/de-sloppify — 7-Step Cleanup Pipeline
What
Runs an ordered, verified cleanup pipeline over a .NET codebase. Order matters: formatting first (it touches every file — get the churn out of the way before anything else), dead code late (earlier steps reveal it). Random cleanup misses things and creates merge conflicts; the pipeline doesn't.
Three rules make it safe:
- Verify after each step —
dotnet build+dotnet testbetween steps. A cleanup that breaks something is worse than the mess it was fixing. - Commit per step — each step is its own commit, so a bad Step 4 reverts without losing Steps 1-3.
- Safe removals only — before deleting "dead" code, check for reflection, DI-convention, and serialization usage that Roslyn cannot see.
Per-step commands, safety checklists, and code examples live in
references/cleanup-steps.md — read it before executing.
When
- "Clean up", "tidy up", "de-sloppify", "housekeeping", "tech debt"
- After a large feature merge or dependency upgrade (new warnings accumulate)
- Pre-release hardening, or a scheduled quarterly cleanup sprint
- Before performance work (dead code out, classes sealed for devirtualization)
- Never mixed with feature work — cleanup commits stay pure
How
Step 0: Pick the Steps
| Scenario | Steps to run |
|---|---|
| Full cleanup pass / pre-release / quarterly | All 7 |
| Quick tidy before PR | 1, 2, 6 |
| After large feature merge | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| After dependency upgrade | 2, 3 |
| Before performance work | 4, 6 |
| CI warning threshold exceeded | 3 only |
| Tech debt sprint | 4, 5 |
Steps 1-7 (execute in order, details in references/cleanup-steps.md)
| # | Step | Tool | Commit message |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Format all code | dotnet format | chore: apply dotnet format |
| 2 | Remove unused usings | dotnet format analyzers --diagnostics IDE0005 | chore: remove unused using statements |
| 3 | Fix analyzer warnings | MCP get_diagnostics → triage by category | chore: fix analyzer warnings |
| 4 | Remove dead code | MCP find_dead_code + safety check (reflection/DI/serialization grep) | chore: remove dead code |
| 5 | Resolve TODOs | grep TODO/HACK/FIXME → fix, file issue, or delete | chore: resolve TODO comments |
| 6 | Seal non-inherited classes | MCP get_type_hierarchy per candidate + test-project grep | chore: seal non-inherited classes |
| 7 | Propagate CancellationToken | MCP detect_antipatterns → trace async chains | chore: propagate CancellationToken through async chains |
After every step: dotnet build + dotnet test, then commit. If a step breaks
the build or tests, fix or revert that step before continuing — never carry a
red state into the next step. Delegate structural steps (4, 6, 7) to the
refactor-cleaner agent.
Final Report
## De-Sloppify Report
| Step | Changes | Files Affected |
|------|---------|----------------|
| 1. Format | Applied consistent formatting | 23 files |
| 2. Usings | Removed 47 unused usings | 18 files |
| 3. Analyzers | Fixed 12 warnings (8 nullability, 3 unused vars, 1 obsolete) | 9 files |
| 4. Dead Code | Removed 3 unused types, 5 unused methods | 6 files |
| 5. TODOs | Fixed 2, created issues for 3, removed 1 stale | 5 files |
| 6. Sealed | Sealed 14 classes | 14 files |
| 7. CancellationToken | Added propagation to 8 async chains | 11 files |
**Total: 7 commits, 86 files improved**
Example
User: /de-sloppify — full pass before the release
Claude: Running the 7-step pipeline...
Step 1: dotnet format — 23 files reformatted. Build + tests green. Committed.
Step 2: IDE0005 — 47 unused usings removed across 18 files. Green. Committed.
Step 3: 12 warnings triaged: 8 nullability fixed with null checks,
3 unused vars removed, 1 CS0618 migrated off the obsolete API. Committed.
Step 4: find_dead_code → 9 candidates. Safety check: PaymentProcessor is
registered via DI convention — kept. Removed 3 types, 5 methods. Committed.
Step 5: 6 TODOs → 2 fixed, 3 became issues (#141-#143), 1 stale removed. Committed.
Step 6: 14 classes sealed (2 skipped: xUnit fixture base, virtual members). Committed.
Step 7: 8 async chains now propagate ct end-to-end. Committed.
7 commits, 86 files improved. Full report above.
Related
references/cleanup-steps.md— per-step commands, safety checks, examples/verify— run the full verification pipeline after cleanup/health-check— re-grade the project to quantify the improvement/code-review— cleanup handles style; review handles logic and design