Systematic Code Refactoring
luongnv89/claude-howto
Guides refactoring in phases based on Martin Fowler's method: research, test coverage check, planning and small tested steps, with your approval at each phase.
Thorough, user-invoked tech debt and architecture audit of the current codebase.
Install Tech Debt Audit
$ npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install ksimback/tech-debt-skill tech-debt-audit --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "tech-debt-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/ksimback/tech-debt-skill/tree/main into .claude/skills/tech-debt-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tech-debt-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install ksimback/tech-debt-skill tech-debt-audit --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "tech-debt-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/ksimback/tech-debt-skill/tree/main into .agents/skills/tech-debt-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tech-debt-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install ksimback/tech-debt-skill tech-debt-audit --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "tech-debt-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/ksimback/tech-debt-skill/tree/main into .cursor/skills/tech-debt-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tech-debt-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install ksimback/tech-debt-skill tech-debt-audit --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "tech-debt-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/ksimback/tech-debt-skill/tree/main into .gemini/skills/tech-debt-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tech-debt-audit", then confirm the skill loads.Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ gh skill install ksimback/tech-debt-skill tech-debt-auditInstalls for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "tech-debt-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/ksimback/tech-debt-skill/tree/main into .github/skills/tech-debt-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tech-debt-audit", then confirm the skill loads.GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
$ npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install ksimback/tech-debt-skill tech-debt-audit --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "tech-debt-audit" agent skill from https://github.com/ksimback/tech-debt-skill/tree/main into .opencode/skills/tech-debt-audit/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "tech-debt-audit", then confirm the skill loads.OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.
Facts
- Skill name
tech-debt-audit- GitHub stars
- 616
- Token cost
- ~3.2k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 1,567 words
- Files
- 3
- Skills in repo
- 1
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- None found
At a glance
Thorough, user-invoked tech debt and architecture audit of the current codebase.
- Works in 3 steps: Orient → Audit across these dimensions → Deliverable
- The user asks for a debt audit
- SKILL.md covers Operating principles, Phase 1: Orient, Phase 2: Audit across these… and Phase 3: Deliverable, plus 13 more sections
- Calls cargo, git and npx
What it does
Tech Debt Audit is an agent skill from ksimback/tech-debt-skill. Thorough, user-invoked tech debt and architecture audit of the current codebase. Produces TECHDEBTAUDIT.md with file-cited findings, severity, effort estimates, and a required "looks bad but is actually fine" section. Use when the user asks for a debt audit, codebase health check, architecture review, or code quality assessment of an entire repo. Does not auto-invoke.
Its SKILL.md is about 3.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files (for example `README.md`).
It sits in Development, covering Technical debt. The repository describes itself as: Claude Code skill that produces a thorough, file-cited tech debt audit of an entire codebase.
When your agent uses it
- The user asks for a debt audit
- Codebase health check
- Architecture review
- Code quality assessment of an entire repo
Example prompts
- “looks bad but is actually fine”
- “/tech-debt-audit”
Requirements
- Node.js
Workflow steps
3 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
- Orient
- Audit across these dimensions
- Deliverable
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 5a15c1c. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.
Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
cargogitnpxnpmcurlclaudetscruffmypygo
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, npx, npm and curl, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.
Context cost
Tech Debt Audit loads about 3.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 97 tokens; SKILL.md has 1,567 words of instructions outside code blocks.
Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.
Safety
Auto-check passed
The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.
Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.
SKILL.md
Without a licence we can't republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 1,567 words (~3,203 tokens).
“A Claude Code skill that conducts a deliberate, opinionated audit of an entire codebase and produces TECH_DEBT_AUDIT.md with cited findings.”
- name
- tech-debt-audit
- disable-model-invocation
- true
Files
SKILL.md and 2 other files in the repository root of ksimback/tech-debt-skill.
- SKILL.md
- .gitignore
- README.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 5a15c1c
Compare with similar skills
Tech Debt Audit next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Debt Audit this skillksimback/tech-debt-skill | 616 | — | ~3.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | None | |
| Systematic Code Refactoringluongnv89/claude-howto | 42k | — | ~3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Code Simplification for ego-litecitrolabs/ego-lite | 17k | — | ~1.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Code Refactoring Workflowluongnv89/claude-howto | 42k | — | ~3.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Cto AdvisorIbrahim-3d/orchestrator-supaconductor | 380 | 4 repos | ~2.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Tech Debt Analyzerailabs-393/ai-labs-claude-skills | 454 | 2 repos | ~3.9k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
Similar skills
Code Simplification for ego-lite
citrolabs/ego-lite
Finds and implements evidence-backed simplifications in the ego-lite repository, such as dead code, duplicated state and speculative abstractions, without hiding behavior changes.
Code Refactoring Workflow
luongnv89/claude-howto
Guides systematic, test-backed refactoring in the style of Martin Fowler, moving through research, planning and small incremental changes with your approval at each phase.
Cto Advisor
Ibrahim-3d/orchestrator-supaconductor
Technical leadership guidance for engineering teams, architecture decisions, and technology strategy.
Tech Debt Analyzer
ailabs-393/ai-labs-claude-skills
This skill should be used when analyzing technical debt in a codebase, documenting code quality issues, creating technical debt registers, or assessing code maintainability.
FIXME Resolver
tailcallhq/forgecode
Finds every FIXME comment in a codebase, groups related ones across files into one task, implements the work they describe and removes the comments once it is done.
Related
Categories
Questions about Tech Debt Audit
What does Tech Debt Audit do?
Thorough, user-invoked tech debt and architecture audit of the current codebase. Tech Debt Audit is an agent skill from ksimback/tech-debt-skill. Thorough, user-invoked tech debt and architecture audit of the current codebase.
When should I use Tech Debt Audit?
Tech Debt Audit fits situations like: the user asks for a debt audit; codebase health check; architecture review; code quality assessment of an entire repo.
How do I install Tech Debt Audit in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (the ksimback/tech-debt-skill repository) into .claude/skills/tech-debt-audit in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Tech Debt Audit in Codex?
Run `npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (the ksimback/tech-debt-skill repository) into .agents/skills/tech-debt-audit in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Tech Debt Audit in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?
Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add ksimback/tech-debt-skill --skill tech-debt-audit -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/tech-debt-audit, .gemini/skills/tech-debt-audit, .github/skills/tech-debt-audit and .opencode/skills/tech-debt-audit in your project.
What does Tech Debt Audit need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Tech Debt Audit needs the command-line tools its instructions call (cargo, git, npx, npm, curl and claude). Our summary lists: Node.js.
Does Tech Debt Audit access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, npx, npm and curl, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Tech Debt Audit safe to install?
Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.
What licence does Tech Debt Audit use?
No licence was found for Tech Debt Audit or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.
How many tokens does Tech Debt Audit use?
About 3.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 13k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.
What are the alternatives to Tech Debt Audit?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Tech Debt Audit: Systematic Code Refactoring (luongnv89/claude-howto, 42k stars), Code Simplification for ego-lite (citrolabs/ego-lite, 17k stars), Code Refactoring Workflow (luongnv89/claude-howto, 42k stars) and Cto Advisor (Ibrahim-3d/orchestrator-supaconductor, 380 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Tech Debt Audit?
ksimback (a GitHub user) maintains it in ksimback/tech-debt-skill, which has 616 GitHub stars. The repository was last updated on April 25, 2026.
Source: ksimback/tech-debt-skill on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.