complexity-big-o

Activation Contract

Load this skill when reviewing refactor plans for: complexity, Big O, cyclomatic, nested loops, queries in loops.

Hard Rules

• Flag high cyclomatic complexity, nested branches, loops, repeated scans, O(n²), and queries in loops.
• Discuss Big O only when collections, algorithms, or repeated queries exist.
• Avoid micro-optimizations without evidence; prioritize readability unless performance risk is real.
• Preserve observable behavior; label functional changes as follow-up.
• Require evidence for every recommendation, or mark it as a hypothesis.

Decision Gates

Signal	Action
Concrete evidence exists	Create a finding with file, lines, symbol, benefit, validation, and rollback.
Evidence is incomplete	Mark as hypothesis and lower confidence.
Recommendation is cosmetic or speculative	Omit it unless maintainability benefit is clear.

Execution Steps

1. Inspect the target and nearby tests only as needed for this lens.
2. Identify findings that match this skill's responsibility.
3. Recommend the smallest safe behavior-preserving refactor.
4. Add validation and rollback steps for each recommendation.

Output Contract

Return structured findings for the calling reviewer. Return no_findings when this lens has no material issue.

References

None.