Refactor Clean — Dead Code Removal and Consolidation

Remove dead code and consolidate duplicates safely. Uses Salesforce Code Analyzer (sf code-analyzer run) for detection when available, falls back to manual analysis.

When to Use

• When cleaning up unused Apex classes, methods, or LWC components
• When consolidating duplicate utility methods across multiple service classes
• When preparing a codebase for a security review or AppExchange submission
• When Salesforce Code Analyzer or PMD reports high-severity findings that need cleanup
• When reducing technical debt by removing commented-out code and unreferenced classes

Workflow

Step 1 — Detect Dead Code

Option A: Salesforce Code Analyzer (preferred)

sf code-analyzer run --target force-app --format table
sf code-analyzer run --target force-app --format json | jq '.[] | select(.severity <= 2)'

Option B: Manual analysis

# Find Apex classes with no references.
# Uses sfdx-project.json packageDirectories to find all source paths,
# rather than hardcoding force-app/main/default.
# Note: This heuristic searches source files for class name strings. Results may
# be incomplete — classes can be referenced dynamically (Type.forName), from
# managed packages, external integrations, or metadata not in source control.
# Always verify before deleting.
SRC_DIRS=$(node -e "
  const p = require('./sfdx-project.json');
  console.log(p.packageDirectories.map(d => d.path).join(' '));
" 2>/dev/null || echo "force-app")
for dir in $SRC_DIRS; do
  find "$dir" -name "*.cls" -not -name "*Test*" | while read cls; do
    name=$(basename "$cls" .cls)
    # Note: Use word-boundary matching for precise results to avoid partial name matches
    refs=$(grep -rlw "$name" $SRC_DIRS --include="*.cls" --include="*.trigger" --include="*.js" --include="*.xml" 2>/dev/null | grep -v "$cls" | wc -l)
    if [ "$refs" -eq 0 ]; then echo "UNREFERENCED: $name"; fi
  done
done

# Find unused methods within a class (private methods not called internally)
grep -n "private.*void\|private.*String\|private.*List\|private.*Map" <file>.cls

Step 2 — Classify Safety

Categorize each finding before removing anything:

Safety Level	Criteria	Action
SAFE	Private methods with no internal callers, unreferenced private classes, commented-out code blocks	Remove immediately
CAUTION	Public methods not referenced in code (may be called by Flows, Process Builders, or external systems)	Check metadata references first
DANGER	global methods, @AuraEnabled, @InvocableMethod, @InvocableVariable, @RemoteAction, @HttpGet/Post, managed package components	Do NOT remove without explicit verification

Step 3 — Check Metadata References

Before removing any CAUTION or DANGER items:

# Check if a method is referenced in Flows
grep -rl "ClassName.MethodName" force-app/main/default/flows/

# Check if a class is used in Process Builders
grep -rl "ClassName" force-app/main/default/workflows/

# Check if a class is referenced in Custom Metadata
grep -rl "ClassName" force-app/main/default/customMetadata/

# Check if an LWC component is used in FlexiPages
grep -rl "c-component-name" force-app/main/default/flexipages/

# Check if a class is referenced in page layouts
grep -rl "ClassName" force-app/main/default/layouts/

Step 4 — Managed Package Considerations

Never remove without checking:

• @AuraEnabled methods — may be called by LWC/Aura components not in your source
• @InvocableMethod — may be called by Flows you can't see in source control
• global methods — may be called by subscriber orgs or external packages
• webService methods — may be called by external integrations
• Methods referenced in Permission Sets or Custom Permissions

Step 5 — Remove One at a Time

For each SAFE item:

1. Delete the dead code
2. Run tests: sf apex run test --test-level RunLocalTests --wait 15
3. Verify deployment: sf project deploy start --dry-run --wait 10
4. If tests fail, revert the deletion immediately

Step 6 — Consolidate Duplicates

After dead code removal, look for consolidation opportunities:

1. Identify similar methods across classes (same logic, different names)
2. Extract shared logic into a utility/service class
3. Update all callers to use the shared implementation
4. Run full test suite after each consolidation

Safety Rules

• Always create a checkpoint before starting: /checkpoint refactor-start
• Remove one item at a time — never batch deletions
• Run tests after each removal
• Never remove @AuraEnabled, @InvocableMethod, or global without verifying all callers
• Check metadata references (Flows, Process Builders, FlexiPages) before deleting any public method
• Keep a log of what was removed and why

Examples

refactor-clean Remove unused Apex classes and dead methods from force-app/
refactor-clean Consolidate duplicate utility methods across AccountService and ContactService
refactor-clean Find and remove unreferenced LWC components
refactor-clean Run Salesforce Code Analyzer and clean up all HIGH severity PMD findings