
The rust-refactor-helper skill enables developers to safely refactor Rust code by leveraging Language Server Protocol (LSP) analysis to identify all affected locations before making changes. It supports multiple refactoring operations—including renaming symbols, extracting functions, inlining functions, and moving symbols across modules—with optional dry-run previews that show impact analysis, potential conflicts, and side effects like documentation updates or public API changes. This skill solves the problem of performing large-scale code transformations in Rust while minimizing the risk of introducing bugs or breaking dependent code.
$ npx -y skills add zhanghandong/rust-skills --skill rust-refactor-helper --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
Perform safe refactoring with comprehensive impact analysis.
/rust-refactor-helper <action> <target> [--dry-run]
Actions:
rename <old> <new> - Rename symbolextract-fn <selection> - Extract to functioninline <fn> - Inline functionmove <symbol> <dest> - Move to moduleExamples:
/rust-refactor-helper rename parse_config load_config/rust-refactor-helper extract-fn src/main.rs:20-35/rust-refactor-helper move UserService src/services/# Find all references before renaming
LSP(
operation: "findReferences",
filePath: "src/lib.rs",
line: 25,
character: 8
)
# Get symbol info
LSP(
operation: "hover",
filePath: "src/lib.rs",
line: 25,
character: 8
)
# Check call hierarchy for move operations
LSP(
operation: "incomingCalls",
filePath: "src/lib.rs",
line: 25,
character: 8
)
User: "Rename parse_config to load_config"
│
▼
[1] Find symbol definition
LSP(goToDefinition)
│
▼
[2] Find ALL references
LSP(findReferences)
│
▼
[3] Categorize by file
│
▼
[4] Check for conflicts
- Is 'load_config' already used?
- Are there macro-generated uses?
│
▼
[5] Show impact analysis (--dry-run)
│
▼
[6] Apply changes with Edit tool
Output:
## Rename: parse_config → load_config
### Impact Analysis
**Definition:** src/config.rs:25
**References found:** 8
| File | Line | Context | Change |
|------|------|---------|--------|
| src/config.rs | 25 | `pub fn parse_config(` | Definition |
| src/config.rs | 45 | `parse_config(path)?` | Call |
| src/main.rs | 12 | `config::parse_config` | Import |
| src/main.rs | 30 | `let cfg = parse_config(` | Call |
| src/lib.rs | 8 | `pub use config::parse_config` | Re-export |
| tests/config_test.rs | 15 | `parse_config("test.toml")` | Test |
| tests/config_test.rs | 25 | `parse_config("")` | Test |
| docs/api.md | 42 | `parse_config` | Documentation |
### Potential Issues
⚠️ **Documentation reference:** docs/api.md:42 may need manual update
⚠️ **Re-export:** src/lib.rs:8 - public API change
### Proceed?
- [x] --dry-run (preview only)
- [ ] Apply changes
User: "Extract lines 20-35 in main.rs to a function"
│
▼
[1] Read the selected code block
│
▼
[2] Analyze variables
- Which are inputs? (used but not defined in block)
- Which are outputs? (defined and used after block)
- Which are local? (defined and used only in block)
│
▼
[3] Determine function signature
│
▼
[4] Check for early returns, loops, etc.
│
▼
[5] Generate extracted function
│
▼
[6] Replace original code with call
Output:
## Extract Function: src/main.rs:20-35
### Selected Code
```rust
let file = File::open(&path)?;
let mut contents = String::new();
file.read_to_string(&mut contents)?;
let config: Config = toml::from_str(&contents)?;
validate_config(&config)?;
```
### Analysis
**Inputs:** path: &Path
**Outputs:** config: Config
**Side Effects:** File I/O, may return error
### Extracted Function
```rust
fn load_and_validate_config(path: &Path) -> Result<Config> {
let file = File::open(path)?;
let mut contents = String::new();
file.read_to_string(&mut contents)?;
let config: Config = toml::from_str(&contents)?;
validate_config(&config)?;
Ok(config)
}
```
### Replacement
```rust
let config = load_and_validate_config(&path)?;
```
User: "Move UserService to src/services/"
│
▼
[1] Find symbol and all its dependencies
│
▼
[2] Find all references (callers)
LSP(findReferences)
│
▼
[3] Analyze import changes needed
│
▼
[4] Check for circular dependencies
│
▼
[5] Generate move plan
Output:
## Move: UserService → src/services/user.rs
### Current Location
src/handlers/auth.rs:50-120
### Dependencies (will be moved together)
- struct UserService (50-80)
- impl UserService (82-120)
- const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT (48)
### Import Changes Required
| File | Current | New |
|------|---------|-----|
| src/main.rs | `use handlers::auth::UserService` | `use services::user::UserService` |
| src/handlers/api.rs | `use super::auth::UserService` | `use crate::services::user::UserService` |
| tests/auth_test.rs | `use crate::handlers::auth::UserService` | `use crate::services::user::UserService` |
### New File Structure
```
src/
├── services/
│ ├── mod.rs (NEW - add `pub mod user;`)
│ └── user.rs (NEW - UserService moved here)
├── handlers/
│ └── auth.rs (UserService removed)
```
### Circular Dependency Check
✅ No circular dependencies detected
| Check | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Reference completeness | Ensure all uses are found |
| Name conflicts | Detect existing symbols with same name |
| Visibility changes | Warn if pub/private scope changes |
| Macro-generated code | Warn about code in macros |
| Documentation | Flag doc comments mentioning symbol |
| Test coverage | Show affected tests |
Always use --dry-run first to preview changes:
/rust-refactor-helper rename old_name new_name --dry-run
This shows all changes without applying them.
| When | See |
|---|---|
| Navigate to symbol | rust-code-navigator |
| Understand call flow | rust-call-graph |
| Project structure | rust-symbol-analyzer |
| Trait implementations | rust-trait-explorer |
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