Dead Code Cleanup Workflow

Removing dead code safely requires verifying that no live references exist before deletion. These are the standard commands.

Verify zero references

rg -n "<symbol>" apps packages \
  --glob '!**/*.test.*' \
  --glob '!**/*.spec.*'

If the output is empty, the symbol has no non-test references and is safe to remove.

Scoped review after a time window

To review changes since a specific timestamp:

# List commits since a date
git log --since='2026-05-15 21:01:30 +0000' \
  --no-merges --name-only \
  --pretty=format:'%H%n%s%n%b'

# List touched files only
git log --since='2026-05-15 21:01:30 +0000' \
  --no-merges --name-only --pretty=format: \
  | sed '/^$/d' | sort -u

Pass an explicit UTC offset when the timestamp is in UTC (...Z) to avoid local-time drift.

Inspect a specific commit

git show --unified=3 <commit_sha>

Verify dependency overrides

bun pm why <package>

Common scoped searches

# Catch duplicate branches in parser-style switch/if chains
rg -n "if (field ===" packages/libs --glob '*.ts'

# Verify action pins in CI workflows
rg -n "setup-bun@" .github/workflows -g'*.yml'
rg -n "dtolnay/rust-toolchain@|jetli/wasm-pack-action@" .github/workflows -g'*.yml'

Notable dead code removed in improvement cycles

Cycle	Item
4	getLicenseColor(), getTypeColor(), getSourceColor() (llm-timeline)
4	getLicenseAccent() (llm-timeline, left-border accent)
4	Lucide wildcard import → ~200 KB reduction (blog)
5	listAnonymousConversations (agents, privacy)
9	Custom line-clamp CSS (built into Tailwind v4)

Where to record findings

Keep durable findings in docs/ai/core-memory.md. Do NOT create dated review files like docs/reviews/code-smell-<DATE>.md.