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de-sloppify — Claude Code skill for .NET cleanup

Runs a seven-step cleanup pass for .NET code, from formatting through CancellationToken propagation. Use it before a release or after larger changes and dependency updates.

Install into Claude Code · Skills CLI (Vercel) All methods and platforms ↓
npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill de-sloppify -a claude-code
Open on GitHub

What de-sloppify does

de-sloppify cleans a .NET codebase in a fixed order. It formats code, removes unused using directives, triages analyzer warnings, and investigates dead code. Later stages handle TODO comments, audit classes for sealed, and trace CancellationToken through async call chains.

It runs dotnet build and dotnet test after every stage, with a separate commit proposed for each one. Before removal, it checks for reflection, DI conventions, and serialization that Roslyn may miss. Do not treat dead-code deletion as an automatic safe change.

The skill uses MCP tools including get_diagnostics, find_dead_code, get_type_hierarchy, and detect_antipatterns. Structural stages for dead code, class sealing, and cancellation propagation go to the refactor-cleaner subagent.

What it helps with

  • format a .NET codebase
  • remove unused using directives
  • triage analyzer warnings
  • check dead-code candidates before deletion
  • propagate CancellationToken through async chains

Example prompts for the agent

  • /de-sloppify run a full cleanup pass before the release
  • /de-sloppify clean up the project after a dependency upgrade
  • /de-sloppify run formatting, unused using cleanup, and the sealed class audit

How to install de-sloppify

1Skills CLI (Vercel)

npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill de-sloppify -a claude-code

2Manually: put the files in place

~/.claude/skills/de-sloppify/SKILL.md

Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/de-sloppify/

Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways

Questions about de-sloppify

How do I install de-sloppify in Claude Code?

Run npx skills add codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit --skill de-sloppify -a claude-code.

What does de-sloppify do?

It runs a seven-stage cleanup workflow for a .NET codebase. The workflow verifies the build and tests between stages.

Why does dead-code removal need a safety check?

Static analysis can miss code used through reflection, DI conventions, or serialization. The skill checks those cases before removing a candidate.

Source text

SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: de-sloppify
description: >
  Systematic code cleanup pipeline for .NET projects. Runs 7 ordered steps:
  formatting, unused usings, analyzer warnings, dead code removal, TODO resolution,
  sealed class audit, and CancellationToken propagation. Each step is verified
  independently with tests between phases. Load this skill when: "clean up",
  "de-sloppify", "tidy up", "remove dead code", "code cleanup", "housekeeping",
  "tech debt", "fix warnings", "seal classes", "add CancellationToken",
  "unused usings", "format code".
---

# /de-sloppify — 7-Step Cleanup Pipeline

## What

Runs an ordered, verified cleanup pipeline over a .NET codebase. Order matters:
formatting first (it touches every file — get the churn out of the way before
anything else), dead code late (earlier steps reveal it). Random cleanup misses
things and creates merge conflicts; the pipeline doesn't.

Three rules make it safe:

1. **Verify after each step** — `dotnet build` + `dotnet test` between steps. A
   cleanup that breaks something is worse than the mess it was fixing.
2. **Commit per step** — each step is its own commit, so a bad Step 4 reverts
   without losing Steps 1-3.
3. **Safe removals only** — before deleting "dead" code, check for reflection,
   DI-convention, and serialization usage that Roslyn cannot see.

Per-step commands, safety checklists, and code examples live in
`references/cleanup-steps.md` — read it before executing.

## When

- "Clean up", "tidy up", "de-sloppify", "housekeeping", "tech debt"
- After a large feature merge or dependency upgrade (new warnings accumulate)
- Pre-release hardening, or a scheduled quarterly cleanup sprint
- Before performance work (dead code out, classes sealed for devirtualization)
- Never mixed with feature work — cleanup commits stay pure

## How

### Step 0: Pick the Steps

| Scenario | Steps to run |
|----------|-------------|
| Full cleanup pass / pre-release / quarterly | All 7 |
| Quick tidy before PR | 1, 2, 6 |
| After large feature merge | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| After dependency upgrade | 2, 3 |
| Before performance work | 4, 6 |
| CI warning threshold exceeded | 3 only |
| Tech debt sprint | 4, 5 |

### Steps 1-7 (execute in order, details in references/cleanup-steps.md)

| # | Step | Tool | Commit message |
|---|------|------|----------------|
| 1 | Format all code | `dotnet format` | `chore: apply dotnet format` |
| 2 | Remove unused usings | `dotnet format analyzers --diagnostics IDE0005` | `chore: remove unused using statements` |
| 3 | Fix analyzer warnings | MCP `get_diagnostics` → triage by category | `chore: fix analyzer warnings` |
| 4 | Remove dead code | MCP `find_dead_code` + **safety check** (reflection/DI/serialization grep) | `chore: remove dead code` |
| 5 | Resolve TODOs | grep TODO/HACK/FIXME → fix, file issue, or delete | `chore: resolve TODO comments` |
| 6 | Seal non-inherited classes | MCP `get_type_hierarchy` per candidate + test-project grep | `chore: seal non-inherited classes` |
| 7 | Propagate CancellationToken | MCP `detect_antipatterns` → trace async chains | `chore: propagate CancellationToken through async chains` |

After every step: `dotnet build` + `dotnet test`, then commit. If a step breaks
the build or tests, fix or revert that step before continuing — never carry a
red state into the next step. Delegate structural steps (4, 6, 7) to the
`refactor-cleaner` agent.

### Final Report

```markdown
## De-Sloppify Report

| Step | Changes | Files Affected |
|------|---------|----------------|
| 1. Format | Applied consistent formatting | 23 files |
| 2. Usings | Removed 47 unused usings | 18 files |
| 3. Analyzers | Fixed 12 warnings (8 nullability, 3 unused vars, 1 obsolete) | 9 files |
| 4. Dead Code | Removed 3 unused types, 5 unused methods | 6 files |
| 5. TODOs | Fixed 2, created issues for 3, removed 1 stale | 5 files |
| 6. Sealed | Sealed 14 classes | 14 files |
| 7. CancellationToken | Added propagation to 8 async chains | 11 files |

**Total: 7 commits, 86 files improved**
```

## Example

```
User: /de-sloppify — full pass before the release

Claude: Running the 7-step pipeline...

Step 1: dotnet format — 23 files reformatted. Build + tests green. Committed.
Step 2: IDE0005 — 47 unused usings removed across 18 files. Green. Committed.
Step 3: 12 warnings triaged: 8 nullability fixed with null checks,
  3 unused vars removed, 1 CS0618 migrated off the obsolete API. Committed.
Step 4: find_dead_code → 9 candidates. Safety check: PaymentProcessor is
  registered via DI convention — kept. Removed 3 types, 5 methods. Committed.
Step 5: 6 TODOs → 2 fixed, 3 became issues (#141-#143), 1 stale removed. Committed.
Step 6: 14 classes sealed (2 skipped: xUnit fixture base, virtual members). Committed.
Step 7: 8 async chains now propagate ct end-to-end. Committed.

7 commits, 86 files improved. Full report above.
```

## Related

- `references/cleanup-steps.md` — per-step commands, safety checks, examples
- `/verify` — run the full verification pipeline after cleanup
- `/health-check` — re-grade the project to quantify the improvement
- `/code-review` — cleanup handles style; review handles logic and design

© codewithmukesh · MIT · codewithmukesh/dotnet-claude-kit

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