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arn-code-simplify

This skill should be used when the user says "simplify", "arness code simplify", "simplify code", "code simplification", "clean up code", "reduce complexity", "remove duplication", "check for reuse", "find duplicates", "optimize code", "efficiency review", "simplify implementation", "arn-code-simplify", or wants to review recently implemented code for reuse opportunities, quality issues, and efficiency problems after execution completes. Do NOT use this for full implementation correctness review (use arn-code-review-implementation) or PR review (use arn-code-review-pr).

64

Quality

76%

Does it follow best practices?

Impact

No eval scenarios have been run

SecuritybySnyk

Passed

No known issues

Optimize this skill with Tessl

npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/arn-code/skills/arn-code-simplify/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Discovery

89%

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

This description excels at trigger term coverage and completeness, with an extensive list of natural user phrases and explicit 'when to use' / 'when NOT to use' guidance including references to alternative skills. Its main weakness is that the 'what it does' portion is somewhat vague—it mentions reviewing for 'reuse opportunities, quality issues, and efficiency problems' but doesn't enumerate specific concrete actions the skill performs.

Suggestions

Add more specific concrete actions the skill performs, e.g., 'Identifies duplicate code blocks, extracts reusable functions, reduces cyclomatic complexity, and suggests more efficient algorithms.'

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

The description mentions some actions like 'review recently implemented code for reuse opportunities, quality issues, and efficiency problems' but doesn't list concrete specific actions (e.g., 'removes duplicate functions', 'extracts shared utilities', 'reduces cyclomatic complexity'). The actions are somewhat general.

2 / 3

Completeness

Clearly answers both 'what' (review code for reuse opportunities, quality issues, efficiency problems after execution) and 'when' (explicit list of trigger phrases plus contextual guidance). Also includes helpful negative boundaries distinguishing it from related skills.

3 / 3

Trigger Term Quality

Excellent coverage of natural trigger terms users would say: 'simplify', 'clean up code', 'reduce complexity', 'remove duplication', 'find duplicates', 'optimize code', 'efficiency review', 'simplify implementation'. These are highly natural phrases a user would actually type.

3 / 3

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Explicitly distinguishes itself from 'arn-code-review-implementation' and 'arn-code-review-pr' with clear negative boundaries. The trigger terms are focused on simplification/optimization rather than general code review, creating a clear niche.

3 / 3

Total

11

/

12

Passed

Implementation

62%

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

This is a well-structured, highly actionable skill with excellent workflow clarity and thorough error handling. However, it suffers significantly from verbosity — the inline applier prompt, repeated configuration-missing messages, and extensive inline detail inflate the token cost substantially. The content would benefit from moving the applier prompt template and error handling matrix into reference files, keeping the main SKILL.md as a leaner orchestration overview.

Suggestions

Move the lengthy Step 6 applier prompt (the entire code block with JSON schema) into a reference file like `references/applier-prompt.md` and reference it inline, similar to how scope-detection.md and review-prompts.md are referenced.

Consolidate the error handling section into a reference file or a compact table — the same 'Run /arn-implementing to get started' message is repeated 3 times verbatim.

Remove redundant explanations like 'This mode is used by batch-implement workers that cannot prompt the user. It follows the same logic as the user selecting "all" but without requiring AskUserQuestion' — Claude can infer this from the auto-approve logic itself.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The skill is extremely verbose at ~300+ lines. It over-explains orchestration details, includes lengthy inline JSON schemas, repeats error handling information already covered in the workflow steps, and provides extensive applier prompt text that could be in a reference file. Many sections explain things Claude can infer (e.g., how to parse JSON, what 'auto-all' means conceptually).

1 / 3

Actionability

The skill provides highly concrete, executable guidance: specific git commands, exact JSON schemas for applier output, precise file paths to read, explicit agent dispatch instructions with model lookup paths, and detailed per-finding processing steps with copy-paste-ready applier prompts.

3 / 3

Workflow Clarity

The 8-step workflow is clearly sequenced with explicit validation checkpoints: test verification after each finding application, self-heal retry loops (up to 3 attempts), revert on failure, final cumulative test pass, and partial failure handling at every stage. The feedback loops for destructive operations (code changes) are thorough.

3 / 3

Progressive Disclosure

The skill references external files appropriately (scope-detection.md, review-prompts.md, step-0-fast-path.md) for detailed algorithms, but the main body itself is monolithic with substantial inline content that could be split out — particularly the lengthy applier prompt (Step 6) and the complete error handling section. The JSON schema and applier instructions alone account for ~40 lines that would be better in a reference file.

2 / 3

Total

9

/

12

Passed

Validation

90%

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation10 / 11 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata

Warning

Total

10

/

11

Passed

Repository
AppsVortex/arness
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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