git:20260808.362892a to git:20260915.43b1504

4 added, 2 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: ca-refactor

description: Restructure code with behavioral parity proven through unmodified pre-existing tests, then refactor. No behavior change.

argument-hint: "<surface and motivation>"

---

# /ca-refactor — behavior-preserving restructure

The only permitted entry to refactor work. A refactor that cannot prove parity through unmodified pre-existing tests is a feature change in disguise and routes to `/ca-feature`. Two required parts: the **surface** (exact files, functions, classes, or methods — vague surfaces like "the auth module" are rejected) and the **motivation** (why the restructure is worth doing).

## Flow

Routes to the `refactor` skill — six phases:

1. **Surface identification** — lock the exact files, symbols, and public signatures.

2. **Parity coverage proof** — demonstrate pre-existing tests already cover the named surface, with at

least one direct test per public method.

3. **Red parity tests (conditional)** — if the refactor exposes a new test seam, route to `tdd` (`<plugin-root>/routines/tdd/SKILL.md`)

Phase 1 to write failing tests pinning the seam's contract first.

4. **Implementation** — apply the restructure mechanically within the surface table; no new behavior,

branches, error paths, or side effects.

- 5. **Parity verification** — the full pre-existing suite passes with zero edits to any pre-existing

- test file.

+ 5. **Parity verification** — every impact-bounded local parity test identified for the surface passes

+ with zero edits to any pre-existing test file; the shared

+ `<plugin-root>/includes/verification-boundary.md` reserves the exhaustive suite for exact-head

+ hosted CI before merge.

6. **Lint / coverage gate** — lint, type-check, and coverage clear; surface coverage MUST NOT regress.

## Routes to

`refactor` (`<plugin-root>/routines/refactor/SKILL.md`) — all six phases.

## When NOT to use

- New behavior — a new branch, error path, side effect, public method beyond a Phase 3 seam, or a

change to what any input maps to → `/ca-feature`.

- A change motivated by "the current behavior is wrong" → `/ca-fix`.

- Questions or discussion → `/ca-btw`.

- Persisting an already-completed refactor → `/ca-commit`.

## Hard gate

No refactor proceeds without behavioral-parity coverage proof in Phase 2; if the surface is

under-covered, the skill halts and routes to `tdd` Phase 1 to backfill before resuming. A Phase 4 diff

that would classify as `feat`, or a Phase 5 verification that depends on edits to a pre-existing test,

terminates the refactor and re-routes to `/ca-feature` or `/ca-fix`.