refactor-method-complexity-reduce
Refactor given method `${input:methodName}` to reduce its cognitive complexity to `${input:complexityThreshold}` or below, by extracting helper methods.
Best use case
refactor-method-complexity-reduce is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Refactor given method `${input:methodName}` to reduce its cognitive complexity to `${input:complexityThreshold}` or below, by extracting helper methods.
Teams using refactor-method-complexity-reduce should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/refactor-method-complexity-reduce/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How refactor-method-complexity-reduce Compares
| Feature / Agent | refactor-method-complexity-reduce | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Refactor given method `${input:methodName}` to reduce its cognitive complexity to `${input:complexityThreshold}` or below, by extracting helper methods.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# Refactor Method to Reduce Cognitive Complexity
## Objective
Refactor the method `${input:methodName}`, to reduce its cognitive complexity to `${input:complexityThreshold}` or below, by extracting logic into focused helper methods.
## Instructions
1. **Analyze the current method** to identify sources of cognitive complexity:
- Nested conditional statements
- Multiple if-else or switch chains
- Repeated code blocks
- Multiple loops with conditions
- Complex boolean expressions
2. **Identify extraction opportunities**:
- Validation logic that can be extracted into a separate method
- Type-specific or case-specific processing that repeats
- Complex transformations or calculations
- Common patterns that appear multiple times
3. **Extract focused helper methods**:
- Each helper should have a single, clear responsibility
- Extract validation into separate `Validate*` methods
- Extract type-specific logic into handler methods
- Create utility methods for common operations
- Use appropriate access levels (static, private, async)
4. **Simplify the main method**:
- Reduce nesting depth
- Replace massive if-else chains with smaller orchestrated calls
- Use switch statements where appropriate for cleaner dispatch
- Ensure the main method reads as a high-level flow
5. **Preserve functionality**:
- Maintain the same input/output behavior
- Keep all validation and error handling
- Preserve exception types and error messages
- Ensure all parameters are properly passed to helpers
6. **Best practices**:
- Make helper methods static when they don't need instance state
- Use null checks and guard clauses early
- Avoid creating unnecessary local variables
- Consider using tuples for multiple return values
- Group related helper methods together
## Implementation Approach
- Extract helper methods before refactoring the main flow
- Test incrementally to ensure no regressions
- Use meaningful names that describe the extracted responsibility
- Keep extracted methods close to where they're used
- Consider making repeated code patterns into generic methods
## Result
The refactored method should:
- Have cognitive complexity reduced to the target threshold of `${input:complexityThreshold}` or below
- Be more readable and maintainable
- Have clear separation of concerns
- Be easier to test and debug
- Retain all original functionality
## Testing and Validation
**CRITICAL: After completing the refactoring, you MUST:**
1. **Run all existing tests** related to the refactored method and its surrounding functionality
2. **MANDATORY: Explicitly verify test results show "failed=0"**
- **NEVER assume tests passed** - always examine the actual test output
- Search for the summary line containing pass/fail counts (e.g., "passed=X failed=Y")
- **If the summary shows any number other than "failed=0", tests have FAILED**
- If test output is in a file, read the entire file to locate and verify the failure count
- Running tests is NOT the same as verifying tests passed
- **Do not proceed** until you have explicitly confirmed zero failures
3. **If any tests fail (failed > 0):**
- State clearly how many tests failed
- Analyze each failure to understand what functionality was broken
- Common causes: null handling, empty collection checks, condition logic errors
- Identify the root cause in the refactored code
- Correct the refactored code to restore the original behavior
- Re-run tests and verify "failed=0" in the output
- Repeat until all tests pass (failed=0)
4. **Verify compilation** - Ensure there are no compilation errors
5. **Check cognitive complexity** - Confirm the metric is at or below the target threshold of `${input:complexityThreshold}`
## Confirmation Checklist
- [ ] Code compiles without errors
- [ ] **Test results explicitly state "failed=0"** (verified by reading the output)
- [ ] All test failures analyzed and corrected (if any occurred)
- [ ] Cognitive complexity is at or below the target threshold of `${input:complexityThreshold}`
- [ ] All original functionality is preserved
- [ ] Code follows project conventions and standardsRelated Skills
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