agent Workflow

### Validation & Retrospectives

- **Round 1 (Orchestrator)**: Validate behavior preservation checklist
- **Round 2 (Analyst)**: Complexity and duplication analysis
- **Round 3 (Executor)**: Test or static analysis verification

### Agent Roles

| Agent | Role |
|-------|------|
| Claude | Refactoring plan, code transformation |
| Gemini | Large-scale codebase analysis, pattern detection |
| Codex | Test execution, build verification |

### Workflow Example

```bash
# 1. Gemini: Codebase analysis
ask-gemini "@src/ extract list of high-complexity functions"

# 2. Claude: Refactoring plan and execution
# Work based on IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md

# 3. Codex: Verification
codex-cli shell "npm test && npm run lint"
```

## References

- [Refactoring (Martin Fowler)](https://refactoring.com/)
- [Clean Code (Robert C. Martin)](https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/clean-code-a/9780136083238/)
- [SOLID Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOLID)

## Metadata

### Version
- **Current Version**: 1.0.0
- **Last Updated**: 2025-01-01
- **Compatible Platforms**: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini

### Related Skills
- [code-review](../code-review/SKILL.md)
- [backend-testing](../../backend/testing/SKILL.md)

### Tags
`#refactoring` `#code-quality` `#DRY` `#SOLID` `#design-patterns` `#clean-code`

## Examples

### Example 1: Basic usage
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### Example 2: Advanced usage
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