simplify
Simplify files — shorter and clearer with identical behavior — condense verbosity, remove redundancy
SKILL.mdsimplify/SKILL.md
GitHubGoal
Reduce file size and complexity while preserving exact behavior and semantics — condense verbose blocks, remove redundancy, flatten unnecessary nesting.
Scope
Code files, docs, and SKILL.md files. Boundary: restructuring/splitting files or changing boundaries → /refactor; skill-package conventions → /update-devin-global-skills refactor.
Execute
1. Identify Targets
Goal: know which files to simplify
@files...or dir → those targets; no arg → run/check-long-filesand pick the worst offenders, or/ask-me
2. Detect Opportunities
Goal: every simplification has evidence
| No. | Pattern | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duplicated blocks/branches | Extract once or collapse to shared path |
| 2 | Verbose conditionals / unneeded nesting | Guard clauses, ternaries, early returns |
| 3 | Dead code, unused vars/imports | Delete |
| 4 | Single-use variables / over-abstraction | Inline |
| 5 | Redundant comments / repeated prose | Remove what the code already says |
| 6 | Verbose docs sections (docs/SKILL.md) | Condense to tables/lists; merge near-duplicate items |
3. Simplify
Goal: minimal diff, identical behavior
- Apply smallest change per pattern — public API, semantics, and behavior unchanged
- Keep readability — never compress into cryptic one-liners
- Checkpoint per file before moving to the next
4. Validate
Goal: behavior proven identical
Code → /run-check (lint/typecheck); docs → re-read for preserved meaning.
5. Report
Goal: measurable result
/report table: No. | File | Before | After | Change — then /suggest-next-action.
Rules
| No. | Group | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preserve behavior | No semantic changes — Two Hats; simplification is a refactor, not a rewrite |
| 2 | Minimal diff | Touch only what the detected pattern requires — no drive-by edits |
| 3 | Readability first | Shorter only when clearer — never trade clarity for line count |
| 4 | Boundary | Splitting files or moving code across boundaries → /refactor, not this skill |
| 5 | Evidence | Report real before/after counts — never claim a reduction without measuring |
Expected Outcome
- Target files measurably shorter and clearer — same behavior, same public API
- Lint/typecheck pass; docs keep identical meaning
- Before/after report with per-file line counts