Simplify

Reduce complexity while preserving exact behavior. The goal is not fewer lines — it's code that is easier to read, understand, and modify. Every simplification must pass: "Would a new contributor understand this faster than the original?"

Do not simplify code you don't understand yet, code that is already clean, or code you're about to rewrite entirely.

Workflow

1. Understand before touching (Chesterton's Fence)

Before changing or removing anything, understand why it exists. Check git blame, read the context, understand the reason. Then decide if the reason still applies. A stated reason that still holds — hot path, compat shim — ends the matter; leave the smell alone.

2. Identify opportunities

Each smell maps to one named move — name it in the commit subject to keep one transformation per commit. When two moves fit equally or none fits cleanly, extract function is the honest fallback; a move applied because it pattern-matches produces a worse diff than no move at all.