code-simplifier
Simplifies and refines code for clarity, consistency, and maintainability while preserving all functionality. Focuses on recently modified code unless instructed otherwise.
72
57%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
100%
1.00xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/code-simplifier/skills/code-simplifier/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
50%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
The description communicates the general purpose of the skill—simplifying and refining code—but lacks the specificity and explicit trigger guidance needed for reliable skill selection. It would benefit from concrete action examples and a 'Use when...' clause with natural user trigger terms like 'clean up my code', 'refactor', or 'simplify'.
Suggestions
Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause with natural trigger terms like 'clean up code', 'refactor', 'simplify', 'improve readability', 'reduce complexity'.
List more specific concrete actions such as 'removes dead code, simplifies conditionals, extracts helper functions, renames variables for clarity'.
Include file type or language context if applicable to further distinguish from general code review or linting skills.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (code) and some actions ('simplifies', 'refines'), and mentions goals ('clarity, consistency, maintainability'), but doesn't list multiple concrete specific actions like 'remove dead code, rename variables, extract functions'. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | The 'what' is reasonably covered (simplifies and refines code), and there's a partial scope note ('focuses on recently modified code'), but there is no explicit 'Use when...' clause telling Claude when to select this skill. | 2 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes some relevant terms like 'code', 'clarity', 'maintainability', but misses common natural trigger terms users would say such as 'clean up', 'refactor', 'simplify', 'code review', 'readability', or 'tidy up'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Somewhat specific to code simplification/refinement, but could easily overlap with general code review, refactoring, or linting skills. The mention of 'recently modified code' adds some distinctiveness but not enough to clearly carve out a niche. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 8 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
64%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a solid, actionable skill with excellent concrete examples demonstrating real code transformations. Its main weaknesses are moderate verbosity in the principles section (some guidance is obvious to Claude) and a workflow that lacks explicit error recovery steps when linting or tests fail. The examples are the strongest part, providing clear before/after patterns that Claude can directly apply.
Suggestions
Add explicit feedback loops to the workflow: 'If tests fail, revert the change and try a less aggressive simplification' or similar error recovery guidance.
Trim the Core Principles section by removing guidance Claude already knows (e.g., 'Use clear, descriptive variable and function names') and focus on project-specific or non-obvious constraints.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill is reasonably well-structured but includes some unnecessary explanation that Claude would already know (e.g., 'Never change what the code does — only how it does it' is self-evident from 'preserve functionality'). The core principles section has some redundancy between items, and phrases like 'Expert code simplification focused on clarity, consistency, and maintainability' restate the title. However, the examples are valuable and earn their space. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | The skill provides fully executable before/after code examples in multiple languages (Go, TypeScript), a clear step-by-step workflow with specific commands (e.g., 'make check-style-fix'), and concrete guidance on what to look for and how to apply refinements. The examples are copy-paste ready and demonstrate real transformations. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The workflow section lists clear steps including reading project standards, running linters, and running tests. However, there's no explicit feedback loop for when tests fail or linting reveals issues — it just says 'run tests to confirm' without specifying what to do on failure. For a skill that modifies code (a potentially destructive operation), the lack of an explicit error recovery loop caps this at 2. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is well-organized with clear sections and headers, but it's somewhat monolithic — the three detailed code examples could be in a separate EXAMPLES.md file, and the core principles section is lengthy inline. For a standalone skill with no bundle files, the organization is adequate but the inline examples make it longer than necessary for the main skill file. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Validation
100%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 11 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
No warnings or errors.
- Repository
- mattermost/mattermost-ai-marketplace
- Commit
349d5ed
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
Is this your skill?
If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.