ce-simplify-code

Simplifies recently changed code for clarity, reuse, and efficiency while preserving behavior.

Updated Mar 17, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Norfolk-Group/marcela-norfolk-ai --skill ce-simplify-code-norfolk-group
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: ce-simplify-code
Source: https://github.com/Norfolk-Group/marcela-norfolk-ai/tree/main/skills/compound-engineering/skills/ce-simplify-code
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Norfolk-Group/marcela-norfolk-ai --skill ce-simplify-code-norfolk-group

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Newly written code often contains duplication, hacky patterns, and inefficiencies that slip through initial implementation. This Skill reviews your recent changes with three parallel review agents, fixes the issues found, and verifies that behavior is preserved through typecheck, lint, and tests. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Scoped Review: Automatically resolves the simplification scope from an explicit user request, the current branch diff against its base, or recently modified files. - Three Parallel Review Agents: Dispatches dedicated reviewers for code reuse (duplicate utilities), code quality (redundant state, nested conditionals, dead code, stringly-typed code), and efficiency (N+1 patterns, missed concurrency, memory leaks). - Behavior-Preserving Fixes: Applies fixes directly, then runs the project's typecheck, lint, and scoped test suite to confirm nothing broke. - Use Case: Before opening a pull request on a feature branch, run this Skill to catch copy-pasted logic, unused imports, and sequential operations that could run in parallel, then confirm the test suite still passes. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to simplify the changes on my current branch before I open a pull request.

Frequently Asked Questions about ce-simplify-code

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I simplify code changes before opening a pull request?

Run the skill on your feature branch and it defaults to the diff against the base branch, such as git diff origin/main. It reviews the changes with three parallel agents, fixes issues, and runs typecheck, lint, and scoped tests to confirm behavior is preserved.

What kinds of code issues does an automated code simplification review catch?

It catches duplicated utilities, redundant state, parameter sprawl, copy-paste blocks, nested conditionals, dead code, unused imports, N+1 patterns, missed concurrency, memory leaks, and unnecessary existence checks. Findings that are false positives are noted and skipped.

Can I limit the simplification to a specific file or function?

Yes. Explicitly naming a scope such as a file, directory, or function makes that scope authoritative, and the review will not widen beyond it. Without a named scope, it falls back to the branch diff or recently modified files.

Does automated code simplification change program behavior?

No, the premise is that simplification preserves exact functionality. After fixes, the skill runs typecheck, lint, and tests scoped to the changed paths, and any regression is fixed or the responsible change is reverted rather than weakening assertions.

What happens if my project has no test suite or linter configured?

The skill states explicitly in its summary that no verification tooling is configured rather than silently skipping. It never relaxes assertions, weakens type signatures, or skips tests to make checks pass.