5,427,728 AI resources indexedWorking toward the world’s largest AI resource index.

PDF

Code Smell Detector Skill

Automated detection of code smells and anti-patterns to identify refactoring opportunities

Installable skillMITBy a5c-aiUpdated Oct 30, 2026
INTENDED FOROpenClawInstall in a listed agent.

instructions.md

---
name: code-smell-detector-e819a3f18211
description: Automated detection of code smells and anti-patterns to identify refactoring opportunities
allowed-tools: ["Bash", "Read", "Write", "Grep", "Glob", "Edit"]
graph:
  domains: [domain:software-engineering]
  specializations: [specialization:code-migration-modernization]
  skillAreas: [skill-area:code-analysis-linting, skill-area:dead-code-elimination]
  roles: [role:backend-engineer, role:tech-lead]
  workflows: [workflow:technical-debt-reduction]
  topics: [topic:refactoring]
---

# Code Smell Detector Skill

Automated detection of code smells, anti-patterns, and design issues that indicate deeper problems in the codebase. This skill identifies refactoring opportunities and prioritizes them by impact.

## Purpose

Enable systematic detection of code smells for:
- Refactoring prioritization
- Technical debt identification
- Code quality improvement
- Migration preparation
- Design pattern violations

## Capabilities

### 1. Long Method Detection
- Identify methods exceeding line thresholds
- Analyze parameter counts
- Detect high cyclomatic complexity
- Suggest extraction candidates

### 2. Large Class Identification
- Detect classes with too many responsibilities
- Identify god classes
- Analyze class cohesion
- Suggest decomposition strategies

### 3. Feature Envy Analysis
- Find methods using other classes' data excessively
- Identify misplaced functionality
- Suggest method relocation
- Map cross-class dependencies

### 4. Primitive Obsession Detection
- Identify overuse of primitives
- Find missing value objects
- Detect stringly-typed code
- Suggest domain type extraction

### 5. Parallel Inheritance Hierarchy
- Detect mirrored class hierarchies
- Identify inheritance coupling
- Suggest hierarchy consolidation
- Map inheritance relationships

### 6. Shotgun Surgery Detection
- Identify changes requiring multiple file edits
- Detect scattered functionality
- Map change propagation patterns
- Suggest consolidation points

### 7. God Class Identification
- Detect classes doing too much
- Analyze responsibility distribution
- Calculate lack of cohesion metrics
- Suggest single responsibility refactoring

## Tool Integrations

| Tool | Purpose | Integration Method |
|------|---------|-------------------|
| SonarQube | Code smell detection | MCP Server / API |
| PMD | Java smell detection | CLI |
| IntelliJ IDEA | IDE-based analysis | CLI / Export |
| Designite | Design smell detection | CLI |
| ast-grep | Pattern-based detection | MCP Server / CLI |
| ESLint | JavaScript smell rules | CLI |

## Output Schema

```json
{
  "analysisId": "string",
  "timestamp": "ISO8601",
  "target": {
    "path": "string",
    "filesAnalyzed": "number"
  },
  "smells": [
    {
      "type": "string",
      "severity": "high|medium|low",
      "file": "string",
      "line": "number",
      "element": "string",
      "description": "string",
      "metrics": {},
      "refactoringSuggestion": "string",
      "estimatedEffort": "string"
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "totalSmells": "number",
    "byType": {},
    "bySeverity": {},
    "hotspots": []
  }
}
```

## Integration with Migration Processes

- **code-refactoring**: Primary smell identification
- **technical-debt-remediation**: Debt quantification
- **legacy-codebase-assessment**: Quality assessment

## Related Skills

- `static-code-analyzer`: Broader quality analysis
- `refactoring-assistant`: Smell remediation
- `dead-code-eliminator`: Unused code removal

## Related Agents

- `code-transformation-executor`: Executes refactorings
- `technical-debt-auditor`: Prioritizes debt remediation

Discuss this resource

Platform guidance

Imported from the listed AgentSkill.sh category. Complete supplied package files and notices are retained. Required external tools and credentials are not installed. No bundled code was executed during import. Individual agent task behavior has not been tested.