---
name: simplify
description: "Reduce the complexity of existing code without changing behavior - deep nesting, long functions, dead code, unclear names, the wrong abstraction. Use after a feature works but reads heavier than it should, or to clean up code written under time pressure. Triggers: 'simplify this', 'clean up this code', 'reduce complexity', 'refactor for clarity', 'this is hard to read', 'untangle this'."
license: MIT
argument-hint: "[path or scope] (defaults to recently changed code)"
metadata:
  author: vanducng
  attribution: "Adapted from addyosmani/agent-skills code-simplification and the Claude code-simplifier plugin"
  version: "0.1.0"
---

# simplify

> Reduce-time discipline: make existing code easier to read without changing what it does.

The goal is **not fewer lines** - it's code a new teammate understands faster. Every change must pass one test: would someone reading this for the first time grasp it quicker than the original? If not, it's churn, not simplification.

## What this skill is - and isn't

| Skill | When | Output |
|---|---|---|
| **`vd:simplify`** (this) | Existing code works but reads heavy - reduce complexity, behavior unchanged | Refactor commits, tests still green |
| `vd:cook` | Writing new code | Simplicity is built in at write-time (Pragmatism rules), not a later pass |
| `vd:code-review` | Judging someone's diff | Reports findings; never edits |
| `vd:fix` | Code is broken | Changes behavior to fix a bug |

Use this when the code is *correct but cluttered*. If it's buggy, that's `vd:fix`. If you're still writing it, that's `vd:cook`.

## When to use

- A feature passes tests but the implementation feels heavier than the problem.
- Code written under deadline accreted nesting, dead branches, or generic names.
- A review flagged readability and you're acting on it.

**Not for:** code that's already clean (don't simplify for its own sake), code you don't yet understand (comprehend first), hot paths where the simpler form is measurably slower, or a module you're about to rewrite anyway.

## Hard rules

1. **Behavior is frozen.** Same output for every input, same errors, same side effects and ordering. If you're unsure a change preserves behavior, don't make it.
2. **Tests are the proof.** Run them after every single change. A simplification that needs a test edited to pass is a behavior change in disguise - stop and reconsider.
3. **One change at a time.** Batching means you can't tell which edit broke something.
4. **Refactor commits stand alone.** Never mix a `refactor:` with a `feat:`/`fix:`. Two concerns = two commits (or two PRs).
5. **Scope to what changed.** Default to recently modified code. Drive-by refactors of unrelated code create diff noise and regression risk - broaden scope only when asked.

## Workflow

### 1. Understand before touching (Chesterton's Fence)

Don't remove a fence until you know why it's there. Before changing anything, answer:

- What is this code's responsibility? What calls it, what does it call?
- What are its edge cases and error paths? Which tests pin them?
- Why might it look this way - performance, a platform constraint, a historical reason? (`git blame` / `git log -p` the lines.)

Can't answer? You're not ready. Read more context first.

### 2. Find the opportunities (signals, not vibes)

**Structure**

| Pattern | Signal | Simplification |
|---|---|---|
| Deep nesting (3+ levels) | Control flow is hard to follow | Guard clauses; extract helpers |
| Long function (50+ lines) | Multiple responsibilities | Split into focused, named functions |
| Nested ternaries | Needs a mental stack to parse | if/else, switch, or a lookup map |
| Boolean flag params (`f(true, false)`) | Opaque at the call site | Options object or separate functions |
| Repeated conditional | Same `if` in many places | Extract a named predicate |

**Naming & redundancy**

| Pattern | Signal | Simplification |
|---|---|---|
| Generic names (`data`, `tmp`, `result`) | Says nothing about content | Rename to the content (`validationErrors`) |
| "What" comments (`// increment` over `i++`) | Restates the code | Delete - the code is the comment |
| "Why" comments (`// retry: API flakes under load`) | Carries intent code can't | **Keep** |
| Duplicated logic (5+ lines, 2+ places) | - | Extract a shared function (Rule of Three) |
| Dead code (unreachable, unused, commented-out) | - | Remove after confirming it's truly dead |
| Wrong abstraction (factory-for-a-factory, 1-impl strategy) | Indirection with no payoff | Inline to the direct form |

### 3. Apply incrementally

For each simplification: make the change → run tests → green, continue; red, revert and reconsider. Commit refactors separately from any behavior change.

**Rule of 500:** if a refactor would touch more than ~500 lines, write the codemod (sed/AST transform), don't hand-edit. Manual edits at that scale are error-prone and exhausting to review.

### 4. Verify the whole

Step back: is it genuinely easier to understand? Did you introduce a pattern foreign to the codebase? Is the diff clean and reviewable? If the "simpler" version is harder to read or review - **revert.** Not every attempt succeeds, and that's fine.

## Over-simplification traps (the failure mode)

- **Inlining a helper that named a concept** - the call site gets harder, not easier.
- **Merging unrelated logic** - two simple functions fused into one complex one is not simpler.
- **Deleting an abstraction that existed for testability/extensibility**, not for complexity.
- **Optimizing for line count.** Fewer lines ≠ clearer.

## Rationalizations to catch in yourself

| Thought | Reality |
|---|---|
| "I'll just clean up this nearby code too" | Scope creep - that's a separate PR |
| "Fewer lines is better" | Comprehension is the metric, not length |
| "This abstraction is pointless" | Check why it exists before removing it (Fence) |
| "Tests fail but my version is clearer" | Then it changed behavior - it's not a simplification |

## Integration points

- **`vd:cook`** - Step E surfaces complexity during a feature; bank the note and run `vd:simplify` as a *separate* follow-up commit, never tangled into the feature diff.
- **`vd:code-review`** - review flags complexity (report-only); this skill is how you act on it.
- **`vd:git`** - refactor commits stay isolated per the `vd:git` skill's `references/commit-standards.md`.

## Future (out of scope for MVP)

- Language-specific codemod recipes beyond the Rule-of-500 pointer.
- An automatic complexity metric gate (cyclomatic/cognitive) - judgment-first for now.