Interlinked Simplification

interlinked-simplification — evidence before removal

Interlinked's simplification surface finds code that may be unnecessary without treating static signals as permission to delete it. Local analysis is deterministic, offline, advisory, and does not invoke an LLM or apply a fix. The only optional write, --record, stores findings metadata; it never edits source or changes the branch.

Choose the scope

For dense JS/TS, interlinked metrics expressions <path> --json supplies advisory locations and measurements. A smaller function or lower branch count is not a complete review. Name domain concepts while preserving the context their decisions require; explicit iteration and compact named pipelines can both be appropriate. Review whether dependent checks reuse the same prerequisite observation, distinguish failure from not-evaluated, and make success claims only about what was established. Preserve command origin, suite and execution phase until availability decisions are complete. Validate relevant failure cases from the requirement; these questions are semantic review guidance, not static proofs or new automatic blockers. See interlinked-quality-gates for budgets.

simplify audit is intentionally distinct from top-level interlinked audit verify, which checks the tamper-evident guard-decision chain. It is also distinct from interlinked debt, whose list, show, and resolve verbs operate the automatic obligation ledger.

For a small active change, interlinked tests review [paths...] --base HEAD --json combines behavioral review prompts with at most five local simplification candidates. It does not run tests or certify the change. Python advice covers trailing continue, elif after an unconditional return/raise, large parameter-forwarding sets, and private single-use forwarding helpers. Locations identify the statement rather than charging its enclosing block. Dataclass counts, boundary validation, tuple returns and section banners are not blanket penalties. The python_simplification family and single_use_trivial_helper are advisory. Review the callers and domain contract before applying advice; retain useful abstraction boundaries.

Metrics deletion trials

For explained verbosity and erosion, metrics diagnostics --profile js-ts|python [--json] provides separate, versioned line-overlap and complexity-contribution profiles. Neither is a benchmark-compatible score or removal proof. simplify review --diagnostics js-ts|python explicitly adds its clone/pattern candidates to the normal scoped review, overlap groups, coverage receipts and optional --record flow. It runs a full census for clone context, then selects changed/staged/range candidates and related peers. Omitting the option adds no census. Source hashes remain in evidence; estimated removals are null, validation is not_run, and auto-fix is false. Python's declared analyzed paths cover only its limited diagnostic adapter, not all simplification capabilities. Retain public seams and useful domain abstractions. Use interlinked-quality-gates for profiles, budgets, gaps and snapshot comparison.

The separate metrics deletions [--cwd <path>] [--json] command joins static redundancy candidates with current coverage and exact-site mutation receipts. Public APIs, dynamic consumers and missing measurements remain review blockers. A surviving mutant, including paired forced-true/forced-false survivors, is not proof that source can be removed.

metrics deletions validate plan.json [--timeout <ms>] [--json] tests an explicit removal plan in a disposable copy. Schema 1 edits specify relative paths, exact sourceSha256, and UTF-16 half-open start/end ranges. Checks specify kind and argv; both test and typecheck are required, with optional build. Baseline checks must pass before candidate checks. A checks-passed verdict records only the supplied checks' scope, keeps review required and leaves the source checkout unchanged. Use interlinked-quality-gates for the associated receipt freshness, operator-policy and scoring contracts.

The five remedy lenses

The current local adapters cover JavaScript/TypeScript dead-code and mutation-disposition evidence, the single-implementation-interface signal, private delegate-only wrappers, private one-product factories, never-read configuration fields, root runtime dependencies without a covered static import, and cyclomatic hotspots. They emit advisory delete, yagni, and shrink candidates. stdlib and native replacement—and semantic safety for every remedy—still require deeper review; a handoff requests all five without pretending the local scanner checked them.