Loose Ends

When To Activate

Instructions

The Loose Ends Checklist

Before declaring complete, run through:

Code Hygiene

• No unused imports
• No unused variables
• No commented-out code (unless intentional)
• No console.log/print statements left in
• No debugger statements

TODOs and FIXMEs

• No new TODOs created and forgotten
• Any existing TODOs in touched files addressed or noted

Tests

• New code has tests (or explicit reason why not)
• Existing tests still pass
• Edge cases considered

Types (if applicable)

• No any types added
• No type assertions without reason
• Interfaces/types defined for new structures

References

• Old references updated if things were renamed
• No broken imports
• No stale comments referring to old code

Error Handling

• Errors handled or explicitly bubbled up
• User-facing errors have good messages
• No silent failures

Automated Sweep

Run the sweep script to find common cruft:

python scripts/sweep.py

Scans for:

• console.log, print(), debugger statements
• TODO, FIXME, XXX, HACK comments
• dd(), var_dump(), binding.pry (PHP/Ruby)

Quick Scan Commands

# Find TODOs in changed files
git diff --name-only | xargs grep -n "TODO\|FIXME"

# Find console.log in changed files
git diff --name-only | xargs grep -n "console.log"

# Find unused imports (TypeScript)
npx tsc --noEmit 2>&1 | grep "declared but"

# Find any types added
git diff | grep ": any"

Prioritize by Impact

Not all loose ends are equal:

Priority	Type	Action
Fix now	Broken imports, missing exports	Blocks functionality
Fix now	console.log in production code	Leaks info
Should fix	Unused imports/variables	Code smell
Should fix	Missing tests for new logic	Technical debt
Note for later	Old TODOs in touched files	Existing debt
Ignore	Style inconsistencies	Not your scope

Output Format

## Loose Ends Check

**Files changed:** [count]

**Fixed:**
- [x] Removed unused import in `file.ts`
- [x] Removed console.log in `handler.ts`

**Noted:**
- [ ] `utils.ts:45` has existing TODO (not from this change)

**Clean:** No loose ends found / All addressed

NEVER

• Declare "done" without scanning for loose ends
• Leave console.log in production code
• Create TODOs and forget about them
• Leave unused imports from experimentation
• Skip the checklist because "it's a small change"

ALWAYS

• Scan changed files before committing
• Remove debugging artifacts
• Address or document any TODOs you create
• Verify imports are used
• Check that tests pass after changes

Example

After implementing a new API endpoint:

## Loose Ends Check

**Files changed:** 4

**Scanning...**

`api/users.ts`:
- Line 3: unused import `lodash` → Removed
- Line 45: console.log for debugging → Removed

`types/user.ts`:
- Clean

`tests/users.test.ts`:
- New endpoint has test → Good
- Edge case (empty input) not tested → Added

`services/user.ts`:
- Line 23: TODO I wrote: "validate email format" → Addressed now

**Result:** 4 loose ends found and fixed. Ready to commit.