Simplify

This skill is guidance, not a script. Prove what complexity earns before removing it. Fewer lines or files do not necessarily mean less work for callers and maintainers.

When not to use

• Designing a new abstraction rather than removing one. Use codebase-design.
• A behavior or compatibility change. Surface that tradeoff before crossing the authorized bounds.
• A corpus-wide cleanup with no defined scope; that needs its own scope.

Inputs and authorization

• Required: the defined scope and the concrete burden, such as duplicated rules, synchronized copies, or unused machinery.
• Authorization: discovery-only work ends with ranked proposals. Remove only when the task authorizes it and the evidence supports it.

Method

Start with a concrete burden: duplicated rules, synchronized copies of one fact, repeated internal knowledge at call sites, unused extension machinery, or obsolete companions. File length and aesthetic discomfort are clues, not evidence.