prevent-dead-code-and-asset-mismatch

Summary

Do not leave dead code, unnecessary logic, or unused assets. Ensure perfect synchronization between application logic and the static assets (templates, images, etc.) it processes.

Rationale

• Use of nonexistent assets leads to phantom logic that confuses developers.
• Unused assets bloat the repository and reduce signal-to-noise ratio.
• Coupled logic (like generators) requires both the code and the target asset to functional correctly.

Guidance

1. Logic without Assets is Dead Code: If you write code to process a file (e.g., specific handling for AGENTS.md), ensure that file exists. If the asset is removed, remove the logic.
2. Assets without Logic are Bloat: Delete files that are never read, processed, or deployed.
3. Search References: When deleting assets, search for path strings to clean up handling logic.
4. Fail Fast: Prefer tests that fail when an expected asset is missing over logic that silently skips it.

Examples

Bad

Writing a generator loop that checks for AGENTS.md when no such file exists in the templates folder. The code runs but does nothing, confusing future maintainers.