surgeon

Purpose

Incremental refactorer that operates on ONE module per session using proven refactoring patterns. Surgeon is precise and safe — it applies small, tested changes with strict blast radius limits. Each surgery session ends with working, tested code committed.

<HARD-GATE> - Blast radius MUST be checked before starting (max 5 files) - Safeguard MUST have run before any edit is made - Tests MUST pass after every single edit — never accumulate failing tests - Never refactor two coupled modules in the same session </HARD-GATE>

Called By (inbound)

• rescue (L1): Phase 2-N SURGERY — one surgery session per module
• improve-architecture (L2): hand-off with proposal payload (depth/leverage/locality target + adapter list) — surgeon executes the deepening

Calls (outbound)

• scout (L2): understand module dependencies, consumers, and blast radius
• safeguard (L2): if untested module found, build safety net first
• improve-architecture (L2): if no proposal payload provided, request one before refactoring
• debug (L2): when refactoring reveals hidden bugs
• fix (L2): apply refactoring changes
• test (L2): verify after each change (REPLACE old shallow-module tests with deepened-interface tests, don't layer)
• review (L2): quality check on refactored code
• journal (L3): update rescue progress

Consuming proposal payloads

When invoked by improve-architecture, surgeon receives a proposal payload (YAML) containing:

• module_path — target
• current / target scores (depth/leverage/locality)
• dependency_category — informs test strategy
• suggested_seam — name of the deepened interface
• adapters_planned — at least 2 adapters means a real seam; surgeon implements all listed
• tests_to_replace — old shallow-module tests; DELETE in same commit as new tests land
• tests_to_write_new — at the deepened interface

Honor the payload. If the payload's adapters_planned lists only 1 adapter, push back — single-adapter seam is indirection.

Execution Steps

Step 1 — Pre-surgery scan

Call rune:scout targeting the module to refactor. Ask scout to return:

• All files the module imports (dependencies)
• All files that import the module (consumers)
• Total file count touched (blast radius check)

Count the unique files that would be modified in this surgery session.
If count > 5 → STOP. Split surgery into smaller sessions.
Report which files are in scope and which must wait for a later session.

Confirm that rune:safeguard has already run for this module (check for tests/char/<module>.test.ts and rune-safeguard-<module> git tag).

If safeguard has NOT run, call rune:safeguard now before continuing. Do not skip this.

Step 2 — Select refactoring pattern

Based on module characteristics from scout, choose ONE pattern:

Pattern	When to use
Strangler Fig	Module > 500 LOC with many consumers. New code grows alongside legacy, consumers migrate one by one.
Branch by Abstraction	Tightly coupled module. Create interface → wrap legacy behind it → build new impl → flip the switch.
Expand-Migrate-Contract	Changing a function signature or data shape. Expand (add new), migrate callers, contract (remove old). Each phase = one commit.
Extract & Simplify	Specific function with cyclomatic complexity > 10. Extract sub-functions, simplify conditionals.

State the chosen pattern explicitly before starting.

Step 3 — Refactor

Use Edit for all code changes. Rules:

• One logical change per Edit call — do not batch unrelated changes
• Changes MUST be small and reversible
• Never rewrite a file from scratch — use targeted edits
• Never change more than 5 files total in this session
• If a change reveals a hidden bug, stop and call rune:debug before continuing

Multi-layer refactors: when the deepening or extraction touches 2+ layers within the module (e.g., types + logic + interface), decompose into vertical-slice tracer-bullet edits rather than horizontal layer passes. Each slice = one end-to-end edit chain that produces a verifiable outcome (one Edit per layer, immediately tested). See plan/references/vertical-slice.md for slice rules and granularity. Horizontal "all-types-then-all-logic-then-all-interface" passes are forbidden inside surgeon — they break the "test after each Edit" discipline (Step 4) by leaving intermediate states untestable.

For Strangler Fig: Create the new module file first, then update one consumer at a time.

For Branch by Abstraction: Create the interface first (commit), wrap legacy (commit), build new impl (commit), switch (commit). Four commits minimum.

For Expand-Migrate-Contract: Expand (add new API alongside old), migrate each caller (one commit per caller if possible), contract (remove old API last).

For Extract & Simplify: Extract sub-functions one at a time. Each extraction = one commit.

Step 4 — Test after each change

After every Edit, call rune:test targeting:

1. The characterization tests from tests/char/<module>.test.ts
2. Any existing unit tests for the module
3. Any consumer tests affected by this change

If any test fails → STOP. Do NOT continue with more edits.
Call rune:debug to investigate. Fix before next edit.
The code MUST stay in a working state after every single change.

Step 5 — Review

After all edits for this session are complete and tests pass, call rune:review on the changed files.

Address any CRITICAL or HIGH issues raised by review before committing.

Step 6 — Commit

Use Bash to commit this surgery step:

git add <changed files>
git commit -m "refactor(<module>): [pattern] — [what was done]"

The commit message MUST describe which pattern was used and what changed. Each commit must leave the codebase in a fully working state.

Step 7 — Update journal

Call rune:journal to record:

• Module operated on
• Pattern used
• Files changed
• Health score delta (estimated)
• What remains for next session (if partial)

Refactoring Patterns

STRANGLER FIG           — New code grows around legacy (module > 500 LOC, many consumers)
BRANCH BY ABSTRACTION   — Interface → wrap legacy → build new → switch
EXPAND-MIGRATE-CONTRACT — Each step is one safe commit
EXTRACT & SIMPLIFY      — For complex functions (cyclomatic > 10)

Safety Rules

- NEVER refactor 2 coupled modules in same session
- ALWAYS run tests after each change
- Max blast radius: 5 files per session
- If context low → STOP, save state, commit partial work
- Each commit must leave code in working state
- Never skip safeguard, even for "simple" changes

Output Format

## Surgery Report: [Module Name]
- **Pattern**: [chosen pattern]
- **Status**: complete | partial (safe stopping point reached)
- **Health**: [before] → [after estimated]
- **Files Changed**: [list, max 5]
- **Commits**: [count]

### Steps Taken
1. [step] — [result] — [test status]

### Remaining (if partial)
- [what's left for next surgery session]
- Recommended: re-run rune:surgeon targeting [module] — session 2

### Next Step
[if complete]: Run rune:autopsy to update health scores
[if partial]: Commit this checkpoint, then start new surgeon session for remaining work

Constraints

1. MUST verify safeguard tests pass before making any edit
2. MUST check blast radius before starting — max 5 files per session
3. MUST run tests after EVERY individual edit — never accumulate untested changes
4. MUST NOT change function signatures without updating all callers
5. MUST preserve external behavior — refactoring changes structure, not behavior

Sharp Edges

Known failure modes for this skill. Check these before declaring done.

Failure Mode	Severity	Mitigation
Editing without confirming safeguard ran first	CRITICAL	HARD-GATE: check for tests/char/<module>.test.* AND rune-safeguard-<module> tag before first edit
Exceeding 5-file blast radius without splitting	HIGH	HARD-GATE: count files in scope before starting — stop and split if > 5
Batching multiple edits before running tests	HIGH	HARD-GATE: run tests after every single Edit call — never accumulate untested changes
Wrong pattern chosen for module size/type	MEDIUM	Match pattern explicitly: Strangler Fig = large/many-consumers, Extract = high cyclomatic complexity
Not committing at safe stopping points when context runs low	MEDIUM	Every commit = working state — stop before context limit, not after losing partial work

Done When

• Safeguard confirmed (char tests + rollback tag exist)
• Blast radius checked and within 5 files
• Refactoring pattern selected and stated explicitly
• All edits applied with tests passing after each individual edit
• Characterization tests still pass after all changes
• review passed on changed files
• Surgery committed with message format refactor(<module>): <pattern> — <description>
• journal updated with module health delta and remaining work

Returns

Artifact	Format	Location
Refactored module	Edited source files (max 5)	in-place
Before/after diff	Git diff	via git diff
Surgery Report	Markdown	inline
Git commit(s)	Conventional commits	git history
Journal entry	Text	via journal L3

Cost Profile

~3000-6000 tokens input, ~1000-2000 tokens output. Sonnet. One module per session.

Scope guardrail: surgeon operates on ONE module per session (max 5 files). Any work beyond that scope must be deferred to a separate surgeon session.