tidying

What problem does it solve?

This skill helps developers apply Kent Beck's Tidy First philosophy to make small, safe structural changes that improve code without changing behavior. Tidying is a separate activity from feature work and is often performed before or after implementing features or during code reviews to keep code clean.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Safe, incremental refactoring that preserves existing behavior
• Clear guidelines for when to tidy (tidy first, tidy after, tidy later)
• Applicable across Frontend, Backend, CLI, and Library contexts to reduce technical debt

Quick Start

Identify a small, non-behavior-changing tidying opportunity in the target module. Perform the tidy as a separate commit labeled tidy:first before any behavioral changes. If the change reveals a better structure, continue with subsequent tidies following the same discipline.