Dead Code Surgeon - Phased Codebase Audit & Cleanup Roadmap
TEXTYou are a senior software architect specializing in codebase health and technical debt elimination.
Your task is to conduct a surgical dead-code audit — not just detect, but triage and prescribe.
────────────────────────────────────────
PHASE 1 — DISCOVERY (scan everything)
────────────────────────────────────────
Hunt for the following waste categories across the ENTIRE codebase:
A) UNREACHABLE DECLARATIONS
• Functions / methods never invoked (including indirect calls, callbacks, event handlers)
• Variables & constants written but never read after assignment
• Types, classes, structs, enums, interfaces defined but never instantiated or extended
• Entire source files excluded from compilation or never imported
B) DEAD CONTROL FLOW
• Branches that can never be reached (e.g. conditions that are always true/false,
code after unconditional return / throw / exit)
• Feature flags that have been hardcoded to one state
C) PHANTOM DEPENDENCIES
• Import / require / use statements whose exported symbols go completely untouched in that file
• Package-level dependencies (package.json, go.mod, Cargo.toml, etc.) with zero usage in source
────────────────────────────────────────
PHASE 2 — VERIFICATION (don't shoot living code)
────────────────────────────────────────
Before marking anything dead, rule out these false-positive sources:
- Dynamic dispatch, reflection, runtime type resolution
- Dependency injection containers (wiring via string names or decorators)
- Serialization / deserialization targets (ORM models, JSON mappers, protobuf)
- Metaprogramming: macros, annotations, code generators, template engines
- Test fixtures and test-only utilities
- Public API surface of library targets — exported symbols may be consumed externally
- Framework lifecycle hooks (e.g. beforeEach, onMount, middleware chains)
- Configuration-driven behavior (symbol names in config files, env vars, feature registries)
If any of these exemptions applies, lower the confidence rating accordingly and state the reason.
────────────────────────────────────────
PHASE 3 — TRIAGE (prioritize the cleanup)
────────────────────────────────────────
Assign each finding a Risk Level:
🔴 HIGH — safe to delete immediately; zero external callers, no framework magic
🟡 MEDIUM — likely dead but indirect usage is possible; verify before deleting
🟢 LOW — probably used via reflection / config / public API; flag for human review
────────────────────────────────────────
OUTPUT FORMAT
────────────────────────────────────────
Produce three sections:
### 1. Findings Table
| # | File | Line(s) | Symbol | Category | Risk | Confidence | Action |
|---|------|---------|--------|----------|------|------------|--------|
Categories: UNREACHABLE_DECL / DEAD_FLOW / PHANTOM_DEP
Actions : DELETE / RENAME_TO_UNDERSCORE / MOVE_TO_ARCHIVE / MANUAL_VERIFY / SUPPRESS_WITH_COMMENT
### 2. Cleanup Roadmap
Group findings into three sequential batches based on Risk Level.
For each batch, list:
- Estimated LOC removed
- Potential bundle / binary size impact
- Suggested refactoring order (which files to touch first to avoid cascading errors)
### 3. Executive Summary
| Metric | Count |
|--------|-------|
| Total findings | |
| High-confidence deletes | |
| Estimated LOC removed | |
| Estimated dead imports | |
| Files safe to delete entirely | |
| Estimated build time improvement | |
End with a one-paragraph assessment of overall codebase health
and the top-3 highest-impact actions the team should take first.Overview
Dead Code Surgeon - Phased Codebase Audit & Cleanup Roadmap is a free prompt on OpenRuna. A curated prompt on OpenRuna for builders using ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor.
What this prompt does
"Dead Code Surgeon - Phased Codebase Audit & Cleanup Roadmap" is designed to help you get reliable results from AI assistants for real prompt tasks. A curated prompt on OpenRuna for builders using ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor. It is catalogued in OpenRuna's resource graph so you can discover related prompts, tools, agents, and datasets in one place. Copy the content directly into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Cursor — or use it as a system prompt / skill instruction where applicable.
Use cases
- Use "Dead Code Surgeon - Phased Codebase Audit & Cleanup Roadmap" when you need a repeatable prompt for professional workflows without writing instructions from scratch each time.
- Adapt this prompt for team onboarding — paste into Claude or ChatGPT and iterate on the output with your project context.
- Combine with related tools and prompts in the same OpenRuna category to build a full stack for your use case.
- Reference during code review or planning sessions when you want consistent AI-assisted quality bars.
Example output
When you run this prompt, expect structured output similar to: You are a senior software architect specializing in codebase health and technical debt elimination. Your task is to conduct a surgical dead-code audit — not just detect, but triage and prescribe. ──────────────────────────────────────── PHASE 1 — DISCOVERY (scan everything) ──────────────────────────────────────── Hunt for the following waste categories across the ENTIRE codebase: A) UNREACHABLE DECLARATIONS • Functions / methods never invoked (including indirect calls, callbacks, event handlers) • Variables & constants written but never read after assignment • Types, classes, stru… Outputs vary by model and temperature; treat the first response as a draft and refine with follow-up prompts.
Tips by platform
Claude
In Claude, paste the full prompt as the first user message or add it to Project instructions. Ask Claude to confirm assumptions before executing. For long prompts, use Claude's artifact panel to iterate on structured output.
ChatGPT
In ChatGPT, start a new chat and paste this prompt verbatim. Enable GPT-4o or your preferred model for coding tasks. Use follow-ups like "apply this to [your context]" for best results.
Cursor
In Cursor, add key instructions from this prompt to .cursorrules or a SKILL.md file. Reference it in Agent mode with @ mentions. Keep the original title in comments so teammates can find it on OpenRuna.
Frequently asked questions
- What is "Dead Code Surgeon - Phased Codebase Audit & Cleanup Roadmap"?
- It is a prompt listed on OpenRuna — A curated prompt on OpenRuna for builders using ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor. You can copy and adapt it for ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or other AI tools.
- Is this prompt free to use?
- Most OpenRuna resources are open or CC0-licensed. Check the license on this page before commercial use. Premium collections are clearly marked.
- How do I get the best results?
- Replace any template variables, add your project context, and ask the model to confirm assumptions. Iterate in 2–3 follow-up turns rather than expecting a perfect first response.
- Can I use this with Claude and ChatGPT?
- Yes. The prompt is model-agnostic text. Tips on this page cover Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor specifically.
- Where can I find related resources?
- Scroll to Related resources on this page or browse the category hub on OpenRuna to find connected prompts, tools, and agents in the same topic area.
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