simplify — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Rewrites code you just wrote so it reads better: less nesting, fewer duplicates, clearer names. Behaviour stays exactly as it was.
npx skills add brianlovin/agent-config --skill simplify -a claude-codeWhat simplify does
The skill picks up whatever you touched in the current session and rewrites it for clarity. What the code does must not change — that is the first rule in its instructions.
One SKILL.md file, mostly a list of house rules. Project standards come from CLAUDE.md: sorted ES module imports with extensions, the function keyword instead of arrows, explicit return types on top-level functions, typed Props on React components. Nested ternaries are out entirely; use switch or an if/else chain. Compactness is explicitly not the goal, so a dense one-liner loses to a plain readable version, and working abstractions get left alone.
Two things to know before you install it. It fires on its own, right after code is written, so it will also touch files you have not finished. And it checks that code against CLAUDE.md — with no standards written down there, this part has nothing to lean on. The list also advises going without try/catch where possible, so check that against how your project handles errors.
What it helps with
- clean up a fresh commit before review
- replace nested ternaries with a
switch - rename variables that stopped making sense
- sort ES module imports into one order
- drop abstractions left over from a draft
Example prompts for the agent
- Clean up the code we just wrote in
src/checkout.tsx, keep behaviour the same. - Go over the last edits in
components/and get rid of the nested ternaries. - Simplify this file following the standards in
CLAUDE.md.
How to install simplify
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add brianlovin/agent-config --skill simplify -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/simplify/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/simplify/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add brianlovin/agent-config --skill simplify -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/simplify/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add brianlovin/agent-config --skill simplify -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/simplify/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install brianlovin/agent-config simplify2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/simplify/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add brianlovin/agent-config --skill simplify -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/brianlovin/agent-config --path skills/simplifyManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/simplify/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add brianlovin/agent-config --skill simplify -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about simplify
How do I install simplify in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add brianlovin/agent-config --skill simplify -a claude-code. The skill lands in ~/.claude/skills/simplify/SKILL.md.
What does the simplify skill do?
It rewrites code touched in the current session so it reads better: flatter nesting, clearer names, one import order. Behaviour and output stay put.
Which platforms can run this skill?
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI and OpenCode, each with its own install flag. For GitHub Copilot the command is gh skill install brianlovin/agent-config simplify.
