Tidy-Up 150 Protocol

Core Principle: Clean as you go — but safely. After milestones, fix obvious issues quickly. Objective problems only. Time-boxed. Reversible. User-approved.

What This Skill Does

When you invoke this skill, you're asking AI to:

• Scan for obvious issues — Syntax, dead code, naming
• Time-box strictly — ≤5% of main task time
• Stay safe — Only reversible, objective fixes
• Get approval — User confirms before execution
• Document impact — Report what was improved

The 150% Tidy Rule

What Qualifies as Tidy-Up

✅ ALLOWED (Objective Defects)
├── Syntax Errors: Clear compilation issues
├── Dead Code: Unused, unreachable code
├── Poor Naming: Confusing variable/function names
├── Unused Imports: Import statements not used
├── Obvious Typos: Clear spelling mistakes
└── Simple Formatting: Obvious style violations

❌ NOT ALLOWED (Scope Creep)
├── Refactoring: Changing code structure
├── New Features: Adding functionality
├── Optimization: Performance improvements
├── Architecture: Changing design patterns
├── Complex Changes: Anything needing analysis
└── Debatable Issues: Subjective improvements

Time Limits

Rule: If it takes >30 seconds to verify safety → NOT a tidy-up item.

When to Use This Skill

TRIGGER: Only after Key Point Milestones:

• ✅ Feature implementation complete
• ✅ Major refactoring done
• ✅ Bug fix verified
• ✅ Phase of plan completed

NOT TRIGGER:

• ❌ After every file edit
• ❌ During active development
• ❌ Before understanding the code
• ❌ When unsure about impact

Execution Protocol

Step 1: MILESTONE CHECK

🏁 **MILESTONE VERIFICATION**

**Completed:** [What milestone was reached]
**Main Task Time:** [How long the main work took]
**Tidy Budget:** [5% of main task = X minutes]

Step 2: OBSERVATION SCAN

Review for obvious issues:

🔍 **SCAN RESULTS**

**Issues Found:**
1. [Issue]: [Location] - [Fix time estimate]
2. [Issue]: [Location] - [Fix time estimate]
3. [Issue]: [Location] - [Fix time estimate]

**Total Fixes:** [N]
**Total Time Estimate:** [X minutes]
**Within Budget:** ✅ Yes | ❌ No (reduce scope)

Step 3: SAFETY VERIFICATION

For each issue:

🛡️ **SAFETY CHECK**

Issue: [Description]
├── Objective Defect: ✅ Provable | ❌ Subjective
├── Reversible: ✅ Easy revert | ❌ Complex
├── Tests Pass: ✅ Verified | ⚠️ Need to check
└── No Side Effects: ✅ Contained | ❌ Cascading

Safe to Fix: ✅ Yes | ❌ No

Step 4: CLEANUP PACKAGE

Present for approval:

🧹 **TIDY-UP PROPOSAL**

**Milestone:** [What was completed]
**Time Budget:** [X minutes] (5% of main task)

**Proposed Fixes:**
1. ✅ [Fix 1]: [Description] - [X sec]
2. ✅ [Fix 2]: [Description] - [X sec]
3. ✅ [Fix 3]: [Description] - [X sec]

**Total Time:** [Y minutes]
**All Reversible:** ✅ Yes
**All Objective:** ✅ Yes

**Approve cleanup?** (Yes / No / Modify list)

Step 5: CONTROLLED EXECUTION

Apply fixes one by one:

• Execute single fix
• Verify immediately
• Document change
• Stop if issues arise

Step 6: REPORT

🧹 **TIDY-UP 150 COMPLETE**

**Fixes Applied:**
✅ [Fix 1]: [What was done]
✅ [Fix 2]: [What was done]
✅ [Fix 3]: [What was done]

**Time Spent:** [X minutes] ([Y% of budget])

**Verification:**
├── Tests: ✅ Passing
├── Functionality: ✅ Preserved
├── Revert Ready: ✅ Yes
└── No Side Effects: ✅ Confirmed

**Impact:**
├── Code Quality: Improved
├── Technical Debt: Reduced
└── Future Benefit: [Description]

Output Format

Proposal:

🧹 **TIDY-UP 150 PROPOSAL**

**After Milestone:** [What was completed]
**Budget:** [X min] (5% of [Y min] main task)

**Fixes:**
| # | Issue | Location | Time | Safe |
|---|-------|----------|------|------|
| 1 | [Issue] | [File:Line] | Xs | ✅ |
| 2 | [Issue] | [File:Line] | Xs | ✅ |

**Total:** [X sec] | **All Safe:** ✅

**Approve?** (Yes / No / Modify)

Report:

🧹 **TIDY-UP 150 DONE**

**Applied:** [N] fixes in [X] minutes
**Tests:** ✅ Passing
**Quality:** Improved

**Changes:**
- [File]: [What changed]
- [File]: [What changed]

Operational Rules

1. KEY POINT ONLY: Trigger only after major milestones
2. TIME BOUND: Never exceed 5% of main task time
3. OBJECTIVE ONLY: Provable defects, not opinions
4. SAFETY FIRST: Every fix must be verifiable safe
5. USER APPROVAL: Get permission before executing
6. SCOPE CONTROL: No expansion beyond identified issues

Failure Modes & Recovery

Examples

❌ Bad Tidy-Up

Milestone: Small bug fix (10 minutes)

"Tidy-up":
- Refactored entire module architecture
- Added new helper functions
- Changed error handling approach

Time: 3 hours (1800% of main task!)
Result: Introduced new bugs, delayed delivery

✅ Good Tidy-Up

🧹 TIDY-UP 150 PROPOSAL

After Milestone: Feature implementation (2 hours)
Budget: 6 min (5% of 120 min)

Fixes:
| # | Issue | Location | Time | Safe |
|---|-------|----------|------|------|
| 1 | Unused import | auth.ts:3 | 5s | ✅ |
| 2 | Typo in var name | user.ts:45 | 10s | ✅ |
| 3 | Dead function | utils.ts:89 | 15s | ✅ |

Total: 30 sec | All Safe: ✅

User: "Yes"

🧹 TIDY-UP 150 DONE

Applied: 3 fixes in 30 seconds
Tests: ✅ Passing
Quality: Improved

Changes:
- auth.ts: Removed unused 'lodash' import
- user.ts: Renamed 'usrData' → 'userData'
- utils.ts: Removed unused 'legacyFormat()' function

Relationship to Other Skills

• gated-exec-150 → Completes main work
• tidy-up-150 → Quick cleanup after milestone
• integrity-check-150 → Full quality check

Remember: Tidy-up is housekeeping, not renovation. Quick fixes for obvious issues. If you're thinking about it for more than 30 seconds, it's not a tidy-up item — it's a separate task.