ReddRadar
Agent skill
technical-debt-detector
Identify and prioritize technical debt in Python codebases. Use when the user asks to find tech debt, analyze code quality, identify what needs refactoring, find security issues, check test coverage gaps, review dependencies, find TODOs/FIXMEs, or assess maintainability. Triggers on phrases like "find technical debt", "what's wrong with this codebase", "where should I focus refactoring", "audit this code", "find TODOs", "check for security issues", "analyze dependencies", or "what needs tests". Complements python-simplifier skill (use that for complexity and code smell analysis).
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/data/technical-debt-detector
SKILL.md
Technical Debt Detector
Efficiently identify technical debt in large Python projects using scripts that output targeted file locations, minimizing token cost.
Quick Start
# Full analysis - produces prioritized report
python scripts/analyze_all.py /path/to/project
# JSON output for programmatic use
python scripts/analyze_all.py /path/to/project --format json
# Run specific checks only
python scripts/analyze_all.py /path/to/project --only security testing
Individual Analyzers
Run specific checks when focused analysis is needed:
| Script | Purpose | Key Outputs |
|---|---|---|
analyze_all.py |
Master analyzer - runs all checks | Prioritized report with fix sketches |
find_deferred_work.py |
TODO/FIXME/HACK/XXX markers | Location + message + severity |
find_security_issues.py |
Security vulnerabilities (uses bandit) | CVEs, hardcoded secrets, unsafe patterns |
analyze_test_coverage.py |
Missing tests, coverage gaps | Untested modules, empty tests |
find_maintainability_issues.py |
Docstrings, type hints, naming | Missing docs, bad names, long functions |
check_dependencies.py |
Outdated packages, vulnerabilities | Versions, CVEs, unpinned deps |
Usage Examples
# Find all deferred work
python scripts/find_deferred_work.py /path/to/project
python scripts/find_deferred_work.py . --severity high # Only FIXME/BUG/HACK/XXX
# Security scan
python scripts/find_security_issues.py /path/to/project
# Test coverage analysis
python scripts/analyze_test_coverage.py /path/to/project
python scripts/analyze_test_coverage.py . --run-coverage # Include pytest-cov
# Maintainability check
python scripts/find_maintainability_issues.py /path/to/project
python scripts/find_maintainability_issues.py . --check docstrings # Focus on docs
# Dependency health
python scripts/check_dependencies.py /path/to/project
python scripts/check_dependencies.py . --only vulnerabilities # Just CVEs
Workflow
- Run full analysis:
python scripts/analyze_all.py /path/to/project - Review prioritized report: High → Medium → Low severity
- For each high-priority item:
- Navigate to file:line
- Apply fix sketch from report
- See
references/fix_patterns.mdfor detailed patterns
- For complexity/code smells: Use python-simplifier skill
Output Format
All scripts support --format json for integration with other tools:
python scripts/analyze_all.py . --format json | jq '.[] | select(.severity == "high")'
Dependencies
Required (install if not present):
bandit- Security analysis:pip install banditpip-audit- Vulnerability scanning:pip install pip-audit
Optional (for deeper analysis):
pytest-cov- Coverage analysis:pip install pytest-cov
Severity Levels
- High 🔴: Fix immediately (security vulnerabilities, FIXME/BUG markers, critical gaps)
- Medium 🟡: Fix soon (TODOs, missing docstrings, outdated dependencies)
- Low 🔵: Fix when convenient (missing type hints, NOTEs, minor style issues)
Relationship to python-simplifier
This skill focuses on deferred work, security, testing, maintainability, and dependencies.
For complexity and code smells (cyclomatic complexity, duplication, coupling, dead code, over-engineering), use the python-simplifier skill.
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