code-improver

Code Improver

Improve any code target by running /code-improver:improve — a dynamic workflow that

loops the named reviewer and a fixer subagent until a review reports zero critical/major

findings, then strips its own residue. The loop, its ledger, and its guards live in the

workflow; this skill collects the three inputs the generic entry requires and relays the

outcome.

Starting the loop

The user provided: $ARGUMENTS (if empty, take the details from the conversation).

1. Collect the three required inputs — no guessing

1. Target: the absolute path to the directory under improvement. Resolve relative

paths against the working directory; verify the directory exists.

1. Reviewer: the installed skill or agent that performs every review. The user must

name it — there is no default and no bundled reviewer. Determine the kind:

• a namespaced agent (e.g. plugin-dev:skill-reviewer) → "kind": "agent"
• an installed skill (e.g. pr-review-toolkit:review-pr) → "kind": "skill"

If the name could be either, check the session's skill listing; if still ambiguous,

ask the user. If no reviewer was named, ask — do not pick one.

1. Scope: repo-relative globs the loop may touch. The generic entry requires it

explicitly; if the user did not give one, propose the target directory

(<repo-relative-target>/**) and confirm before launching.

2. Resolve the loop script

The loop is the dynamic workflow workflows/improve.js in this plugin. Launch it by

path: scriptPath takes a resolved absolute path, and the Workflow tool's name resolves

built-in and project workflows, so a marketplace-installed one may not answer to

code-improver:improve. Try in order, first hit wins — the home directories come before

. so an installed copy beats a checkout of this marketplace:

1. Bash: ls -d -- "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/workflows/improve.js"
2. Bash: ls -d -- "${CODEX_PLUGIN_ROOT}/workflows/improve.js" (if that variable is set instead)
3. Bash: find ~/.claude ~/.codex . -maxdepth 7 -path '*/code-improver/workflows/improve.js' -print -quit 2>/dev/null

Use the path exactly as printed. Its plugin directory — the path with

/workflows/improve.js removed — is pluginRoot. If all three come back empty, try

{name: "code-improver:improve"} once; if that is unavailable too, stop and say the loop

could not be located. Do not assemble a path by hand and do not improvise the loop.

3. Invoke the workflow

Run it with the Workflow tool, {scriptPath: "<the path from step 2>", args: {...}}:

{
  "target": "<absolute target path>",
  "reviewer": { "kind": "agent|skill", "name": "<namespaced-name>", "notes": "<what the reviewer should know about the target>" },
  "scope": ["<repo-relative-glob>/**"],
  "pluginRoot": "<the plugin directory from step 2>",
  "maxRounds": 5
}

• maxRounds only if the user asked for a different cap.
• pluginRoot lets the run find its metrics collector; omit the key only if step 2 fell

through to the workflow name — the workflow then searches for itself.

• finalize ({"version_bump": bool, "narration_strip": bool, "docs_pass": bool}) only

to override the defaults: version bump when the target sits inside a plugin, narration

strip and docs pass always.

• decision only on continuation (below).

The workflow runs in the background and needs no babysitting: it reviews, fixes,

re-reviews, checks scope after every fix round, and can only complete on a clean review.

It never commits; all changes stay in the working tree.

If the Workflow tool is unavailable or denied, stop and say so. Do not improvise the

loop inline with direct edits — the ledger, scope guard, and escalation guarantees live

in the workflow, and an inline imitation has none of them.

If the result is halted: "reviewer-unavailable", relay it and stop. The named

reviewer is not installed in this session; tell the user which plugin provides it and

re-run after installing. Do not review the target yourself.

Do not end your turn while the loop is running. The Workflow tool returns a task id

immediately; the result comes later. In an interactive session the completion

notification re-invokes you — wait for it. In a non-interactive run (scripted, CI, eval)

there is no later turn: stopping abandons the loop mid-round, so after launching, poll

the task (TaskOutput with the returned task id, or sleep-and-recheck) until it completes,

then relay the result. A session that answers "the loop is running, I'll report later"

has lost the run.

Relaying the result

The workflow returns a structured result. Report it honestly — the distinctions matter:

• converged: true — the last action was a review with zero critical/major findings.

Report rounds used, remaining minor findings (open_minor_count), and the artifact

paths (ledger_path, metrics).

• capped: true — the fix budget ran out and the FINAL review still found blocking

issues. Say plainly: capped, NOT converged, and list open_blocking. Do not

present this as success.

• escalation — the loop detected it was not converging (recurring findings,

non-decreasing counts, or a fix relocating a problem). Relay the escalation message and

finding ids to the user: this needs a design decision, not more rounds.

• halted — a guard fired (scope violation, unregistered new files, a dead or

unavailable reviewer, or a finalize pass whose own edits failed the check that follows

it). Relay the paths in violations/new_untracked_files, the sites in

finalize_regressions, and the notes.

• notes always travel with the result — surface them; they include loud warnings

such as "a git repository was initialized".

Continuing after an escalation

The loop stops on escalation by design. When the user decides, start a fresh run with

the same target and reviewer plus:

{ "decision": "<the user's ruling, verbatim>" }

The new run reloads the on-disk ledger, so every finding, rejection, and verdict carries

over — rounds restart, re-derivation does not.

To stop a running loop, stop the workflow task (TaskStop); the ledger on disk is current

to the last round and a re-run resumes from it.

When NOT to use

• A Claude Code skill: use the skill-improver entry — it wires the right reviewer
• A branch / pull request: use the pr-improver entry — it derives scope from the diff
• One-time review: dispatch the reviewer directly; the loop's value is iteration
• Quick single fixes: edit the file directly