Name: absolute-prune
Author: maddhruv

About

Imported from maddhruv/absolute (skills/absolute-prune/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add maddhruv/absolute --skill absolute-prune. Copyright stays with the author (MIT).

Start your first response with the ✂️ emoji.

Absolute Prune

Cut dead growth from the repo: unused dependencies, unreferenced exports, unreachable code, orphaned files. Evidence-based — every removal is backed by a tool that proves nothing references it — applied in safe waves with tests green after each.

Runs the shared engine in references/health-engine.md — read it for the DETECT → SCAN → TRIAGE → FIX → VERIFY → REPORT loop and the safety contract. This file covers only what's specific to pruning.

When to use

"Remove dead code", "clean up unused deps", "what can we delete?".
Bundle/install bloat from packages nothing imports anymore.
Post-refactor orphans: files and exports left behind after a feature was rerouted.

prune vs simplify: simplify polishes your working git diff. prune sweeps the whole committed repo for things that are dead repo-wide. Use simplify mid-change; prune as standing cleanup on green main.

What it scans

Dead dependencies — declared but never imported (and missing deps that are imported but undeclared):

Ecosystem	Tool
JS/TS	`depcheck` or `knip` (knip also covers exports/files)
Python	`deptry`
Go	`go mod tidy` (diff), unused module detection

Dead code — unreferenced exports, unreachable branches, orphaned files:

Ecosystem	Tool
JS/TS	`knip` (exports/files), `ts-prune`, `eslint no-unused-vars`
Python	`vulture`, `ruff` unused rules
Go	`deadcode ./...`, `staticcheck` (U1000)

Prefer tools already in the project. Treat results as candidates — verify each isn't reached via dynamic import, reflection, DI, public API, or a config string before removing.

Risk ranking (TRIAGE)

Wave	Removal	Default
1	unused devDeps, unreferenced local exports/functions	fix now — lowest risk
2	unused runtime deps, orphaned internal files	fix this pass after confirming no dynamic ref
3	anything reachable via public API, plugin system, dynamic require, reflection, or config	gated / usually defer — high false-positive risk

Static tools miss dynamic references. Anything in wave 3, or anything a tool flags but you can't prove is dead, gets confirmed with the user or deferred — never auto-removed.

Fix & verify

Remove in small, reversible waves. One category per wave (e.g. "unused devDeps", then "orphaned files").
After each wave: full test + build + typecheck. A green typecheck/build is the proof the removed symbol truly had no references. If anything goes red, the symbol wasn't dead — revert and reclassify.
Removing a dep: drop it from the manifest, regenerate the lockfile, rebuild.
Don't delete: generated files, vendored code, public-API surface, or anything load-bearing for a config/plugin you can't trace. Report those as "suspected dead, needs human call". Treat preferences.health.protectedPaths from config as never-delete globs — anything matching is out of scope even if a tool flags it.

Gotchas

Trusting the tool blindly. Dynamic imports, DI containers, reflection, and string-keyed lookups defeat static analysis. Confirm before deleting.
Removing public API. A library's unused-internally export may be its whole point. Check the package entry points / exports map.
Deleting generated or vendored files. They look orphaned but are rebuilt/checked-in on purpose.
Big-bang prune. Deleting everything flagged in one commit makes regressions un-bisectable. Wave it.
Scope creep into refactor. prune removes dead things; it does not restructure live code. Restructuring → simplify or work.

Companion commands

/absolute simplify — for restructuring/clarity of live code in your diff.
/absolute upgrade — pairs well: prune unused deps, then upgrade what remains.
/absolute debt — pruning often clears a batch of lint/unused-var warnings too.

Use it

Copy one of these into your project. Installing also returns the manifest and these snippets.

yaml

targets:
  - https://api.opensmartroute.ai/api/v1/registry/maddhruv-absolute-absolute-prune/manifest   # or paste the manifest below

Manifest

An Open Capability Manifest: the router reads it to know what this does, what it costs and when to pick it.

maddhruv-absolute-absolute-prune.ocm.jsonjson

{
  "ocm": "1",
  "id": "maddhruv-absolute-absolute-prune",
  "kind": "skill",
  "name": "absolute-prune",
  "description": "Dead code and dependency cleanup, repo-wide: unused deps, unreferenced exports, unreachable code, orphaned files — removed only with tool evidence, in reversible waves. Runs on green main. For diff-scoped cleanup use absolute-simplify. Triggers on \"absolute prune\", \"remove dead code\", \"find unused deps/exports\", \"what can we delete\", \"clean up orphaned files\".",
  "publisher": "maddhruv",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "capabilities": {
    "domains": [
      "coding"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "skill-md",
      "workflow",
      "maintenance",
      "dead-code",
      "cleanup",
      "pruning",
      "github"
    ],
    "languages": [
      "en"
    ]
  },
  "quality_prior": 0.6,
  "examples": [
    "Dead code and dependency cleanup, repo-wide: unused deps, unreferenced exports, unreachable code, orphaned files — removed only with tool evidence, in reversible waves. Runs on green main. For diff-scoped cleanup use absolute-simplify. Triggers on \"absolute prune\", \"remove dead code\", \"find unused deps/exports\", \"what can we delete\", \"clean up orphaned files\"."
  ],
  "primary": false,
  "metadata": {
    "source": {
      "provider": "github",
      "repository": "https://github.com/maddhruv/absolute",
      "path": "skills/absolute-prune/SKILL.md",
      "ref": "216627460dbb52dc004454260b59d392bd64eed7",
      "url": "https://github.com/maddhruv/absolute/blob/216627460dbb52dc004454260b59d392bd64eed7/skills/absolute-prune/SKILL.md",
      "key": "maddhruv/absolute/skills/absolute-prune/SKILL.md"
    },
    "license": "MIT"
  },
  "instructions": "> Start your first response with the ✂️ emoji.\n\n## Absolute Prune\n\nCut dead growth from the repo: unused dependencies, unreferenced exports, unreachable code,\norphaned files. Evidence-based — every removal is backed by a tool that proves nothing\nreferences it — applied in safe waves with tests green after each.\n\nRuns the shared engine in **`references/health-engine.md`** — read it for the\nDETECT → SCAN → TRIAGE → FIX → VERIFY → REPORT loop and the safety contract. This file\ncovers only what's specific to pruning.\n\n---\n\n## When to use\n\n- \"Remove dead code\", \"clean up unused deps\", \"what can we ",
  "cost": {
    "context_tokens": 1006
  }
}

Fetch it by URL: GET /api/v1/registry/maddhruv-absolute-absolute-prune/manifest?version=1.0.0

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