EXAMPLES

Real-world audits.

Four complete examples showing the PRUNE method applied to codebases, pipelines, design systems, and startup architectures. Each shows the before state, diagnosis, and expected outcome.

01

React Dashboard Audit

A dashboard with 8 components — some legacy, some redundant, some decorative. The audit reveals that nearly half the surface area can be removed.

Before — Element definitions

elements.ts
const elements = [
  { name: 'DashboardLayout', type: 'component', dependents: ['App'], dependencies: ['Sidebar', 'Header'] },
  { name: 'UserProfile', type: 'component', dependents: ['Header'], dependencies: ['AuthModule'] },
  { name: 'LegacyChart', type: 'component', dependents: [], lastModified: '2023-06-14' },
  { name: 'ChartV2', type: 'component', dependents: ['AnalyticsPanel'], dependencies: ['DataFetcher'] },
  { name: 'AnalyticsWrapper', type: 'wrapper', dependents: [], linesOfCode: 12, wraps: 'ChartV2' },
  { name: 'DataFetcher', type: 'utility', dependents: ['ChartV2', 'UserProfile'], dependencies: ['API'] },
  { name: 'UnusedModal', type: 'component', dependents: [], lastModified: '2023-09-22' },
  { name: 'MetricsHelper', type: 'utility', dependents: ['ChartV2'], linesOfCode: 180, functions: 14 },
];

Diagnosis output

diagnosis.txt
System Diagnosis: react-dashboard
═══════════════════════════════════

Health: 43% | 8 elements | 2 dead | 1 dormant | 1 duplicated | 1 decorative

Classification Table:
  DashboardLayout   living       ✓ Essential layout container
  UserProfile       living       ✓ Active, connected
  LegacyChart       dead         ✗ Zero dependents, 2+ years stale
  ChartV2           living       ✓ Active replacement for LegacyChart
  AnalyticsWrapper  decorative   ✗ 12-line wrapper adds no value
  DataFetcher       living       ✓ Shared utility, 2 dependents
  UnusedModal       dead         ✗ Zero dependents, 18 months stale
  MetricsHelper     dormant      ~ 180 lines, 14 functions, only 3 used

Recommended Changes (ranked):
  1. REMOVE  LegacyChart        Impact: high   Effort: low
  2. REMOVE  UnusedModal         Impact: high   Effort: low
  3. INLINE  AnalyticsWrapper    Impact: med    Effort: low
  4. RENAME  ChartV2 → Chart    Impact: low    Effort: low
  5. SIMPLIFY MetricsHelper      Impact: med    Effort: med

Expected: Health 43% → 85% | 8 → 5 elements | -37% surface area

Result

Remove 3 components (LegacyChart, UnusedModal, AnalyticsWrapper). Rename ChartV2 to Chart. Simplify MetricsHelper from 14 functions to 3. System health improves from 43% to 85%.

02

CI/CD Pipeline Simplification

A 7-step pipeline with a deprecated linter, a redundant formatter step, and a badge generator nobody uses. The audit cuts it to 4 steps and reduces pipeline time by 40%.

Before — Pipeline configuration

pipeline.yml
pipeline:
  steps:
    - name: "Install dependencies"
      uses: npm ci
      status: active

    - name: "Run ESLint"
      uses: eslint .
      status: active

    - name: "Run Prettier check"
      uses: prettier --check .
      status: active

    - name: "Run legacy linter"
      uses: tslint --project .
      status: abandoned (TSLint deprecated 2019)

    - name: "Build application"
      uses: next build
      status: active

    - name: "Run unit tests"
      uses: jest --ci
      status: active

    - name: "Generate coverage badge"
      uses: coverage-badge-action
      status: unused (badge not displayed anywhere)

Diagnosis output

diagnosis.txt
System Diagnosis: ci-cd-pipeline
═══════════════════════════════════

Health: 57% | 7 steps | 1 dead | 1 dead | 1 duplicated

Classification Table:
  Install dependencies    living       ✓ Required first step
  Run ESLint              living       ✓ Active linter
  Run Prettier check      duplicated   ~ Overlaps with ESLint formatting rules
  Run legacy linter       dead         ✗ TSLint deprecated, superseded by ESLint
  Build application       living       ✓ Essential build step
  Run unit tests          living       ✓ Essential quality gate
  Generate coverage badge decorative   ✗ Output not used anywhere

Recommended Changes:
  1. REMOVE  "Run legacy linter"       Impact: high   Effort: low
  2. REMOVE  "Generate coverage badge"  Impact: med    Effort: low
  3. MERGE   Prettier → ESLint config  Impact: med    Effort: low
  4. SIMPLIFY Build caching             Impact: med    Effort: med

Expected: 7 → 4 steps | Pipeline time -40% | Maintenance -50%

Result

Remove 2 dead steps (legacy linter, coverage badge). Merge Prettier into ESLint config. Pipeline reduces from 7 to 4 steps. Execution time drops 40%. Maintenance burden halved.

03

Design System Cleanup

A design system with 10 tokens that accumulated over multiple redesigns. Dead tokens, dormant tokens, and an exact duplicate hiding in plain sight.

Before — Token definitions

tokens.yml
tokens:
  - name: "color-primary"          status: active, used in 42 components
  - name: "color-primary-old"      status: abandoned, 0 references
  - name: "color-accent"           status: active, used in 18 components
  - name: "spacing-base"           status: active, used globally
  - name: "spacing-legacy"         status: dormant, 2 references in deprecated views
  - name: "font-heading"           status: active, used in all headings
  - name: "font-body"              status: active, used globally
  - name: "font-mono-alt"          status: dormant, 1 reference in admin panel
  - name: "shadow-card"            status: active, used in 8 components
  - name: "shadow-card-v2"         status: duplicated, identical to shadow-card

Diagnosis output

diagnosis.txt
System Diagnosis: design-system-tokens
═══════════════════════════════════

Health: 50% | 10 tokens | 1 dead | 2 dormant | 1 duplicated | 1 decorative

Classification Table:
  color-primary       living       ✓ 42 component references
  color-primary-old   dead         ✗ Zero references
  color-accent        living       ✓ 18 component references
  spacing-base        living       ✓ Global usage
  spacing-legacy      dormant      ~ 2 references in deprecated views
  font-heading        living       ✓ Used in all headings
  font-body           living       ✓ Global usage
  font-mono-alt       dormant      ~ 1 reference in admin panel
  shadow-card         living       ✓ 8 component references
  shadow-card-v2      duplicated   ✗ Identical to shadow-card

Recommended Changes:
  1. REMOVE  color-primary-old     Impact: high   Effort: low
  2. REMOVE  shadow-card-v2        Impact: med    Effort: low
  3. REMOVE  spacing-legacy        Impact: med    Effort: low
  4. MERGE   font-mono-alt → remove Impact: low   Effort: low

Expected: 10 → 6 tokens | Token count -40% | Zero dead references

Result

Remove 4 tokens (1 dead, 2 dormant, 1 duplicate). Token count drops from 10 to 6. Zero dead references remain. Every surviving token has clear, active usage.

04

Startup Architecture Reduction

A seed-stage startup running 6 microservices for a product with 200 daily active users. Over-engineered by at least 3x. The audit collapses it to 3 services and a serverless function.

Before — Service topology

services.yml
services:
  - name: "api-gateway"
    type: service
    traffic: 12,000 req/day
    team: 1 engineer (part-time)

  - name: "auth-service"
    type: service
    traffic: 800 req/day
    dependencies: [api-gateway, user-db]

  - name: "user-service"
    type: service
    traffic: 600 req/day
    dependencies: [api-gateway, user-db]
    note: "90% overlap with auth-service"

  - name: "notification-service"
    type: service
    traffic: 50 req/day
    dependencies: [api-gateway, email-provider, sms-provider]
    cost: $340/month for 50 daily notifications

  - name: "analytics-service"
    type: service
    traffic: 200 req/day
    note: "Custom analytics, team uses Mixpanel instead"

  - name: "billing-service"
    type: service
    traffic: 30 req/day
    dependencies: [stripe-api]

Diagnosis output

diagnosis.txt
System Diagnosis: startup-architecture
═══════════════════════════════════

Health: 33% | 6 services | 1 duplicated | 1 parasitic | 1 dead | 1 decorative

Classification Table:
  api-gateway            living       ✓ Central routing, essential
  auth-service           living       ✓ Core authentication
  user-service           duplicated   ✗ 90% overlap with auth-service
  notification-service   parasitic    ✗ $340/month for 50 notifications
  analytics-service      dead         ✗ Team uses Mixpanel, not this
  billing-service        living       ✓ Essential Stripe integration

Recommended Changes:
  1. REMOVE  analytics-service                  Impact: high  Effort: low
  2. MERGE   user-service → auth-service       Impact: high  Effort: med
  3. SIMPLIFY notification-service → function   Impact: high  Effort: med
  4. KEEP    api-gateway, billing-service       No change needed

Expected Architecture: 6 → 3 services (gateway, auth+user, billing)
  + 1 serverless function (notifications via email API)
  Infra cost: -60% | Deploy time: -70% | Cognitive load: -50%

Result

Remove analytics-service entirely (team uses Mixpanel). Merge user-service into auth-service. Replace notification-service with a single serverless function. Architecture collapses from 6 services to 3 + 1 function. Infrastructure cost drops 60%. Deployment time drops 70%.

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