neo-es6-refactor_skill

Overview

This skill automatically modernizes JavaScript and TypeScript codebases by applying ES6+ patterns and syntax. It converts legacy constructs—var, callbacks, CommonJS—into let/const, async/await, and ES modules while preserving behavior and comments. The tool is available as a CLI and programmatic agent mode for integration into developer workflows.

How this skill works

The refactorer parses files into an AST using Babel, analyzes variable usage and types, then applies rule-driven transformations (stored as JSON patterns) to replace legacy nodes with modern equivalents. After transformation it generates formatted output consistent with Prettier, validates syntax, and can emit diffs or a dry-run report for review. TypeScript and JSX are supported; type annotations and declaration files are preserved.

When to use it

• Upgrade a legacy codebase from ES5/CommonJS to ES6+ modules and syntax
• Replace callback-based flows with async/await for clearer async code
• Convert var declarations to let/const to reduce scope bugs
• Batch-modernize many files using CLI glob patterns before a major release
• Integrate into CI for automated style and syntax modernization

Best practices

• Run in dry-run mode first and review diffs before writing files
• Back up or version-control the codebase prior to bulk transformations
• Target a specific ECMAScript target (e.g., ES2020) to avoid unsupported features
• Use project-specific JSON configuration to tune rule priorities and guards
• Run unit tests after refactoring to confirm functional equivalence

Example use cases

• Convert a Node.js project from CommonJS require/module.exports to ES module imports/exports
• Refactor UI components written with function expressions to arrow functions and destructuring
• Modernize TypeScript files while preserving type annotations and .d.ts compatibility
• Perform a dry-run across src/ and generate unified diffs for code review
• Automate refactors in an OpenClaw agent pipeline using structured JSON I/O