Absolute prune

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Absolute Prune

Cut dead growth from the repo: unused dependencies, unreferenced exports, unreachable code, orphaned files. Evidence-based — every removal is backed by a tool that proves nothing references it — applied in safe waves with tests green after each.

Runs the shared engine in references/health-engine.md — read it for the DETECT → SCAN → TRIAGE → FIX → VERIFY → REPORT loop and the safety contract. This file covers only what's specific to pruning.

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When to use

• "Remove dead code", "clean up unused deps", "what can we delete?".
• Bundle/install bloat from packages nothing imports anymore.
• Post-refactor orphans: files and exports left behind after a feature was rerouted.

prune vs simplify: simplify polishes your working git diff. prune sweeps the whole committed repo for things that are dead repo-wide. Use simplify mid-change; prune as standing cleanup on green main.

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What it scans

Dead dependencies — declared but never imported (and missing deps that are imported but undeclared):

Ecosystem	Tool
JS/TS	depcheck or knip (knip also covers exports/files)
Python	deptry
Go	go mod tidy (diff), unused module detection

Dead code — unreferenced exports, unreachable branches, orphaned files:

Ecosystem	Tool
JS/TS	knip (exports/files), ts-prune, eslint no-unused-vars
Python	vulture, ruff unused rules
Go	deadcode ./..., staticcheck (U1000)

Prefer tools already in the project. Treat results as candidates — verify each isn't reached via dynamic import, reflection, DI, public API, or a config string before removing.

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Risk ranking (TRIAGE)

Wave	Removal	Default
1	unused devDeps, unreferenced local exports/functions	fix now — lowest risk
2	unused runtime deps, orphaned internal files	fix this pass after confirming no dynamic ref
3	anything reachable via public API, plugin system, dynamic require, reflection, or config	gated / usually defer — high false-positive risk

Static tools miss dynamic references. Anything in wave 3, or anything a tool flags but you can't prove is dead, gets confirmed with the user or deferred — never auto-removed.

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Fix & verify

• Remove in small, reversible waves. One category per wave (e.g. "unused devDeps", then "orphaned files").
• After each wave: full test + build + typecheck. A green typecheck/build is the proof the removed symbol truly had no references. If anything goes red, the symbol wasn't dead — revert and reclassify.
• Removing a dep: drop it from the manifest, regenerate the lockfile, rebuild.
• Don't delete: generated files, vendored code, public-API surface, or anything load-bearing for a config/plugin you can't trace. Report those as "suspected dead, needs human call". Treat preferences.health.protectedPaths from config as never-delete globs — anything matching is out of scope even if a tool flags it.

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Gotchas

1. Trusting the tool blindly. Dynamic imports, DI containers, reflection, and string-keyed lookups defeat static analysis. Confirm before deleting.
2. Removing public API. A library's unused-internally export may be its whole point. Check the package entry points / exports map.
3. Deleting generated or vendored files. They look orphaned but are rebuilt/checked-in on purpose.
4. Big-bang prune. Deleting everything flagged in one commit makes regressions un-bisectable. Wave it.
5. Scope creep into refactor. prune removes dead things; it does not restructure live code. Restructuring → simplify or work.

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Companion commands

• /absolute simplify — for restructuring/clarity of live code in your diff.
• /absolute upgrade — pairs well: prune unused deps, then upgrade what remains.
• /absolute debt — pruning often clears a batch of lint/unused-var warnings too.