dead-code-finder

Dead Code Finder Skill

Find and identify dead code in the CC Director application to simplify maintenance and reduce codebase complexity.

Scope

INCLUDED directories:

• src/CcDirector.Core/ - Core business logic
• src/CcDirector.Wpf/ - WPF application
• tools/cc-click/ - command-line tool for UI automation

EXCLUDED directories:

• src/CcDirector.Core.Tests/ - Test projects (don't flag as dead code)
• src/CcDirector.TestHarness/ - Test utilities

Analysis Types

1. Unused Project Detection

Find projects (.csproj) that are:

• Not referenced by any other project in the solution
• Not an entry point (WPF app, console app)
• Only referenced by other unused projects (chain detection)

2. Unused File Detection

Find C# files (.cs) where:

• All public classes/interfaces have zero external references
• File is not an entry point (Program.cs, App.xaml.cs)
• File is not a test file

3. Unused XAML Detection

Find XAML files (.xaml) where:

• UserControl or Window is never instantiated
• Not referenced in any other XAML file
• Not the main window (MainWindow.xaml)

4. Unused Service Detection

Find services where:

• Registered in DI (if applicable)
• But never injected or used

Manual Analysis Steps

Step 1: Find Unused Projects

# List all project references in solution
grep -r "ProjectReference" --include="*.csproj" src/

Compare against project list to find unreferenced projects.

Step 2: Find Unused Classes

# Find public classes
grep -r "public class " --include="*.cs" src/ | grep -v Tests

# For each class, search for references
grep -r "ClassName" --include="*.cs" --include="*.xaml" src/

Step 3: Find Unused XAML Components

# Find all XAML files
find src -name "*.xaml" -not -name "App.xaml" -not -name "*.Designer.xaml"

# For each UserControl, search for usage
grep -r "<local:ControlName" --include="*.xaml" src/

Step 4: Find Unused Methods

Use IDE tools or:

# Find public methods
grep -r "public.*\w\+\s*(" --include="*.cs" src/ | grep -v Tests

# Search for method name usage
grep -r "MethodName" --include="*.cs" src/

Output Format

The analysis produces a structured report:

================================================================================
DEAD CODE ANALYSIS REPORT
Generated: {timestamp}
================================================================================

SUMMARY
-------
Potentially unused projects: X
Potentially unused files: Y
Potentially unused controls: Z

================================================================================
SECTION 1: UNUSED PROJECTS (High Confidence)
================================================================================

Project: src/CcDirector.OldFeature/CcDirector.OldFeature.csproj
Status: NOT REFERENCED
Reason: No ProjectReference found in any other .csproj
Action: Review and delete if confirmed unused

---

================================================================================
SECTION 2: UNUSED FILES (High Confidence)
================================================================================

File: src/CcDirector.Core/Legacy/OldHelper.cs
Classes: OldHelper
References found: 0
Action: Review and delete if confirmed unused

---

================================================================================
SECTION 3: UNUSED XAML CONTROLS (High Confidence)
================================================================================

Control: OldDialog.xaml
Location: src/CcDirector.Wpf/Dialogs/
Usage search: <local:OldDialog found 0 times
Action: Review and delete if confirmed unused

---

Safety Guidelines

1. Never auto-delete - Always review before removing code
2. Check git history - Some code may be recently added and not yet integrated
3. Search for string references - Some code is loaded dynamically by name
4. Check configuration files - Services may be registered in config
5. Build after removal - Always run dotnet build cc-director.sln after removing code

Removal Workflow

When you've confirmed code is dead:

1. Document the removal in the commit message
2. Remove in order: Files first, then projects
3. Update solution file if removing projects
4. Build the solution to verify nothing breaks
5. Run tests if applicable

# Remove project from solution
dotnet sln cc-director.sln remove "src/path/to/project.csproj"

# Delete the project directory
rm -rf "src/path/to/project"

# Build to verify
dotnet build cc-director.sln

# Run tests
dotnet test src/CcDirector.Core.Tests

Common False Positives

Entry Points - These are NEVER dead code:

• CcDirector.Wpf - Main WPF app
• CcClick - CLI tool
• CcDirector.TestHarness - Test utility

Infrastructure Code:

• App.xaml / App.xaml.cs
• AssemblyInfo.cs
• Extension methods classes
• Attribute classes

XAML Resources:

• Styles defined in ResourceDictionaries
• Converters used via StaticResource

---

Skill Version: 1.0 Last Updated: 2026-02-14 Adapted from: sampleWeb dead-code-finder skill