Atlas / Skills / qdhenry / Remove Dead Code

Remove Dead CodeSAFE

skills/qdhenry/remove-dead-code

Professional slash commands for Claude Code that provide structured workflows for software development tasks including code review, feature creation, security auditing, and architectural analysis.

Verdict
SAFE
Grade
B
Trust score
89 /100
Version
—
Hosts
—
License
—
Stars
1,342
01

Overview

Professional slash commands for Claude Code that provide structured workflows for software development tasks including code review, feature creation, security auditing, and architectural analysis.

Read from source at commit 30765dd323e0OBSERVED · 2026-10-09
02

What it tells the agent

The instruction file, verbatim from the audited commit — this is the text the model reads, and the surface the audit's instruction layer examines. Quoted here so you can judge it without cloning anything.

---
name: remove-dead-code
description: Safely identifies and removes dead code in TypeScript/JavaScript projects using multi-agent analysis with automatic backup branches. Use when cleaning up unused exports, orphaned files, dead imports, unreachable functions, or unused dependencies.
---

<essential_principles>

**Safety-first dead code removal.** Every removal is protected by an automatic backup branch. Multi-agent analysis reduces false positives. No code is deleted without cross-validation.

**1. Backup Before Everything**

Before any modification, create a timestamped backup branch from the current HEAD. This is non-negotiable. The branch name format is `backup/dead-code-removal/{timestamp}`.

**2. Parallel Scout + Validator Pattern**

Multiple scout agents analyze different aspects of dead code in parallel. A validator agent then cross-checks all findings against the full codebase before anything is flagged for removal. Only code confirmed dead by both scouts AND validator gets removed.

**3. Conservative by Default**

When in doubt, keep the code. False negatives (missing some dead code) are acceptable. False positives (removing live code) are not. Dynamic imports, reflection, test utilities, and public API surface are always treated as potentially live.

**4. Never Remove Without Reporting First**

The scan workflow produces a report. The user reviews the report. Only then does the remove workflow execute against confirmed items.

</essential_principles>

<intake>
What would you like to do?

1. **Scan** - Analyze codebase for dead code (read-only, produces report)
2. **Remove** - Remove confirmed dead code (requires prior scan report)
3. **Validate** - Verify removal didn't break anything (post-removal checks)

**Wait for response before proceeding.**
</intake>

<routing>
| Response | Workflow |
|----------|----------|
| 1, "scan", "analyze", "find", "detect", "report" | `workflows/scan-dead-code.md` |
| 2, "remove", "delete", "clean", "prune" | `workflows/remove-dead-code.md` |
| 3, "validate", "verify", "check", "test" | `workflows/validate-removal.md` |
| Unclear | Ask: "Would you like to scan first (recommended) or do you already have a scan report?" |

**Default flow:** Scan → Review report → Remove → Validate

**After reading the workflow, follow it exactly.**
</routing>

<safety_rules>
- NEVER remove code without creating a backup branch first
- NEVER remove code that appears in test files as a test subject (test helpers ARE candidates)
- NEVER remove re-exported types that could be part of a public API
- NEVER remove files matching patterns: `*.config.*`, `*.setup.*`, `*.d.ts`, entry points
- ALWAYS preserve code referenced by dynamic imports (`import()` expressions)
- ALWAYS preserve code that might be used via string-based lookups or reflection
- ALWAYS check `package.json` `exports`, `main`, `types`, and `bin` fields before removing
- ALWAYS check framework conventions (Next.js pages/routes, Convex functions, etc.)
</safety_rules>

<reference_index>
All domain knowledge in `references/`:

**Detection:** detection-patterns.md - What to scan for and how to identify dead code
**Agents:** agent-coordination.md - How multi-agent parallel analysis works
</reference_index>

<workflows_index>
| Workflow | Purpose |
|----------|---------|
| scan-dead-code.md | Multi-agent analysis producing a dead code report |
| remove-dead-code.md | Safe removal with backup branch and atomic commits |
| validate-removal.md | Post-removal build, test, and type-check verification |
</workflows_index>

<success_criteria>
Dead code removal is successful when:
- Backup branch exists with pre-removal state
- All flagged items were cross-validated by multiple agents
- Build passes after removal (`tsc --noEmit`, `npm run build`)
- All tests pass after removal
- No new TypeScript errors introduced
- Removal summary report generated with what was removed and why
</success_criteria>
03

Trust audit

SAFEgrade B · trust 89/100 Nothing in the source contradicts what it says it does. Grade A is reserved for packages that have also passed the behavioural sandbox.

LayerWhat it checksResult
L0Provenance & inventoryPASS
L1Static analysis of the codeNA
L2Instruction surface (what it tells the agent)PASS
L3Class-specific surfacePASS
L4Behavioural (sandbox)SKIPPED

What the source does

Filesystem
none-observed
Network
none-observed
Shell
none-observed
Dependencies
pinned
Secrets in source
none-found

Findings (1)

LOWInventory / provenance · inv.no_license · CWE-1104
Why it matters. no LICENSE file and no repo licence
Fix. add a licence

Gates applied: no_behavioural_pass, no_license.

Audited 2026-10-09 · audit v0.4.1 · source sha 30765dd323e0full audit observations/trust-audit/skill/qdhenry__remove-dead-code.json · Report an issue / request a re-scan
04

Audit history

Every audit this skill has had.

DateSourceVerdictGradeScoreChange
2026-10-0930765dd323e0SAFEB89first audit
05

Questions

What does the Remove Dead Code skill do?

Professional slash commands for Claude Code that provide structured workflows for software development tasks including code review, feature creation, security auditing, and architectural analysis.

Is Remove Dead Code safe to install?

The audit found nothing in the source that contradicts what it says it does, and graded it B (89/100). Grade A is held back for packages that have also passed a sandboxed behavioural run, which is why a clean skill reads B.

What can Remove Dead Code access on my machine?

The audit observed no filesystem, network or shell use at all in its source.

How current is this page?

The grade is for one exact copy of the source (30765dd323e0), read on 2026-10-09. The repository is watched, and a new audit runs when it changes — this is the first audit.

Advertisement