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code-refactoring-refactor-clean

You are a code refactoring expert specializing in clean code principles, SOLID design patterns, and modern software engineering best practices. Analyze and refactor the provided code to improve its quality, maintainability, and performance.

41

Quality

41%

Does it follow best practices?

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SecuritybySnyk

Passed

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tessl review fix ./skills/code-refactoring-refactor-clean/SKILL.md
SKILL.md
Quality
Evals
Security

Quality

Content

38%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

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

The body has a clean section structure and a sensible safety/output framing, but it is an instruction shell with almost no executable substance: the workflow is a generic directive list, and the one reference that should carry the detailed patterns points to a missing file. Duplicating the description and Context sections also wastes tokens.

Suggestions

Fix or remove the dangling reference: either add resources/implementation-playbook.md with the detailed refactoring patterns, or inline a concise set of concrete techniques (e.g., extract function, replace conditional with polymorphism, characterize tests before changing code) so the skill stands alone.

Make the workflow concrete and verifiable: specify how to establish a safety net before refactoring (run existing tests, add characterization tests), how to slice changes (one refactoring per commit/diff), and an explicit feedback loop — 'if tests fail, revert the slice and re-plan' — instead of the implicit 'ensure tests pass'.

Delete the duplicated opening paragraph and the redundant 'Context' section; both restate the frontmatter description and add no guidance.

DimensionReasoningScore

Conciseness

The body is short and mostly tight, but it duplicates the frontmatter description verbatim ('You are a code refactoring expert specializing in clean code principles, SOLID design patterns...') and then repeats the same intent again in the 'Context' section ('The user needs help refactoring code to make it cleaner...'). Two redundant sections exceed anchor 4's 'minor instances of over-explanation', though there is no teaching of concepts Claude already knows, so it is not anchor 2.

3 / 5

Actionability

The instructions are high-level directives ('Assess code smells, dependencies, and risky hotspots', 'Propose a refactor plan with incremental steps', 'Apply changes in small slices') with no concrete method, commands, or worked examples, and the single pointer to substantive detail — 'open resources/implementation-playbook.md' — targets a file that does not exist in the skill bundle. This is 'high-level hints but missing the specific steps to execute', not anchor 3, because no concrete executable detail remains once the broken reference is discounted.

2 / 5

Workflow Clarity

A rough sequence is present (assess → propose plan → apply in small slices → update tests and verify regressions) and 'ensure tests pass' in the Safety section acts as a checkpoint, but the checkpoints are implicit and there is no feedback loop for what to do when tests fail or behavior changes. This matches 'steps listed but validation gaps; checkpoints missing or implicit' rather than anchor 4's 'most checkpoints present'.

3 / 5

Progressive Disclosure

The sections are well-organized, but the only detailed material is delegated twice ('open resources/implementation-playbook.md' in Instructions and again in Resources) to a file that does not exist — no references/, scripts/, assets/, or resources/ directories are present in the bundle. The navigation path is broken and there is no content behind the pointer, which falls below anchor 3's 'references present but not clearly signaled' (here the signal is clear but dangling, leaving the skill with no substantive payload).

2 / 5

Total

10

/

20

Passed

Description

45%Weight 40%Scale 1-5

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 establishes a clear domain and a two-action 'what', but is written in second person with buzzword padding, lacks any 'when to use' trigger guidance, and offers only moderate keyword coverage. It reads as a persona statement rather than a trigger-optimized skill description.

Suggestions

Rewrite in third person and lead with concrete capabilities, e.g. 'Refactors tangled code by extracting functions, removing duplication, and applying clean-code and SOLID principles while preserving behavior.'

Add an explicit 'Use when...' clause with natural trigger phrases users would actually say, such as 'Use when the user asks to refactor, clean up, simplify, or de-duplicate code, or mentions code smells, tech debt, or maintainability.'

Trim persona filler ('You are a... expert specializing in... best practices') and replace it with distinctive triggers (code smells, duplication, long functions, testability) to reduce overlap with general coding and code-review skills.

DimensionReasoningScore

Specificity

The description names the refactoring domain with two actions ('Analyze and refactor the provided code to improve its quality, maintainability, and performance'), matching the anchor-3 example, but takes the mandatory -1 penalty for second-person voice ('You are a code refactoring expert') and pads with buzzwords ('modern software engineering best practices'). It is not anchor 4 because it never lists several specific concrete actions.

2 / 5

Completeness

It has a clear 'what' (analyze and refactor code for quality, maintainability, performance) but contains no 'Use when...' clause or equivalent trigger guidance, which the judging guidelines cap at 3. It cannot score 4 because the 'when' is entirely absent, not merely implicit.

3 / 5

Trigger Term Quality

'code refactoring' and 'clean code' are natural phrases users would say, but 'SOLID design patterns' is jargon-leaning and common variations like 'code smells', 'duplication', 'readability', or 'tech debt' are missing. This matches 'some relevant keywords but missing common variations or synonyms' rather than anchor 4's 'good keyword coverage'.

3 / 5

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

'Code refactoring' is a recognizable niche, but the broad goal language ('improve its quality, maintainability, and performance') and persona padding overlap with general coding, code-review, and linting skills. It is 'somewhat specific but could still overlap with similar skills' rather than 'mostly distinct', since no distinct triggers are given to disambiguate.

3 / 5

Total

11

/

20

Passed

Validation

93%

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

Validation — 15 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

CriteriaDescriptionResult

frontmatter_unknown_keys

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

Warning

Total

15

/

16

Passed

Repository
sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills
Reviewed

Table of Contents

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