/configure:dead-code Skill

/configure:dead-code

Check and configure dead code detection tools.

When to Use This Skill

| Use this skill when... | Use another approach when... | |------------------------|------------------------------| | Setting up dead code detection for a new project | Running an existing dead code scan (knip, vulture) | | Auditing whether Knip, Vulture, or cargo-machete is configured correctly | Manually removing specific unused exports or imports | | Migrating between dead code detection tools | Debugging why a specific file is flagged as unused | | Adding dead code checks to CI/CD pipelines | Reviewing dead code findings one by one | | Standardizing dead code detection across a monorepo | Configuring linting rules (/configure:linting instead) |

Context

Project root: !pwd
Package files: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'package.json' -o -name 'pyproject.toml' -o -name 'Cargo.toml' \)
Knip config: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name 'knip.json' -o -name 'knip.config.*' \)
Vulture config: !find . -maxdepth 1 \( -name '.vulture' -o -name 'vulture.ini' \)
Pre-commit: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.pre-commit-config.yaml'
Project standards: !find . -maxdepth 1 -name '.project-standards.yaml'

Parameters

Parse from command arguments:

--check-only: Report compliance status without modifications (CI/CD mode)
--fix: Apply fixes automatically without prompting
--tool <knip|vulture|deadcode|machete>: Override tool detection

Dead code detection tools:

JavaScript/TypeScript: Knip (finds unused files, exports, dependencies)
Python: Vulture or deadcode (finds unused code)
Rust: cargo-machete (finds unused dependencies)

Execution

Execute this dead code detection compliance check:

Step 1: Detect project language and existing tools

Check for language and tool indicators:

| Indicator | Language | Tool | |-----------|----------|------| | knip.json or knip.config.* | JavaScript/TypeScript | Knip | | package.json with knip | JavaScript/TypeScript | Knip | | pyproject.toml [tool.vulture] | Python | Vulture | | .vulture or vulture.ini | Python | Vulture | | Cargo.toml | Rust | cargo-machete |

Use WebSearch or WebFetch to verify latest versions before configuring.

Step 2: Analyze current configuration

For the detected tool, check configuration completeness:

Knip:

[ ] Config file exists (knip.json or knip.config.*)
[ ] Entry points configured
[ ] Ignore patterns set
[ ] Plugin configurations
[ ] Workspace support (monorepo)
[ ] CI integration

Vulture:

[ ] Configuration file exists
[ ] Minimum confidence set
[ ] Paths configured
[ ] Ignore patterns
[ ] Allowlist file (if needed)

cargo-machete:

[ ] Installed as cargo subcommand
[ ] Workspace configuration
[ ] CI integration

Step 3: Generate compliance report

Print a formatted compliance report:

Dead Code Detection Compliance Report
======================================
Project: [name]
Language: [TypeScript | Python | Rust]
Tool: [Knip 5.x | Vulture 2.x | cargo-machete 0.6.x]

Configuration:
  Config file             knip.json                  [EXISTS | MISSING]
  Entry points            configured                 [CONFIGURED | AUTO-DETECTED]
  Ignore patterns         node_modules, dist         [CONFIGURED | INCOMPLETE]
  Plugin support          enabled                    [ENABLED | N/A]

Detection Scope:
  Unused files            enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]
  Unused exports          enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]
  Unused dependencies     enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]
  Unused types            enabled                    [ENABLED | DISABLED]

Scripts:
  dead-code command       package.json scripts       [CONFIGURED | MISSING]

Integration:
  Pre-commit hook         .pre-commit-config.yaml    [OPTIONAL | MISSING]
  CI/CD check             .github/workflows/         [CONFIGURED | MISSING]

Overall: [X issues found]

If --check-only, stop here.

Step 4: Configure dead code detection (if --fix or user confirms)

Apply configuration based on detected language. Use templates from REFERENCE.md:

Install tool (e.g., bun add --dev knip, uv add --group dev vulture)
Create config file with entry points, exclusions, and plugins
Add scripts to package.json or create run commands
Add CI workflow step (warning mode, not blocking)

Step 5: Update standards tracking

Update .project-standards.yaml:

standards_version: "2025.1"
last_configured: "[timestamp]"
components:
  dead_code: "2025.1"
  dead_code_tool: "[knip|vulture|deadcode|machete]"
  dead_code_ci: true

Step 6: Print final report

Print a summary of changes applied, run an initial scan if possible, and provide next steps for reviewing findings.

For detailed configuration templates and usage examples, see REFERENCE.md.

Agentic Optimizations

| Context | Command | |---------|---------| | Quick compliance check | /configure:dead-code --check-only | | Auto-fix all issues | /configure:dead-code --fix | | Run Knip scan (JS/TS) | npx knip --reporter compact | | Run Vulture scan (Python) | vulture . --min-confidence 80 | | Run cargo-machete (Rust) | cargo machete | | CI mode (JSON output) | npx knip --reporter json |

Flags

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | --check-only | Report status without offering fixes | | --fix | Apply all fixes automatically without prompting | | --tool <tool> | Override tool detection (knip, vulture, deadcode, machete) |

Examples

# Check compliance and offer fixes
/configure:dead-code

# Check only, no modifications
/configure:dead-code --check-only

# Auto-fix with Knip
/configure:dead-code --fix --tool knip

Error Handling

No language detected: Cannot determine appropriate tool, error
Tool installation fails: Report error, suggest manual installation
Configuration conflicts: Warn about multiple tools, suggest consolidation
High number of findings: Suggest starting with allowlist

Agent Skills: /configure:dead-code

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