Dead Code Removal

This does what it says: finds and removes unused imports, functions, and classes across Python, JavaScript, Java, Go, and Rust projects. It builds dependency graphs, checks for dynamic usage patterns like getattr() or reflection, and preserves framework-specific code (Django models, React components, Spring beans). The incremental removal process creates backups, validates syntax after each change, and runs tests before committing. Honestly most useful after big refactors or before production deploys when you want to shrink bundle size without breaking anything. The Python helper script uses AST parsing for accurate import detection, which is better than naive regex matching. Conservative by default, which is the right call.

skills.sh installs: 203
GitHub stars: 4
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

View on GitHub

Install

$ npx -y skills add 89jobrien/steve --skill dead-code-removal --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Dead Code Removal

This skill safely identifies and removes unused code across multiple programming languages. It includes comprehensive safety checks to prevent removing code that's actually needed.

When to Use This Skill

After refactoring code and removing features
Before production deployment to reduce bundle size
When cleaning up legacy code
When removing deprecated functionality
When optimizing codebase size
When maintaining code quality standards

What This Skill Does

Language Detection: Identifies project languages and structure
Entry Point Mapping: Maps entry points and critical paths
Dependency Analysis: Builds dependency graphs and usage patterns
Safe Detection: Identifies unused elements with safety checks
Incremental Removal: Removes code incrementally with validation
Backup Creation: Creates backups before making changes

Helper Scripts

This skill includes Python helper scripts in scripts/:

find_unused_imports.py: Uses AST parsing to accurately detect unused imports in Python files. Outputs JSON with unused imports and line numbers.

SKILL.md on GitHub