working-effectively-with-legacy-code-state-machine-skill
CommunitySafe legacy-code changes with a state-machine.
Software Engineering#refactor#risk-management#legacy-code#state-machine#seams#characterization-tests#safety-gate
AuthorStepowskiEric
Version1.0.0
Installs0
System Documentation
What problem does it solve?
Use this skill when the agent must change brittle code with weak tests, unclear behavior, or heavy coupling.
Core Features & Use Cases
- State-machine driven governance to gate changes, preserve behavior, and require diagnostic artifacts.
- Automatic generation of safety artifacts such as characterization-test-plan.md and legacy-change-budget.md to guide refactors.
- Structured workflow with stages (Intake, Characterization Recon, Seam Design, Safety Gate, Execution Unlock, Verification) to limit scope and risk, ensuring traceability.
- Clear guidance for incremental, safe execution and post-change verification in production-like environments.
Quick Start
Initiate a legacy-code refactor by enabling the state-machine protocol to identify seams, capture characterization tests, and preserve behavior.
Dependency Matrix
Required Modules
None requiredComponents
Standard package💻 Claude Code Installation
Recommended: Let Claude install automatically. Simply copy and paste the text below to Claude Code.
Please help me install this Skill: Name: working-effectively-with-legacy-code-state-machine-skill Download link: https://github.com/StepowskiEric/Jerrys-agent-skills/archive/main.zip#working-effectively-with-legacy-code-state-machine-skill Please download this .zip file, extract it, and install it in the .claude/skills/ directory.
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