refactor-plan
Create a concrete plan before starting a multi-file refactor. Use when the user asks to plan, sequence, scope, or safely execute a refactor across multiple files; always investigate first, output the plan, and wait for confirmation before making code changes.
Profile →npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill refactor-plan --agent copilot
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for claude-code, codex, cursor.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Refactor Plan Create a detailed plan before making any code changes. ## Instructions 1. Do not edit files while preparing the plan. 2. Search the codebase to understand the current state. Read enough implementation, tests, configuration, and docs to make the plan specific to the repository. 3. Identify affected files, ownership boundaries, dependencies, and likely hidden coupling. 4. Plan changes in a safe sequence. Prefer contracts and types first, then implementations, then callers, then tests, then cleanup. 5. Include verification steps between phases and a final validation command. 6. Include rollback or recovery steps for the riskiest phases. 7. Output the complete plan using the format below. 8. Stop after the plan and ask for confirmation before implementing. If the user already asked you to implement, still produce the plan first and wait for confirmation unless they explicitly said to continue without review after the plan. If the request is too ambiguous to plan safely, ask concise clarifying questions instead of editing files. ## Output Format ```markdown ## Refactor Plan: [title] ### Current State [Brief description of how things work now] ### Target State [Brief desc
- Instructions
- Output Format
What does the refactor-plan skill do?
Create a concrete plan before starting a multi-file refactor. Use when the user asks to plan, sequence, scope, or safely execute a refactor across multiple files; always investigate first, output the plan, and wait for confirmation before making code changes.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill refactor-plan --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From github/awesome-copilot, a repository with 37,432 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.