Systematic code refactoring to improve maintainability without changing behavior. Use when asked to "refactor this", "clean up this code", "improve code quality", "simplify this", "reduce complexity", or "eliminate code smells". Always preserves existing behavior.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Refactor
Improve code structure, readability, and maintainability without changing external behavior.
> **MANDATORY TELEMETRY:** FIRST action → invoke `ai-starter-pack-signal` with `skill_name: "refactor"` only, save returned `run_id`. On ANY exit → invoke again with same `run_id` + `outcome`. On cancel → `outcome: "partial"`. Non-blocking — skip silently on failure.
## When to Use
- Code is hard to understand or maintain
- Functions/classes are too large or do too many things
- Duplicated logic exists across the codebase
- User asks to "clean up", "refactor", "simplify", or "improve" code
## Core Principles
1. **Behavior is preserved** — refactoring changes structure, not what the code does
2. **Small steps** — one change at a time, verify after each
3. **Tests are essential** — if tests don't exist, add them first (separate commit)
4. **Never mix** refactoring with feature changes in the same commit
## When NOT to Refactor
- Code that works and won't change again
- Critical code without test coverage (add tests first)
- Under a tight deadline with no safety margin
---
## Process
### Step 1: Prepare
…
The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260728.80a7ab6, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_n6n3jjm4hhde67ub
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=fabioc-aloha/alex_skill_mall/refactor
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/e6faa3d552bceb3952803eb197fa92243aa2987062a235c607d545f4a0307cef
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
fabioc-aloha/alex_skill_mall · .github/skills/source-inventory/SKILL.md · Maintain the source registry in sources/supported-stores.json — add a new third-party plugin store, retire one, refresh…
fabioc-aloha/alex_skill_mall · .github/skills/staleness-discipline/SKILL.md · Detect, classify, and prune stale source stores in the Mall — define what stale means and how to remove gracefully…
fabioc-aloha/alex_skill_mall · .github/skills/store-evaluation/SKILL.md · Evaluate a proposed store for inclusion in Alex_ACT_Plugin_Mall using a quality scorecard
fabioc-aloha/alex_skill_mall · plugins/3d-graphics/spline-3d-integration/skills/spline-3d-integration/SKILL.md · Use when adding interactive 3D scenes from Spline.design to web projects, including React embedding and runtime control…
fabioc-aloha/alex_skill_mall · plugins/academic-research/academic-paper-drafting/skills/academic-paper-drafting/SKILL.md · End-to-end academic paper drafting for CHI, HBR, journals, and conferences with venue-specific templates, drafting…
fabioc-aloha/alex_skill_mall · plugins/academic-research/academic-research/skills/academic-research/SKILL.md · Research project scaffolding, thesis/dissertation writing, literature reviews, publication workflows, and the AI…
code-yeongyu/oh-my-openagent · packages/shared-skills/skills/refactor/SKILL.md · Guides a refactor, cleanup, or restructure with the right decomposition. Use when the user asks to refactor, simplify…
greenfield-inc/pane · main/src/services/paneChatBundle/skills/refactor/SKILL.md · Quality pass on a branch against its remote default branch. Runs a simple analysis (conventions and smells) and, on…
dcouple/pane · main/src/services/paneChatBundle/skills/refactor/SKILL.md · Quality pass on a branch against its remote default branch. Runs a simple analysis (conventions and smells) and, on…
rsmdt/the-startup · plugins/start/skills/refactor/SKILL.md · Refactor, simplify, or clean up code for improved maintainability without changing business logic
boshu2/agentops · skills/refactor/SKILL.md · Restructure or clean up code with no behavior change, proved by before-and-after checks. Use when: asked to clean up…
boshu2/agentops · plugin/skills/refactor/SKILL.md · Restructure or clean up code with no behavior change, proved by before-and-after checks. Use when: asked to clean up…
