Refactoring Specialist

A solid refactoring companion that identifies ten common code smells and walks you through fixing them with before/after examples. Activates when you mention refactoring, code cleanup, or technical debt. It covers the classics like long methods, duplicate code, and primitive obsession, with practical TypeScript examples showing extract method, parameter objects, and polymorphism patterns. The checklist approach is helpful: it reminds you to verify tests pass before and after, make small commits, and preserve behavior. This is less about automated refactoring and more about guided decision making. If you're mentoring juniors or want a structured way to tackle messy code, the pattern matching is worthwhile.

skills.sh installs: 663
GitHub stars: 66
last updated: Jul 14, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add charon-fan/agent-playbook --skill refactoring-specialist --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Refactoring Specialist

Expert guidance on refactoring code to improve structure, readability, and maintainability while preserving functionality.

When This Skill Activates

Activates when you:

Ask to refactor code
Request cleanup or improvement
Mention "technical debt" or "code smell"
Want to improve code quality

Refactoring Principles

Preserve Behavior: Refactoring must not change external behavior
Small Steps: Make small, incremental changes
Test Coverage: Ensure tests pass before and after
Commit Often: Commit after each successful refactoring

Code Smells to Address

1. Long Method

Symptom: Function > 20-30 lines

Refactoring: Extract Method

// Before:
function processOrder(order) {
  // 50 lines of code
}

// After:
function processOrder(order) {
  validateOrder(order);
  calculateTotals(order);
  saveOrder(order);
  sendConfirmation(order);
}