incremental-refactor

To clean up code without altering behavior, apply incremental refactoring constraints that enforce test-driven safety. This approach uses flocking rules to eliminate duplication and safe moves like rename and extract to restructure code one step at a time.

Flocking rules guide the identification and elimination of code duplication using the simplest possible change. They help you extract shared concepts and restructure code incrementally while keeping behavior intact throughout the refactoring process.

Paste the generated constraint block into the card's Context section before starting your Claude Code planning session. This block includes explicit safety rules, a checklist, flocking rules, safe moves, and failure signals to enforce disciplined structural changes.

Safe moves are one-step edits—rename, extract, inline, move, and replace constants—that keep behavior intact. They allow you to restructure code methodically without combining multiple structural changes in a single refactoring task.

Avoid combining multiple structural changes when failure signals indicate unintended behavior shifts. Incremental refactoring constraints enforce one safe move per task to prevent compounding errors and maintain test-driven safety throughout the restructuring process.