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---
name: refactoring-safely
description: Change structure without changing behavior, in reversible steps.
---
# Refactoring safely
Refactoring changes structure while behavior stays identical. The moment behavior changes it is no
longer refactoring, and it needs its own review and its own tests.
## Secure the behavior first
Ensure tests cover the current behavior before restructuring. Without that net, a refactor is an
untested rewrite and any difference goes unnoticed.
## Separate the commits
Never mix refactoring with a feature or a fix in one commit. Mixed changes make review hard and make
a clean revert impossible when something breaks.
## Move in small steps
Take one transformation at a time and keep the suite green between steps. A long sequence of
unverified edits is where the untraceable regression enters.
## Follow the pain
Refactor where change is actually difficult and where work is actually happening. Restructuring
stable code nobody touches spends risk with no return.
## Know when to stop
Stop when the code is clear enough for the change you came to make. Refactoring is preparation for
work, not the work itself.
