Vibe-Code Cleanup — Production Refactor Skill

A safe, incremental cleanup workflow for AI-generated / vibe-coded fullstack apps. The goal is to make the codebase production-ready without breaking anything that already works.

When to Use

• Use when a rapidly built app works but has broken imports, duplicated logic, dead code, unclear environment variables, or fragile release hygiene.
• Use before launch or handoff to convert exploratory code into a maintainable production baseline.
• Use when cleanup must preserve existing behavior and avoid broad rewrites of routes, APIs, auth, data models, or integrations.

Core Philosophy

Surgery, not demolition. Remove only what is provably dead. Preserve everything else.

Never: - Rewrite working systems for cosmetic reasons - Rename routes, slugs, or API endpoints that may be indexed or cached - Change tool inputs/outputs, API contracts, DB schema, or auth flow - Delete files you haven't verified are unused - Make broad sweeping changes in a single commit

Always: - Make small, targeted, reversible changes - Validate after every meaningful batch of changes - Prefer shared helpers over copy-pasted blocks - Keep backward compatibility

Step 1 — Reconnaissance (read before touching)

Before changing anything, map the codebase:

# List all pages/routes
find . -type f \( -name 'page.js' -o -name 'page.jsx' -o -name 'page.ts' -o -name 'page.tsx' \)
find pages -type f \( -name '*.js' -o -name '*.jsx' -o -name '*.ts' -o -name '*.tsx' \) | rg -v '/_' | sort

# Find broken imports (TS projects)
npx tsc --noEmit 2>&1 | head -80

# Find unused exports (optional, for larger projects)
npx ts-prune 2>/dev/null | head -40

# Check for console.log / debug leftovers
grep -r "console\.log\|debugger\|TODO\|FIXME\|HACK" --include="*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}" -l
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Document what you find. Do NOT change yet.

Step 2 — Fix Broken Imports First

Broken imports cause build failures and should be fixed before anything else.

# TypeScript: list all errors
npx tsc --noEmit 2>&1

# Common patterns to fix:
# - Missing file (file was deleted or renamed)
# - Wrong relative path (../lib vs ../../lib)
# - Named export that doesn't exist
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Fix rule: Fix the import reference. Do NOT delete the referenced file unless you've confirmed it's unused everywhere.

Step 3 — Identify Dead Code (verify before removing)

A file/export is safe to remove only if: 1. No other file imports it (grep-confirmed) 2. It's not referenced in config, sitemap, or route manifest 3. It's not a public-facing URL (page.js, route.js)

# Check if a file is imported anywhere
grep -r "from.*my-file\|require.*my-file" --include="*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}" .

# Check if a component is used anywhere  
grep -r "MyComponent" --include="*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}" .
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Step 4 — Consolidate Repeated Logic into Helpers

Look for repeated patterns (metadata blocks, API fetch wrappers, error handlers) that appear in 3+ places.

Good consolidation targets: - Page-level SEO metadata (Open Graph, Twitter cards, canonical) - Fetch wrappers with error handling - Repeated utility functions (slugify, formatDate, truncate)

Bad consolidation targets (leave alone): - One-off business logic - Route handlers with different contracts - Anything touching DB schema or auth

Pattern for shared metadata helper (Next.js):

// lib/socialMetadata.js
export function buildPageMetadata({ title, description, path, image }) {
  const baseUrl = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL || 'https://yourdomain.com';
  const imageUrl = image?.startsWith('http') ? image : `${baseUrl}${image}`;

  return {
    title,
    description,
    openGraph: {
      title,
      description,
      url: `${baseUrl}${path}`,
      images: [{ url: imageUrl, width: 1200, height: 630, alt: title }],
    },
    twitter: {
      card: 'summary_large_image',
      title,
      description,
      images: [imageUrl],
    },
    alternates: {
      canonical: `${baseUrl}${path}`,
    },
  };
}
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Step 5 — Environment Variable Audit

# List all env vars used in code
grep -r "process\.env\." --include="*.{js,ts,jsx,tsx}" . | grep -oP 'process\.env\.\w+' | sort -u

# Compare against .env.example or .env.local
cat .env.example 2>/dev/null || cat .env.local 2>/dev/null
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Flag any env vars used in code but missing from .env.example. Never add secrets to version control.

Step 6 — Validate After Every Batch

Run this after every meaningful batch of cleanup changes:

# TypeScript check
npx tsc --noEmit

# Lint
npx eslint . --ext .js,.jsx,.ts,.tsx --max-warnings 0

# Build (catches runtime issues TypeScript misses)
npm run build

# Tests (if present)
npm test -- --runInBand --passWithNoTests
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If build or typecheck breaks → revert the last batch before continuing.

Step 7 — Commit Strategy

Each commit should be a single logical unit:

fix: remove broken import in app/blog/page.js
refactor: consolidate social metadata into lib/socialMetadata.js  
chore: remove verified-unused utils/oldHelper.js
fix: standardize env var references to NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL
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Never bundle UI changes + logic changes + file deletions in one commit. Smaller commits = easier rollback.

What NOT to Clean Up

Treat these as off-limits unless there's a verified bug:

Cleanup Checklist

• [ ] TypeScript errors fixed
• [ ] No broken imports
• [ ] Dead code removed (grep-verified)
• [ ] Shared helpers created for repeated patterns (3+ uses)
• [ ] No hardcoded secrets or local-only URLs
• [ ] All env vars documented in .env.example
• [ ] Build passes
• [ ] Tests pass (or no tests exist)
• [ ] Lint passes
• [ ] Each commit is scoped and explainable

Limitations

• Does not infer product intent from code alone; confirm behavior before deleting routes, components, API contracts, or data models.
• Cleanup should be applied in small reviewed batches because broad refactors can hide regressions.
• Avoid changing auth, billing, persistence, or third-party integration behavior without explicit requirements and tests.