Elevate Code

Transform any project into production-quality software using proven patterns.

The Problem: Most projects fail in predictable ways—users can't set them up, accidents cause data loss, crashes waste hours of progress, code becomes unmaintainable, errors are cryptic. These aren't bugs; they're missing patterns.

The Solution: Elevate systematically applies 12 battle-tested patterns that distinguish amateur code from production software.

Quick Start

The 12 Patterns

The Foundation: The Triad (Patterns 1-3)

Three non-negotiable properties. If your project lacks any of these, fix them first.

Setup should verify. Mistakes should undo. Crashes should resume.

The Complete Set (Patterns 4-12)

Elevation Workflow

Step 1: Detect Project Type

Scan for file markers to identify project type and load the appropriate checklist:

Step 2: Scan for Existing Patterns

For each of the 12 patterns, grep for indicators and score as Present, Partial, or Missing:

# Triad
grep -rE "(doctor|check|verify|preflight)" .         # Health
grep -rE "(undo|restore|trash|dry-run)" .            # Safety
grep -rE "(checkpoint|resume|state\.json)" .         # Resilience

# Structure
grep -rE "(@dataclass|interface |TypedDict)" .       # Data Models
grep -rE "(pytest|vitest|conftest|\.test\.)" .       # Testing

# Quality
grep -rE "(retry|backoff|graceful)" .                # Error Handling

Step 3: Generate Gap Report

## Gap Analysis: <project-name>

**Project Type**: <detected-type>
**Patterns Detected**: X/12

### Present
- [x] Pattern Name - evidence found

### Partial
- [~] Pattern Name - what exists, what's missing

### Missing
- [ ] Pattern Name - why it matters

Step 4: Propose Transformations

For each gap, propose specific changes. Prioritize by impact:

1. Triad first (Doctor, Safety, Statekeeper)
2. Data Models (foundation for everything else)
3. Error Handling (user experience)
4. Testing (confidence to change)
5. Everything else

Step 5: Generate Scaffold

For missing patterns, generate files from templates/<project-type>/:

• Customize with project name
• Show diff preview before writing

Success Criteria

A fully elevated project passes:

• Triad: doctor ✓, undo ✓, resume ✓
• Type Safety: All data structures typed (dataclass/interface)
• Module Separation: One module = one responsibility
• Error Messages: Include what + why + fix
• Tests: Mocked external deps, >80% coverage on core
• Build Config: Standard tooling (pyproject.toml / package.json)
• AI Collaboration: CLAUDE.md with architecture
• Output Modes: Human + --json + --quiet

Elevate: Because production-quality isn't about perfection—it's about patterns.