What problem does it solve?
Provides a safe, auditable workflow for improving existing code without introducing regressions, ensuring exploration, characterization testing, and mandatory documentation updates so agents or developers don't accidentally change behavior or skip verification steps.
Core Features & Use Cases
- Two-track workflow: polish track for small, contained refactors and overhaul track for multi-file or architectural migrations with worktree isolation and delegation.
- Safety & validation gates: mandatory characterization tests, static analysis, lint/type checks, and explicit phase guards before transitions.
- Automation & integration: auto-chain phase transitions, explicit Skill() tool calls for plan/delegate/review/synthesize, and state persisted in Exarchos workflow files.
- Use case: Convert a messy module into a tested, extracted service by running exploration to determine scope, capturing a brief, and following the polish or overhaul path to completion with documented rollback points.
Quick Start
Start a refactor by running the refactor command with a short description, for example: exarchos refactor "Polish user-service" to begin exploration and automatic brief capture.