Dead Code Eliminator

Overview

Systematically identify unused or redundant code in Python codebases to improve maintainability, reduce confusion, and eliminate technical debt.

Workflow

1. Understand the Scope

Define what to analyze:

Questions to ask:

• What directory or files should be analyzed?
• Should test files be included or excluded?
• Are there specific types of dead code to focus on?
• Should external-facing API functions be considered?

Determine analysis scope:

# Check project structure
ls -la

# Count Python files
find . -name "*.py" | wc -l

# Identify test directories
find . -type d -name "*test*"

2. Identify Dead Code

Use multiple detection strategies to find different types of dead code.

Strategy 1: Find Unused Functions

Use the bundled script for AST-based analysis:

# Scan entire project
python scripts/find_unused_functions.py /path/to/project

# Exclude specific directories
python scripts/find_unused_functions.py /path/to/project tests,venv,docs

What it detects:

• Functions defined but never called
• Methods that aren't invoked anywhere
• Async functions without callers

Limitations:

• Won't detect dynamically called functions (via getattr, decorators)
• May flag public API functions that are used externally
• Doesn't detect pytest fixtures or entry points

Strategy 2: Find Unused Imports

Use the bundled script to identify unused imports:

# Scan single file
python scripts/find_unused_imports.py /path/to/file.py

# Scan entire directory
python scripts/find_unused_imports.py /path/to/project

# Exclude directories
python scripts/find_unused_imports.py /path/to/project venv,.venv,tests

What it detects:

• Imports that are never referenced
• Unused from X import Y statements
• Redundant imports

Strategy 3: Use External Tools

Leverage Python ecosystem tools for comprehensive analysis:

vulture - Finds unused code:

# Install
pip install vulture

# Run on project
vulture /path/to/project

# Exclude directories
vulture /path/to/project --exclude venv,tests

# Set minimum confidence (0-100)
vulture /path/to/project --min-confidence 80

autoflake - Focuses on imports and variables:

# Install
pip install autoflake

# Check for unused imports
autoflake --check --imports /path/to/file.py

# Check unused imports and variables
autoflake --check --remove-all-unused-imports --remove-unused-variables /path/to/file.py

# Recursive scan
autoflake --check -r /path/to/project

pylint - General linting including dead code:

# Install
pip install pylint

# Check for unused variables, imports, functions
pylint /path/to/project --disable=all --enable=unused-import,unused-variable,unreachable

Strategy 4: Manual Code Review

Read the code to identify patterns:

Unreachable code:

• Code after return statements
• Code in impossible conditions
• Code after break, continue, or raise

Redundant conditions:

• Always-true or always-false checks
• Duplicate conditions
• Unnecessary else after return

Look for:

# Find code after return statements (basic pattern)
grep -A 3 "return" **/*.py | grep -v "^--$"

# Find functions with "old" or "legacy" in name
grep -r "def.*old\|def.*legacy" .

# Find TODO comments about removal
grep -r "TODO.*remove\|FIXME.*delete" .

3. Categorize Findings

Organize dead code by type and priority.

See dead-code-patterns.md for comprehensive pattern catalog.

Category: Unused Imports

Priority: High (easy to remove, low risk)

Examples:

• import os but os is never used
• from typing import List, Dict but only List is used
• Duplicate imports

Category: Unused Functions/Methods

Priority: Medium to High

Subcategories:

• Orphaned helpers: Utility functions never called
• Refactoring leftovers: Old implementations not removed
• Test helpers: Test utilities not used by any test

Caution - May be intentional:

• Public API functions (used externally)
• Plugin/hook functions (called dynamically)
• CLI entry points (called from command line)

Category: Unreachable Code

Priority: High (indicates bugs or confusion)

Examples:

• Code after return
• Code in impossible conditions
• Code after raise

Category: Redundant Code

Priority: Medium

Examples:

• Redundant boolean checks
• Unnecessary else after return
• Duplicate logic in multiple places

Category: Unused Variables

Priority: Low to Medium

Examples:

• Assigned but never read
• Function parameters never used
• Loop variables never referenced

4. Verify Findings

Before reporting, verify that identified code is truly dead.

Check for dynamic usage:

# Code may appear unused but is called dynamically
handlers = {
    'process': process_handler,  # Looks unused but isn't
}

# Or via getattr
handler = getattr(module, function_name)

Check for external usage:

• Is this a public API function?
• Is it documented in README or API docs?
• Is it an entry point in setup.py?

Check for framework conventions:

# Django signal handlers
@receiver(post_save, sender=User)
def user_saved(sender, instance, **kwargs):  # May appear unused
    pass

# Pytest fixtures
@pytest.fixture
def sample_data():  # Used by tests but not "called" directly
    return {"key": "value"}

Verify with grep:

# Search for function name in entire codebase
grep -r "function_name" .

# Search in quotes (dynamic calls)
grep -r "'function_name'\|\"function_name\"" .

# Search in setup.py or config files
grep -r "function_name" setup.py pyproject.toml

5. Generate Report

Create a structured markdown report of findings.

Dead Code Analysis Report

Project: [Project Name] Analyzed: [Date] Scope: [Directories analyzed] Excluded: [Excluded directories]

Summary

• Unused imports: X findings across Y files
• Unused functions: A findings across B files
• Unreachable code: M findings
• Redundant code: N findings

Total: Z dead code instances found

🔴 High Priority Issues

Unreachable Code

Code that can never execute - should be removed immediately.

Issue 1: Code After Return

Location: src/utils.py:45-47

Code:

def process_data(data):
    if not data:
        return None
        logging.warning("Empty data")  # UNREACHABLE
        validate(data)  # UNREACHABLE

Recommendation: Remove lines 46-47 (unreachable after return).

Impact: Misleading code that suggests validation happens but doesn't.

Unused Imports

File: src/main.py

Lines:

• Line 3: import os (unused)
• Line 5: from typing import Dict, Tuple (only Dict is used)
• Line 12: import re (unused)

Recommendation: Remove unused imports. Update line 5 to from typing import Dict.

🟡 Medium Priority Issues

Unused Functions

Functions that appear unused but should be verified before removal.

Issue 3: Orphaned Helper Function

Location: src/helpers.py:89

Function: format_timestamp(ts: int) -> str

Analysis:

• Defined but never called in codebase
• Not in public API documentation
• Not an entry point

Verification needed:

• ✅ Checked: Not in setup.py entry_points
• ✅ Checked: Not mentioned in README
• ✅ Checked: No string references in codebase
• ❌ Need to verify: Could this be used by external code?

Recommendation: If not part of public API, remove. Otherwise, document it.

Issue 4: Duplicate Logic

Locations:

• src/processor_a.py:45-52
• src/processor_b.py:78-85

Code: Both files contain identical validation logic.

Recommendation: Extract common logic into shared utility function.

Impact: Maintenance burden - changes must be duplicated.

🔵 Low Priority Issues

Redundant Code

Issue