ia-simplifying-code

• SKILL.mdcore · 9,155 bytes
• SPEC.mddoc · 4,479 bytes
• references/orchestrated-simplification.mddoc · 2,065 bytes
• references/simplification-patterns.mddoc · 5,356 bytes

# Simplifying Code

## Working rules

- Preserve behavior, interfaces, side effects, and domain intent; prove any unshipped-shape exception has no consumers outside scope.
- Before removing a guard for an external hazard, reproduce its precondition and show the hazard is handled; otherwise retain it.
- Verify standard-library substitutions on empty, null, no-match, ordering, and zero-value cases.
- For analysis-only requests, identify targets and report proposed simplifications without editing code.

## Principles

| Principle | Rule |
|-----------|------|
| **Preserve behavior** | Output must do exactly what the input did, with no silent feature additions or removals. Specifically preserve: async/sync boundaries (do not convert sync to async or reverse), error propagation paths (do not alter strategy), logging/telemetry/guards/retries that encode operational intent, and domain-specific steps (do not collapse into generic helpers that hide intent). One carve-out: a shape that existed only in an earlier iteration of the current unshipped scope is not protected behavior. Verify it has no deployed, persisted, public, external, dependent-branch, or in-repo caller outside the resolved scope, and that every required caller update fits inside the edit boundary; otherwise keep the compatibility path. This narrow exemption is about shapes with provably zero consumers; it never licenses removing a guard, which is governed by the evidence bar under AI Slop Removal |