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tech-debt-audit

Thorough, file-cited technical debt audit across 9 dimensions using AST-grep (tree-sitter), grep, LSP, and language-native tooling. Produces TECH_DEBT_AUDIT.md with severity, effort estimates, and prioritized fixes

Install / Use

npx skills add code-yeongyu/oh-my-openagent --skill tech-debt-audit

Installs into whichever agent you are using.

About this skill
📄

SKILL.md

Installable skill definition

Quality Score

90/100

Supported Platforms

Zed

Our assessment of tech-debt-audit

tech-debt-audit scores 90/100 on our quality scale, 202nd of 1,630 Development & Engineering skills we index (top 13%).

Its SKILL.md is 9.3 KB long, well organised into 36 sections with 2 code examples: a thorough specification that gives an agent plenty to work with.

With 69,362 GitHub stars, it is one of the more widely adopted skills in the catalogue.

Substance
29/30
Structure
18/20
Description
15/15
Adoption
20/20
Freshness
15/15

Maintenance, license and trust

  • The repository was last updated today, so tech-debt-audit is actively maintained.
  • No license is declared. By default that means all rights are reserved: you can read it, but reusing or redistributing it is not clearly permitted. Ask the author before building on it commercially.
  • Its trust signals score 88/100, with 1 caution from licensing, adoption, age or documentation. These come from repository metadata, not a code audit — read the skill file before letting an agent act on it.

tech-debt-audit compared with similar skills

All 4 of these similar skills score higher than tech-debt-audit; compare them before choosing.

SkillScoreStarsUpdatedFormat
tech-debt-audit (this skill)by code-yeongyu9069.4ktodaySKILL.md
ai-job-searchby MadsLorentzen10043.9k3d agoCLAUDE.md
claude-howtoby luongnv8910041.7k5d agoCLAUDE.md
algorithmic-artby anthropics100177.9k2d agoSKILL.md
pptxby anthropics100177.9k2d agoSKILL.md

Frequently asked questions

How do I install tech-debt-audit?
Run npx skills add code-yeongyu/oh-my-openagent --skill tech-debt-audit. The install tabs above show the steps for each supported agent.
Which AI agents does tech-debt-audit work with?
It is written for Zed, as a SKILL.md file. Other agents that read the same format can often use it too.
Is tech-debt-audit safe to use?
It declares no license and scores 88/100 on trust signals. Skills are instructions an agent will follow, so read the file before installing it and do not approve commands you do not understand.
Is tech-debt-audit still maintained?
The repository was last updated today, so tech-debt-audit is actively maintained.

name: tech-debt-audit description: "Thorough, file-cited technical debt audit across 9 dimensions using AST-grep (tree-sitter), grep, LSP, and language-native tooling. Produces TECH_DEBT_AUDIT.md with severity, effort estimates, and prioritized fixes. Use when asked for codebase health check, tech debt audit, architecture review, code quality assessment, or cleanup planning. Triggers: 'tech debt', 'technical debt', 'debt audit', 'code health', 'technical debt audit', 'codebase health check', 'find tech debt', 'debt analysis', 'audit code quality'."

Tech Debt Audit Protocol

Model-agnostic technical debt audit for oh-my-openagent (OMO). Uses OMO's built-in tools (grep, glob, bash with sg, read, lsp_diagnostics, task). Produces a grounded, citable TECH_DEBT_AUDIT.md artifact.

Output

Write results to TECH_DEBT_AUDIT.md in the repo root with:

  1. Executive Summary — 3-5 sentences: overall health, worst dimension, quick wins count
  2. Mental Model — the repo's architecture in 1 paragraph (what it does, stack, module boundaries)
  3. Findings Table — columns: ID, Category, File:Line, Severity (Critical/High/Medium/Low), Effort (Hours), Description, Recommendation
  4. Top 5 Priorities — ranked by impact/effort ratio
  5. Quick Wins Checklist — items under 30 minutes each
  6. "Looks Bad But Is Fine" — patterns that look like debt but are intentional
  7. Open Questions — things the maintainer should clarify

Phase 0: Orient

Standard (always run)

  1. glob("**/*.ts") / glob("**/*.py") / etc — map the language stack
  2. glob("**/package.json") + read() — dependencies and build tooling
  3. bash("git log --oneline -200") — churn: find highest-change files
  4. glob("**/*") + basic math — find largest files (>300 LOC are candidates)
  5. Cross-reference high-churn + large = debt hot zones
  6. Write the mental model paragraph in your own working context

Phase 1: Audit Across 9 Dimensions

Use OMO tools for each dimension. Run parallel tool calls within each dimension. Every finding MUST cite file:line:col.

1. Architectural Decay

Standard (always run)

  • bash("sg -p \"import { $$$ } from '$SRC'\" -l ts .") — map module graph, look for circular patterns
  • bash("sg -p \"class $NAME { $$$ }\" -l ts .") — check for god classes
  • grep("TODO|FIXME|HACK|XXX|WORKAROUND|TEMP") — tagged debt markers
  • grep("async|await") on sync-looking files — misplaced async boundaries
  • bash("wc -l <file>") on each large file found in Phase 0

What to flag

  • Files > 500 LOC (god files)
  • Functions > 80 LOC or > 4 nesting levels
  • Classes with > 15 methods or > 400 LOC
  • Import cycles (A → B → A)
  • Dead exports: function/class defined but never imported elsewhere (confirm with lsp_find_references)
  • Commented-out code blocks (>3 consecutive consecutive lines)

2. Consistency Rot

Standard (always run)

  • bash("sg -p \"import $CLIENT from '$PKG'\" -l ts .") — multiple HTTP clients
  • grep("console.log|console.error|console.warn") — direct console use vs logger
  • bash("sg -p \"try { $$$ } catch ($$$) { $$$ }\" -l ts .") — error handling patterns
  • grep("as any|@ts-ignore|@ts-expect-error|as unknown") — type escapes
  • grep("eslint-disable|prettier-ignore") — lint suppressions

What to flag

  • 3+ ways of doing the same thing (HTTP, logging, validation, config)
  • Mixed naming conventions (camelCase + snake_case + PascalCase)
  • Multiple date/time handling libraries
  • Mixed error response shapes across modules

3. Type & Contract Debt

Standard (always run)

  • bash("sg -p \"$VALUE as any\" -l ts .") — runtime type escapes
  • grep("@ts-expect-error") — suppressed errors
  • grep("@ts-ignore") — suppressed errors (legacy)
  • bash("sg -p \"$NAME: any\" -l ts .") — typed as any
  • lsp_diagnostics(filePath="<src-dir>") — current type errors

What to flag

  • any types on public APIs and exported interfaces
  • Untyped function parameters
  • Missing schema validation at API/IO boundaries
  • LSP type errors grouped by file

4. Test Debt

Standard (always run)

  • glob("**/*.test.ts") — find all test files
  • bash("bun test 2>&1 | grep -E '(fail|skip|todo)'") — current test health
  • Cross-reference Phase 0 high-churn files with test existence

What to flag

  • Critical-path files with zero tests
  • Skipped tests (test.skip, describe.skip)
  • Tests asserting implementation details vs behavior
  • Slow tests (>1s each)

5. Dependency & Config Debt

Standard (always run)

  • bash("npm audit --omit=dev 2>&1 | head -40") — known CVEs (if node_modules present)
  • read("package.json") — check dependency count and stale deps
  • grep(".env|process.env|Bun.env") — env var usage
  • grep("API_KEY|SECRET|PASSWORD|TOKEN") in non-config files — hardcoded config

What to flag

  • Outdated major-version deps
  • Dependencies that do the same thing (duplicate libraries)
  • Referenced env vars not documented in README
  • Hardcoded environment-specific values

6. Performance & Resource Hygiene

Standard (always run)

  • bash("sg -p \"for ($$$ of $$$) { $$$ await $$$ }\" -l ts .") — async-in-loop
  • grep("await.*map|await.*filter|await.*forEach") — sequential async iteration
  • grep("Promise\\.all|Promise\\.allSettled") — existing parallel patterns (good signal)
  • grep("addEventListener|on\\(|subscribe") without removeEventListener|off\\(|unsubscribe nearby — listener hygiene

What to flag

  • await inside for/of loops (sequential when parallel possible)
  • N+1 query patterns
  • Missing cleanup on event listeners, intervals, handles
  • Unnecessary serialization/deserialization

7. Error Handling & Observability

Standard (always run)

  • bash("sg -p \"catch ($$$) { $$$ }\" -l ts .") — catch blocks
  • grep("catch.*{}|catch.*{\\s*}") — empty catch blocks
  • grep("console.error|logger\\.error|log\\.error") — actual error logging
  • bash("sg -p \"throw new $ERR($$$)\" -l ts .") — error types used

What to flag

  • Empty catch blocks (worst offense)
  • Generic catch (e) { console.error(e) } without recovery
  • Inconsistent error shapes across modules
  • Missing structured logging on critical paths
  • Errors swallowed in promise chains (.catch(() => {}))

8. Security Hygiene

Standard (always run)

  • grep("api[Kk]ey|api_secret|password|secret|token|credential") in source files (not config or env)
  • grep("SELECT .* FROM|INSERT INTO|UPDATE.*SET|DELETE FROM") — SQL construction
  • grep("innerHTML|dangerouslySetInnerHTML") — XSS vectors
  • grep("eval\\(|Function\\(|setTimeout\\(.*string|setInterval\\(.*string") — code injection

What to flag

  • Hardcoded secrets in source
  • String-concatenated SQL
  • innerHTML / dangerouslySetInnerHTML usage
  • eval() or string-based setTimeout/setInterval
  • Permissive CORS or auth middleware

9. Documentation Drift

Standard (always run)

  • read("README.md") — check if claims match reality
  • grep("@param|@returns|@throws") — docstring coverage
  • grep("FIXME|TODO|HACK|XXX|WORKAROUND") — fixme density
  • Compare README API examples with actual signatures

What to flag

  • README claiming features that don't exist
  • Public functions without any doc comment
  • Comments that contradict the code
  • Stale architecture decision records (ADRs) if present

Phase 2: Deeper Dives (Parallel Sub-Agents)

For large codebases (>50k LOC), delegate heavy dimensions to parallel sub-agents. Each sub-agent runs the standard tool passes for its dimensions:

task(category="unspecified-low", run_in_background=true, load_skills=[], prompt="[CONTEXT] Tech debt audit. [GOAL] Audit dimensions 1 (Architecture) and 2 (Consistency). [REQUEST] Run ast_grep and grep searches for dimensions 1-2 from the tech-debt-audit skill. Report every finding with file:line:col. Tag severity: Critical/High/Medium/Low.")
task(category="unspecified-low", run_in_background=true, load_skills=[], prompt="[CONTEXT] Tech debt audit. [GOAL] Audit dimensions 3 (Type debt) and 7 (Error handling). [REQUEST] Run searches for dimensions 3 and 7 from the tech-debt-audit skill. Report every finding with file:line:col. Tag severity.")

Spawn 2-3 sub-agents for the heaviest dimensions, collect results in parallel, then synthesize.

Phase 3: Synthesize & Deliver

  1. Collect all findings from direct tool calls and sub-agent results
  2. Deduplicate — same issue mentioned by multiple dimensions
  3. Classify severity:
    • Critical — Causes incorrect behavior, data loss, or security vulnerability
    • High — Will cause problems in production; blocks maintenance
    • Medium — Reduces maintainability; violates conventions
    • Low — Cosmetic; should fix when in the area
  4. Estimate effort in hours per finding (conservative)
  5. Write TECH_DEBT_AUDIT.md with all required sections
  6. Report summary to the user

Severity Rubric

Critical = actively causing bugs or security holes
High     = will cause problems under normal operation; blocks changes
Medium   = reduces maintainability; inconsistent; violates team conventions
Low      = cosmetic; would be nice to fix when nearby

Quick Checks Before Finishing

  • [ ] Every concrete finding has file:line:col citation
  • [ ] No generic claims without evidence
  • [ ] "Looks Bad But Is Fine" section explains at least 2-3 patterns
  • [ ] Top 5 priorities ranked by impact/effort
  • [ ] Quick wins are things that can be fixed in <30 minutes each

Related Skills

View on GitHub
GitHub Stars69.4k
CategoryDevelopment
Updated16h ago
Forks5.7k

Languages

TypeScript

Trust signals

88/100

From repository metadata: license, adoption, age and documentation. Not a code audit — see the Safety scan above for what the skill file itself contains.

1 medium