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.
“基于 Martin Fowler 方法论做系统化重构。Use when users ask to refactor code, improve structure, reduce technical debt, clean up legacy code, or improve maintainability.”
Install Fowler-Style Refactoring
$ npx skills add lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn refactor --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/03-skills/refactor .claude/skills/refactor && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.
Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/
Install the "refactor" agent skill from https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn/tree/main/03-skills/refactor into .claude/skills/refactor/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refactor", 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.
$skill-installer install https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn/tree/main/03-skills/refactorType this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.
$ npx skills add lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn refactor --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/03-skills/refactor .agents/skills/refactor && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "refactor" agent skill from https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn/tree/main/03-skills/refactor into .agents/skills/refactor/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refactor", 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 lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn refactor --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/03-skills/refactor .cursor/skills/refactor && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "refactor" agent skill from https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn/tree/main/03-skills/refactor into .cursor/skills/refactor/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refactor", 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.
$ gemini skills install https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.git --path 03-skills/refactor--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn refactor --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/03-skills/refactor .gemini/skills/refactor && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.
Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "refactor" agent skill from https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn/tree/main/03-skills/refactor into .gemini/skills/refactor/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refactor", 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 lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn refactorInstalls 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 lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/03-skills/refactor .github/skills/refactor && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.
GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "refactor" agent skill from https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn/tree/main/03-skills/refactor into .github/skills/refactor/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refactor", 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 lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn refactor --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/03-skills/refactor .opencode/skills/refactor && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "refactor" agent skill from https://github.com/lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn/tree/main/03-skills/refactor into .opencode/skills/refactor/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "refactor", 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
refactor- GitHub stars
- 2.3k
- Token cost
- ~156 tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 50 words
- Files
- 6 (incl. scripts, references)
- Skills in repo
- 7
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- MIT
At a glance
- Works in 6 steps: Research & Analysis → Test Coverage Assessment → Code Smell Identification → …
- SKILL.md covers 工作流概览, 核心原则 and 输出要求
- Runs Python scripts from its folder
About this skill
Fowler-Style Refactoring is a skill in lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn (2.3k stars). Its SKILL.md is about 156 tokens, with 5 other files in the folder (scripts, references). Licence: MIT.
Workflow steps
6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.
- Research & Analysis
- Test Coverage Assessment
- Code Smell Identification
- Refactoring Plan Creation
- Incremental Implementation
- Review & Iteration
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit f0da0c6. 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
Ships 2 files in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
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
Fowler-Style Refactoring loads about 156 tokens when it runs, and up to ~672 if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 41 tokens; SKILL.md has 50 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); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.
SKILL.md
The full file from lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn at commit f0da0c6, republished under its MIT licence (© lhfer). 50 words, ~156 tokens.
Download SKILL.mdSave it as
.claude/skills/refactor/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 5 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.- name
- refactor
- description
- 基于 Martin Fowler 方法论做系统化重构。Use when users ask to refactor code, improve structure, reduce technical debt, clean up legacy code, or improve maintainability.
Code Refactoring Skill / 重构技能
这个 skill 用于安全、渐进式地做重构，重点强调：
- 外部行为不变
- 小步迭代
- 测试先行
- 每个阶段都可回退
工作流概览
- Research & Analysis
- Test Coverage Assessment
- Code Smell Identification
- Refactoring Plan Creation
- Incremental Implementation
- Review & Iteration
核心原则
- Behavior Preservation
- Small Steps
- Test-Driven
- Continuous
- Collaborative
输出要求
- 先说明问题和目标
- 再给分阶段计划
- 每步都说明风险和验证方式
© lhfer, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file
Files
SKILL.md and 5 other files (scripts, references) in 03-skills/refactor of lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn.
- SKILL.md
- references/code-smells.md
- references/refactoring-catalog.md
- scripts/analyze-complexity.py
- scripts/detect-smells.py
- templates/refactoring-plan.md
Open the folder on GitHubat commit f0da0c6
Compare with similar skills
Fowler-Style Refactoring 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fowler-Style Refactoring this skilllhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn | 2.3k | — | ~156 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Code Refactoring Workflowluongnv89/claude-howto | 42k | — | ~3.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Refactoring Skill (Vietnamese)luongnv89/claude-howto | 42k | — | ~3.1k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Architecture Optimizationwondelai/skills | 2.4k | — | ~7.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Improve Code Qualitywondelai/skills | 2.4k | — | ~6.2k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Systematic Code Refactoringluongnv89/claude-howto | 42k | — | ~3k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
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Categories
Questions about Fowler-Style Refactoring
How do I install Fowler-Style Refactoring in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (03-skills/refactor in lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn) into .claude/skills/refactor in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Fowler-Style Refactoring in Codex?
Run `npx skills add lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (03-skills/refactor in lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn) into .agents/skills/refactor in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Fowler-Style Refactoring 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 lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn --skill refactor -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/refactor, .gemini/skills/refactor, .github/skills/refactor and .opencode/skills/refactor in your project.
What does Fowler-Style Refactoring need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Fowler-Style Refactoring needs Python for the scripts in its folder.
Does Fowler-Style Refactoring access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Fowler-Style Refactoring 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. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.
What licence does Fowler-Style Refactoring use?
Fowler-Style Refactoring is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.
How many tokens does Fowler-Style Refactoring use?
About 156 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 624 characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full. Its references folder adds about 516 tokens, read only when the agent opens those files.
What are the alternatives to Fowler-Style Refactoring?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Fowler-Style Refactoring: Code Refactoring Workflow (luongnv89/claude-howto, 42k stars), Refactoring Skill (Vietnamese) (luongnv89/claude-howto, 42k stars), Architecture Optimization (wondelai/skills, 2.4k stars) and Improve Code Quality (wondelai/skills, 2.4k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Fowler-Style Refactoring?
lhfer (a GitHub user) maintains it in lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn, which has 2,306 GitHub stars. The repository holds 7 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 6, 2026.
Source: lhfer/claude-howto-zh-cn on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.