request-refactor-plan

Adversarial interview to break a refactor into the smallest commits that each leave the codebase green.

Scope fence

Refactor-plan is structural-only and scope-narrow: rename, extract, move, split, merge, dedupe, type-tighten, dependency invert. No behavior change. No new features. No bug fixes bundled in.

For general feature work or behavior change, use general implementation planning. For executing a refactor that intentionally breaks compat, use the break-compat refactor workflow.

Output

Default: write plan to <project-root>/docs/refactor-plans/<kebab-name>.md.

Optional --emit-issue: after writing the file, also file a GitHub issue with gh issue create --body-file <path>.

Interview protocol (linear)

1. Solicit a long description of the perceived problem and any sketched solutions. Do not act yet.
2. Dispatch Explore agent to verify the user's claims against the actual code; produce a structural map of the affected surface.
3. Confront with alternatives. List 2-3 options with concrete trade-offs and a recommendation.
4. Pin scope explicitly. Enumerate what changes AND what stays untouched.
5. Audit test coverage of the affected surface. Use git grep -l for callsite-adjacent assertions, plus extension-and-glob test discovery: fd -g '.test.ts' -g '.spec.ts' (Node), fd -g 'test.go' (Go), fd -g 'test.py' -g 'test.py' (Python), fd -g 'test.rs' plus git grep -n '#\[test\]' (Rust), fd -g 'test.ml' -g 'test.ml' (OCaml).
6. Decompose into the smallest commits where each leaves the tree green. Fowler's rule: "make each refactoring step as small as possible."
7. Write the plan file using the template below.
8. If --emit-issue was passed, mirror to GitHub.

Plan file template

# Refactor: <name>

## Problem
<developer's framing of the pain>

## Solution
<chosen approach in one paragraph>

## Commits
<numbered list; each commit is one concern; each leaves the tree green; plain English, no file paths>

## Decisions
- modules touched
- interfaces modified
- schema/API contract changes
- explicit non-decisions

## Testing
- what counts as a good test (external behavior, not internals)
- modules under test
- prior-art tests in the repo

## Out of scope
<explicit non-goals>

Avoid file paths and code snippets in the plan; both go stale within hours.

Parallel examples

TypeScript (Nest module split): "Extract BillingModule from AppModule" decomposes into: (1) move providers, (2) re-export public types, (3) update import sites in batches of 5, (4) delete dead re-exports. Each commit passes pnpm typecheck && pnpm test.

Rust (crate carve-out): "Split parser from core crate" decomposes into: (1) add new parser crate skeleton, (2) move types with pub use shim, (3) move impls behind shim, (4) flip downstream use paths, (5) delete shim. Each commit passes cargo check --workspace && cargo test.