name: refactor description: "Refactoring pipeline: analyzes a target file or directory for code quality issues, plans safe incremental improvements, optionally writes tests first as a safety net, implements the changes, and reviews the result. Orchestrates refactor-planner → (test-writer) → parallel-task-orchestrator → code-reviewer." argument-hint: "<file, directory, or description of what to refactor>"

Refactor Pipeline

You are orchestrating the full refactoring pipeline. Follow these steps strictly in order.

Input

The refactoring target (file path, directory, or description of what to improve):

$ARGUMENTS

Step 0.1: Auto-commit opt-in

Ask: "Enable auto-commit and PR?" (Yes / No) → AUTO_COMMIT.

If AUTO_COMMIT=true:

1. Run git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD. If main/master: BRANCH_ACTION=new. Else ask: "Branch <name> exists — create new or commit here?" → BRANCH_ACTION=new/current.
2. Ask: "Single squash commit or one commit per task?" → COMMIT_MODE=squash/per-task.
3. Generate refactor/<3-5-word-slug> from $ARGUMENTS → AUTO_COMMIT_BRANCH.
4. git checkout -b <AUTO_COMMIT_BRANCH>. On failure append -2, retry once.

If AUTO_COMMIT=false: BRANCH_ACTION=none, COMMIT_MODE=none.

Step 0: Clean up — Remove stale task files

Before starting, remove any leftover files from a previous run:

• Use Bash to run rm -rf tasks/ to clear the entire tasks directory

Step 1: Plan — Two-phase planning with user Q&A

Step 1a: Discovery — Analyze code & surface questions

Launch the refactor-planner agent using the Task tool with:

• subagent_type: "refactor-planner"
• Prompt: MODE: DISCOVERY\n\nTarget: <target from $ARGUMENTS>
• Tell it to output questions to tasks/refactor-questions.md

Wait for it to complete. Save the returned agent ID — you will resume this agent in Step 1c.

Step 1b: User Q&A — Present questions and collect answers

1. Read tasks/refactor-questions.md
2. Present the code audit summary and each question to the user using AskUserQuestion
3. Collect all answers — pay special attention to:
   • Whether the user wants tests written first (Step 1.5 gate)
   • Scope and backward compatibility constraints

Step 1c: Generate — Resume planner with answers

Resume the same refactor-planner agent (using the agent ID from Step 1a) with:

• resume: "<agent-id-from-step-1a>"
• Provide all user answers in the prompt, formatted clearly
• Prepend MODE: GENERATE to the prompt
• Tell it to generate the refactoring task files and tasks/refactor-plan.md in tasks/

Wait for it to complete. Confirm that task files were created in tasks/.

Step 1d: Task review — Present plan and get approval

This step always runs. Do not skip it.

1. Read all task-*.md files from tasks/. For each, extract:

   • Task number and title
   • Objective
   • Dependencies

2. Present the full refactoring plan to the user:

   ## Refactoring Plan (N tasks)
   
   1. task-01-name — [Objective]
      Dependencies: None
   2. task-02-name — [Objective]
      Dependencies: task-01
   ...
   

   Then add: "You can also open and edit any file in tasks/ directly before proceeding."

3. Use AskUserQuestion with a single question: "How would you like to proceed?"

   • "Looks good — start refactoring" — continue to Step 1.5
   • "Regenerate with feedback" — user provides feedback via the "Other" field

4. If user approves: proceed to Step 1.5.

5. If user requests regeneration: resume the same refactor-planner agent (from Step 1a) with:

   • resume: "<agent-id-from-step-1a>"
   • Prompt: MODE: GENERATE\n\nUser feedback on the refactoring plan:\n<feedback>\n\nPlease regenerate the task files incorporating this feedback.
   • Wait for it to complete, then loop back to the top of Step 1d.

Step 1.5: Safety net — Write missing tests (if requested)

Skip this step if the user did not ask for tests to be written first.

If the user answered yes to writing tests before refactoring:

Launch the test-writer agent using the Task tool with:

• subagent_type: "test-writer"
• Prompt: Write tests for <target> to create a safety net before refactoring. Focus on covering the behavior that the refactoring tasks will touch.

Wait for it to complete. Confirm tests pass before proceeding — do not start refactoring if tests are failing.

Step 2: Implement — Run parallel-task-orchestrator

If COMMIT_MODE=per-task:

Launch the parallel-task-orchestrator agent using the Task tool with:

• subagent_type: "parallel-task-orchestrator"
• Tell it to read and execute all tasks from tasks/
• Include this additional instruction in the prompt:

  "Run tasks sequentially (one at a time, no parallel waves). After each task-implementer completes, run the following bash commands before starting the next task:

  git add -A
  git commit -m "refactor: <task-objective-from-task-file>"
  

  Use the task's ## Objective line as the commit message description."

If COMMIT_MODE=squash or AUTO_COMMIT=false:

Launch the parallel-task-orchestrator agent using the Task tool with:

• subagent_type: "parallel-task-orchestrator"
• Tell it to read and execute all tasks from tasks/

Wait for it to complete. Note any issues reported.

Step 2b: Build check — Verify the project compiles

Run a quick build/lint check to catch obvious breakage:

• Look for a package.json, Makefile, Cargo.toml, or similar build config
• Run the appropriate build command (e.g., npm run build, pnpm build, make, cargo check)
• If the build fails, report to the user and ask whether to proceed or fix first
• If no build system is detected, skip this step

Step 2c: Test verification — Confirm behavior is preserved

This step is especially critical for refactoring — the primary success criterion is that all existing tests still pass.

• Run the full test suite (e.g., npm test, pnpm test, pytest, go test ./..., cargo test)
• If tests fail: report the failures and ask whether to fix, proceed anyway, or stop
• If no test suite exists, note this prominently — behavior preservation cannot be verified automatically

Step 2.5: Auto-commit and PR

Skip if AUTO_COMMIT=false.

2.5a Safety: Run git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD. If main/master: abort ("Auto-commit aborted: on main/master. Commit manually.") → proceed to Step 3.

2.5b Commit:

• COMMIT_MODE=squash: Read tasks/refactor-plan.md (or derive from task objectives). git add -A && git commit -m "refactor: <$ARGUMENTS summary>" -m "- <improvement 1>..." (72-char subject, ≤3 body bullets).
• COMMIT_MODE=per-task: already committed in Step 2. Skip to push.

2.5d Push: git push -u origin <branch-name>. On failure, show manual command and continue.

2.5e PR: Run gh auth status 2>/dev/null && echo GH_OK || echo GH_UNAVAILABLE.

• GH_OK: Create PR body (1-2 sentence summary + "## Changes" task bullets + "## Behavior Preservation" noting test results). Run gh pr create --title "refactor: <desc>" --body "<body>" --base main. Display URL.
• GH_UNAVAILABLE: Display ready-to-copy gh pr create command.

2.5f Report: Branch: <name> | Commits: <N> | Push: ok/failed | PR: <url or manual>

Step 3: Review — Run code-reviewer

Launch the code-reviewer agent using the Task tool with:

• subagent_type: "code-reviewer"
• Tell it to review all changes against tasks/refactor-plan.md
• Tell it to write the review report to tasks/refactor-review-report.md
• Include these refactor-specific review criteria in the prompt:
  • Is behavior preserved? Are there any logic changes that shouldn't be there?
  • Do all existing tests still pass?
  • Is the code measurably cleaner, simpler, or more maintainable than before?
  • Are the changes minimal and focused — no unrelated modifications?
  • If the scope included public APIs, are signatures preserved (or are breaking changes intentional and documented)?

Wait for it to complete.

Step 4: Report

Summarize the full refactoring run to the user:

## Refactor Complete

### Target
- [What was refactored]

### Changes Made
- [N tasks completed]
- [Key improvements: what's better now]

### Build Check
- [passed / failed / skipped]

### Tests
- [all passed / N regressions / no test suite]

### Review
- [compliance score]
- [behavior preserved: yes/no]
- [critical issues if any]

### Auto-Commit
- [skipped — not enabled]
  OR
- Branch: <branch-name>
- PR: <url or "manual command displayed">

### Next Steps
- [e.g., review the changes, run manual tests, address any regressions]

Rules

• Run steps sequentially — each depends on the previous
• If Step 1 fails (no tasks created), stop and report the issue
• If Step 2c finds regressions, escalate to the user before proceeding to review
• Always run Step 3 — never skip the review
• Behavior preservation is the primary success criterion — a refactor that breaks tests is a failure