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static-code-analyzer

Testing & Quality
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Deep static analysis of codebases for quality, complexity, and migration readiness assessment

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/a5c-ai/babysitter/blob/HEAD/library/specializations/code-migration-modernization/skills/static-code-analyzer/SKILL.md

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Static Code Analyzer Skill

Performs comprehensive static analysis of codebases to assess code quality, complexity metrics, and migration readiness. This skill integrates with industry-standard tools to provide actionable insights for migration planning.

Purpose

Enable deep static analysis of codebases for:

  • Code quality assessment
  • Complexity measurement
  • Migration readiness evaluation
  • Technical debt quantification
  • Security vulnerability scanning (SAST)

Capabilities

1. Cyclomatic Complexity Measurement

  • Analyze control flow complexity
  • Identify high-complexity functions/methods
  • Generate complexity reports by module/package
  • Track complexity trends over time

2. Code Duplication Detection (Clone Detection)

  • Detect exact code clones
  • Identify near-duplicates and structural clones
  • Calculate duplication percentage
  • Map clone relationships

3. Dead Code Identification

  • Find unreachable code paths
  • Identify unused functions/methods
  • Detect orphaned imports and exports
  • Flag obsolete feature flags

4. Security Vulnerability Scanning (SAST)

  • Scan for common security anti-patterns
  • Identify injection vulnerabilities
  • Check for hardcoded secrets
  • Assess authentication/authorization patterns

5. Maintainability Index Calculation

  • Calculate composite maintainability scores
  • Assess code readability metrics
  • Evaluate documentation coverage
  • Measure API surface complexity

6. Coding Standards Compliance

  • Check against language-specific style guides
  • Validate naming conventions
  • Verify structural patterns
  • Assess best practices adherence

Tool Integrations

This skill can leverage the following external tools when available:

ToolPurposeIntegration Method
SonarQubeComprehensive code qualityMCP Server / API
CodeClimateQuality metricsAPI
ESLintJavaScript/TypeScript lintingCLI
PMDJava static analysisCLI
FindBugs/SpotBugsJava bug detectionCLI
CheckstyleJava code standardsCLI
ast-grepAST-based pattern matchingMCP Server / CLI
SemgrepSecurity-focused SASTCLI

Usage

Basic Analysis

# Invoke skill for basic analysis
# The skill will auto-detect language and apply appropriate analyzers

# Expected inputs:
# - targetPath: Path to codebase or directory to analyze
# - analysisScope: 'full' | 'quick' | 'security' | 'quality'
# - outputFormat: 'json' | 'markdown' | 'html'

Analysis Workflow

  1. Discovery Phase

    • Detect programming languages present
    • Identify project structure and build systems
    • Check for existing configuration files
  2. Tool Selection

    • Select appropriate analyzers based on languages
    • Configure tool-specific settings
    • Validate tool availability
  3. Analysis Execution

    • Run selected analyzers
    • Collect metrics and findings
    • Aggregate results
  4. Report Generation

    • Consolidate findings
    • Calculate composite scores
    • Generate actionable recommendations

Output Schema

{
  "analysisId": "string",
  "timestamp": "ISO8601",
  "target": {
    "path": "string",
    "languages": ["string"],
    "filesAnalyzed": "number",
    "linesOfCode": "number"
  },
  "metrics": {
    "complexity": {
      "average": "number",
      "max": "number",
      "distribution": {}
    },
    "duplication": {
      "percentage": "number",
      "cloneCount": "number",
      "duplicatedLines": "number"
    },
    "maintainability": {
      "index": "number",
      "grade": "A-F"
    },
    "technicalDebt": {
      "estimatedHours": "number",
      "ratio": "number"
    }
  },
  "findings": [
    {
      "type": "string",
      "severity": "critical|high|medium|low|info",
      "file": "string",
      "line": "number",
      "message": "string",
      "rule": "string",
      "recommendation": "string"
    }
  ],
  "migrationReadiness": {
    "score": "number (0-100)",
    "blockers": [],
    "risks": [],
    "recommendations": []
  }
}

Integration with Migration Processes

This skill integrates with the following Code Migration/Modernization processes:

  • legacy-codebase-assessment: Primary tool for initial codebase evaluation
  • code-refactoring: Identifies refactoring targets
  • technical-debt-remediation: Quantifies and prioritizes debt

Configuration

Skill Configuration File

Create .static-analyzer.json in the project root:

{
  "excludePaths": ["node_modules", "dist", "build", ".git"],
  "severityThreshold": "medium",
  "enabledChecks": {
    "complexity": true,
    "duplication": true,
    "security": true,
    "standards": true
  },
  "customRules": [],
  "reportFormats": ["json", "markdown"]
}

MCP Server Integration

When SonarQube MCP Server is available:

// Example MCP tool invocation
{
  "tool": "sonarqube_analyze",
  "arguments": {
    "project_key": "my-project",
    "sources": "./src",
    "language": "javascript"
  }
}

When ast-grep MCP Server is available:

// Example AST pattern search
{
  "tool": "ast_grep_search",
  "arguments": {
    "pattern": "console.log($$)",
    "language": "javascript",
    "path": "./src"
  }
}

Best Practices

  1. Incremental Analysis: For large codebases, use incremental analysis to reduce time
  2. Baseline Establishment: Create baseline metrics before migration
  3. Threshold Configuration: Set appropriate thresholds for your team's standards
  4. Trend Tracking: Track metrics over time to measure improvement
  5. Integration Testing: Validate analysis results against known issues

Related Skills

  • code-smell-detector: Specialized smell detection
  • technical-debt-quantifier: Debt measurement and prioritization
  • test-coverage-analyzer: Coverage gap identification

Related Agents

  • legacy-system-archaeologist: Uses this skill for codebase exploration
  • migration-readiness-assessor: Uses this skill for readiness scoring
  • technical-debt-auditor: Uses this skill for debt assessment

References