[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ask user whether to skip.

Prerequisites: MUST READ .claude/skills/shared/understand-code-first-protocol.md AND .claude/skills/shared/evidence-based-reasoning-protocol.md before executing.

• .claude/skills/shared/design-patterns-quality-checklist.md — Design pattern opportunities, anti-pattern detection, DRY/abstraction enforcement
• docs/project-reference/domain-entities-reference.md — Domain entity catalog, relationships, cross-service sync (read when task involves business entities/models)

Quick Summary

Goal: Restructure code without changing behavior using extract, move, and simplify patterns.

Workflow:

1. Analysis — Identify target, map dependencies with Grep, assess impact, verify test coverage
2. Plan — Document refactoring type, changes, and risks
3. Execute — Apply refactoring (extract method/class, move to entity/extension, simplify conditionals)
4. Verify — Run tests, confirm no behavior change, check compilation

Key Rules:

• Never refactor without existing test coverage
• Make small incremental changes; never mix refactoring with feature work
• Place logic in the lowest appropriate layer (Entity > Service > Component)

Investigation Mindset (NON-NEGOTIABLE)

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

• Do NOT assume code is unused — verify with grep across ALL services
• Every refactoring recommendation must include file:line evidence
• If you cannot prove a code path is safe to change, state "unverified, needs investigation"
• Question assumptions: "Is this really dead code?" → trace all usages including dynamic/reflection
• Challenge completeness: "Have I checked all 5 services?" → cross-service validation required
• No "should be refactored" without proof — demonstrate the improvement with evidence

⚠️ MANDATORY: Confidence & Evidence Gate

MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST declare Confidence: X% with evidence list + file:line proof for EVERY claim. 95%+ recommend freely | 80-94% with caveats | 60-79% list unknowns | <60% STOP — gather more evidence. Breaking changes (removing classes, changing interfaces) require 95%+ confidence with full cross-service trace.

Code Refactoring

Expert code restructuring agent. Focuses on structural changes that improve code quality without modifying behavior.

Refactoring Catalog

Extract Patterns

Move Patterns

Simplify Patterns

Workflow

Phase 1: Analysis

1. Identify Target: Locate code to refactor
2. Map Dependencies: Find all usages with Grep
3. Assess Impact: List affected files and tests
4. Verify Tests: Ensure test coverage exists
5. External Memory: Write analysis to .ai/workspace/analysis/{refactoring-name}.analysis.md. Re-read before planning.

Phase 2: Plan

Document refactoring plan:

## Refactoring Plan

**Target**: [file:line_number]
**Type**: [Extract Method | Move to Extension | etc.]
**Reason**: [Why this refactoring improves code]

### Changes

1. [ ] Create/modify [file]
2. [ ] Update usages in [files]
3. [ ] Run tests

### Risks

- [Potential issues]

Phase 3: Execute

// BEFORE: Logic in handler
protected override async Task<Result> HandleAsync(Command req, CancellationToken ct)
{
    var isValid = entity.Status == Status.Active &&
                  entity.User?.IsActive == true &&
                  !entity.IsDeleted;
    if (!isValid) throw new Exception();
}

// AFTER: Extracted to entity static expression
// In Entity.cs
public static Expression<Func<Entity, bool>> IsActiveExpr()
    => e => e.Status == Status.Active &&
            e.User != null && e.User.IsActive &&
            !e.IsDeleted;

// In Handler
var entity = await repository.FirstOrDefaultAsync(Entity.IsActiveExpr(), ct)
    .EnsureFound("Entity not active");

Phase 4: Verify

1. Run affected tests
2. Verify no behavior change
3. Check code compiles
4. Review for consistency

Project-Specific Refactorings

Handler to Helper

// BEFORE: Reused logic in multiple handlers
var employee = await repo.FirstOrDefaultAsync(Employee.UniqueExpr(userId, companyId), ct)
    ?? await CreateEmployeeAsync(userId, companyId, ct);

// AFTER: Extracted to Helper
// In EmployeeHelper.cs
public async Task<Employee> GetOrCreateEmployeeAsync(string userId, string companyId, CancellationToken ct)
{
    return await repo.FirstOrDefaultAsync(Employee.UniqueExpr(userId, companyId), ct)
        ?? await CreateEmployeeAsync(userId, companyId, ct);
}

Handler to Repository Extension

// BEFORE: Query logic in handler
var employees = await repo.GetAllAsync(
    e => e.CompanyId == companyId && e.Status == Status.Active && e.DepartmentIds.Contains(deptId), ct);

// AFTER: Extracted to extension
// In EmployeeRepositoryExtensions.cs
public static async Task<List<Employee>> GetActiveByDepartmentAsync(
    this I{Service}RootRepository<Employee> repo, string companyId, string deptId, CancellationToken ct)
{
    return await repo.GetAllAsync(
        Employee.OfCompanyExpr(companyId)
            .AndAlso(Employee.IsActiveExpr())
            .AndAlso(e => e.DepartmentIds.Contains(deptId)), ct);
}

Mapping to DTO

// BEFORE: Mapping in handler
var config = new AuthConfig
{
    ClientId = req.Dto.ClientId,
    Secret = encryptService.Encrypt(req.Dto.Secret)
};

// AFTER: DTO owns mapping
// In AuthConfigDto.cs : DtoBase<AuthConfig> // project DTO base class (see docs/project-reference/backend-patterns-reference.md)
public override AuthConfig MapToObject() => new AuthConfig
{
    ClientId = ClientId,
    Secret = Secret  // Handler applies encryption
};

// In Handler
var config = req.Dto.MapToObject()
    .With(c => c.Secret = encryptService.Encrypt(c.Secret));

Index Impact Check

[IMPORTANT] Database Performance Protocol (MANDATORY):

1. Paging Required — ALL list/collection queries MUST use pagination. NEVER load all records into memory. Verify: no unbounded GetAll(), ToList(), or Find() without Skip/Take or cursor-based paging.
2. Index Required — ALL query filter fields, foreign keys, and sort columns MUST have database indexes configured. Verify: entity expressions match index field order, database collections have index management methods, migrations include indexes for WHERE/JOIN/ORDER BY columns.

When extracting expressions or moving queries, verify index coverage:

• New expression fields have indexes in DbContext?
• Moved queries still use indexed fields?
• Refactored filters maintain index selectivity order?
• List queries use pagination (no unbounded GetAll/ToList)?

Safety Checklist

Before any refactoring:

• Searched all usages across ALL services (static + dynamic + reflection)?
• Test coverage exists?
• Documented in todo list?
• Changes are incremental?
• No behavior change verified?
• Confidence declared — Confidence: X% with evidence list?

If ANY checklist item incomplete → STOP. State "Insufficient evidence to proceed."

Code Responsibility Refactoring (Priority Check)

⚠️ MUST READ: CLAUDE.md "Code Responsibility Hierarchy" for the Entity/Model > Service > Component layering rule. When refactoring, verify logic is in the LOWEST appropriate layer.

Component HTML & SCSS Standards

⚠️ MUST READ: CLAUDE.md "Component HTML Template Standard (BEM Classes)" and docs/project-reference/scss-styling-guide.md for BEM class requirements and host/wrapper styling patterns. When refactoring components, ensure all HTML elements have proper BEM classes.

Anti-Patterns

• Big Bang Refactoring: Make small, incremental changes
• Refactoring Without Tests: Ensure coverage first
• Mixing Refactoring with Features: Do one or the other
• Breaking Public APIs: Maintain backward compatibility
• Logic in Wrong Layer: Leads to duplicated code - move to lowest appropriate layer

Related

• code-simplifier
• code-review

IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes (MUST FOLLOW)

• Always plan and break work into many small todo tasks
• Always add a final review todo task to verify work quality and identify fixes/enhancements

Workflow Recommendation

IMPORTANT MUST: If you are NOT already in a workflow, use AskUserQuestion to ask the user:

1. Activate refactor workflow (Recommended) — scout → investigate → plan → code → review → sre-review → test → docs
2. Execute /refactoring directly — run this skill standalone