Remove aislop 20260320

gistfile1.txt

---
description: Remove AI-generated slop from branch diff against base
argument-hint: "[base-branch] [additional-context]"
---

# Remove AI Slop

**CRITICAL: Systematically review the current branch and purge AI-generated code smell.**

## Step 1: Identify the Diff

Compare the current branch against the base branch (default: `dev`):

```bash
git diff $ARGUMENTS..HEAD --name-only  # Files changed
git diff $ARGUMENTS..HEAD              # Full diff
```

If `$ARGUMENTS` is empty, use `dev` as the base branch.

---

## Step 1.5: User-Provided Context

**Keep in mind the following additional context from the user:**

~~~~~
$ARGUMENTS
~~~~~

**If the user provided context:**
- Use it to inform slop detection (e.g., "preserve defensive checks in auth code")
- Apply it when making judgment calls about what to remove
- Reference it in your final summary

**If `$ARGUMENTS` is empty or only contains a branch name:**
- Proceed with standard slop removal process
- Apply generic patterns and project guidelines only

---

## Step 2: Discover Project Guidelines

**Before scanning for slop, locate and read the project's standards:**

### Search for Guideline Files

Look for these files in the repository root and common subdirectories:

```bash
# Contribution and style guides
CONTRIBUTING.md
CONTRIBUTING
STYLE_GUIDE.md
STYLE.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
docs/contributing.md
docs/style-guide.md
.github/CONTRIBUTING.md

# AI agent instructions
AGENTS.md
CLAUDE.md
WARP.md
.claude/instructions.md
.cursor/rules/*.md

# Linter and formatter configs
.eslintrc.js
.eslintrc.json
eslint.config.js
biome.json
.prettierrc
.prettierrc.json
.editorconfig
tsconfig.json
pyproject.toml
.rubocop.yml
.golangci.yml

# Language-specific style guides
docs/nushell/nushell-style-guide.md
docs/typescript-conventions.md
docs/python-style.md
```

### Read and Internalize Standards

For each file found:

1. **Read the entire file** - Don't skim, understand the rules
2. **Extract key patterns**:
   - Naming conventions (camelCase, kebab-case, snake_case)
   - Comment style (when to comment, when not to)
   - Error handling patterns
   - Import organization rules
   - Formatting preferences
   - Prohibited patterns or anti-patterns
3. **Note enforcement level**:
   - Hard rules (MUST, REQUIRED, SHALL)
   - Recommendations (SHOULD, RECOMMENDED)
   - Preferences (MAY, OPTIONAL)

### Build Context-Aware Checklist

Augment the generic slop patterns (Step 3) with project-specific rules:

- If the project uses verbose comments, don't remove them
- If the project enforces defensive programming, keep those checks
- If the style guide specifies particular patterns, enforce them
- If linter rules exist, ensure code passes them

**If NO guidelines are found**, proceed with generic slop detection only.

---

## Step 3: Detect Slop Patterns

**Scan every changed file for these AI fingerprints:**

### Comments

- Explanatory comments that a human wouldn't add (e.g., `// This checks if X is valid`)
- Comments inconsistent with surrounding code's style
- Comments that duplicate what the code clearly does
- TODO comments added without context or tracking

### Defensive Programming

- Extra try/catch blocks abnormal for the codebase
- Null checks on already-validated paths
- Type guards after earlier guards covered the case
- Error handling that swallows exceptions silently
- Redundant input validation in internal functions

### Type Workarounds

- Casts to `any` to sidestep type issues
- `as unknown as T` chains
- `@ts-ignore` or `@ts-expect-error` without explanation
- Overly broad generic types (`any[]`, `object`, `{}`)

### Style Inconsistencies

- Naming conventions that don't match the file
- Different formatting than surrounding code
- Import organization that differs from project norms
- Verbose patterns where terse ones are idiomatic

### Unnecessary Fluff

- Emoji usage in code/comments (unless project uses them)
- Overly enthusiastic logging messages
- Placeholder strings like "TODO: Implement this"
- Console.log statements left behind

---

## Step 4: Apply Surgical Fixes

For each file with slop:

1. **Remove** unnecessary comments **unless** project guidelines require verbose documentation
2. **Simplify** over-defensive code (match surrounding style and project error handling patterns)
3. **Fix** type issues properly instead of casting to `any` (follow project's typing conventions)
4. **Align** style with:
   - Project guidelines discovered in Step 2
   - Existing code in the file
   - Linter/formatter configurations
5. **Delete** debug artifacts and placeholder text

**Cross-check each fix against project guidelines** to ensure compliance.

**DO NOT** introduce new functionality or refactor beyond slop removal.

---

## Step 5: Verify Changes

After cleanup:

```bash
# Run linter if configured
npm run lint       # or equivalent (eslint, biome, ruff, etc.)

# Run formatter check if configured
npm run format     # or equivalent (prettier, biome, black, etc.)

# Ensure the build still passes
npm run build      # or project equivalent

# Run tests
npm test           # or project equivalent

# Check the diff is smaller
git diff --stat
```

**If linter/formatter configs were found in Step 2, ensure all checks pass.**

---

## Step 6: Report Summary

**End with a summary of what you changed and guidelines compliance.**

Format:
```
Removed [N] unnecessary comments, simplified [N] defensive blocks, fixed [N] type casts, and aligned style in [file list].
All changes verified against project guidelines: [list key guidelines followed, e.g., "CONTRIBUTING.md naming conventions, biome.json formatting rules"].
User context applied: [mention how user-provided context influenced decisions, if applicable].
```

If no project guidelines were found, state:
```
Removed [N] unnecessary comments, simplified [N] defensive blocks, fixed [N] type casts, and aligned style in [file list].
No project-specific guidelines found; applied generic slop detection only.
User context applied: [mention how user-provided context influenced decisions, if applicable].
```

If no user context was provided beyond the base branch, omit the "User context applied" line.

---

## Rules

- **Minimal changes** - Only remove slop, don't improve working code
- **Match existing style** - The goal is consistency, not perfection
- **Follow project guidelines** - Discovered guidelines take precedence over generic patterns
- **Preserve functionality** - Tests must still pass
- **Verify compliance** - Run linter/formatter if configs exist
- **No scope creep** - If you see unrelated issues, note them separately