Simplification Cascades

One insight can eliminate 10 components. Look for the unifying principle that makes multiple things unnecessary simultaneously.

Core principle: "Everything is a special case of X" collapses complexity dramatically.

Critical constraint: Always present the cascade proposal and get user approval before making changes. Never restructure silently.

Before You Start — Disqualifiers

Check these disqualifiers first. If any apply, stop and explain why a cascade won't work here:

• Things are only superficially similar. Why? Same name ≠ same concept.
• The abstraction needs more config than what it replaces. Why? Net complexity increase.
• Unifying would lose type safety or meaningful errors. Why? Cost exceeds benefit.
• The result would be harder to understand. Why? Cascade must be obvious.

A valid cascade makes code obviously simpler, not just shorter.