Simplify Code

Simplify and refactor $ARGUMENTS.

Simplification Principles

1. Single Responsibility – 1 function = 1 thing
2. Short Functions – Target under 20 lines
3. Shallow Nesting – Early return, depth ≤ 2
4. Clear Naming – Clear enough to not need comments
5. Type Hints Required – On all functions

Steps

1. Analyze Target Code

• Read the file(s) to understand current structure
• Identify complexity hotspots (deep nesting, long functions)
• List functions/classes to simplify

2. Check Library Constraints

• Identify libraries used in target code
• Check constraints in .claude/docs/libraries/
• Web search for unclear library behaviors

3. Plan Refactoring

For each complexity issue:

• What change to make
• Why it improves readability
• Verify it doesn’t break library usage

4. Execute Refactoring

Apply changes following these patterns:

Early Return:

# Before
def process(value):
    if value is not None:
        if value > 0:
            return do_something(value)
    return None

# After
def process(value):
    if value is None:
        return None
    if value <= 0:
        return None
    return do_something(value)

Extract Function:

# Before
def main():
    # 50 lines of mixed concerns
    ...

# After
def main():
    data = load_data()
    result = process_data(data)
    save_result(result)

5. Verify with Tests

uv run pytest -v

Notes

• Always preserve library features/constraints
• Web search for unclear points
• Don’t change behavior (refactoring only)
• Run tests after each significant change