Keep or cut rat-stack

Delete interfaces your product will not use. Do not keep code because you might need it one day.

A capability is one named action with a contract and a server-side handler. The contract defines its name, input, output, failure, and metadata. A projection builds a callable interface from capabilities.

CLI means command-line interface. MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets an agent discover and call tools. Effect describes work with typed failures and required dependencies.

Read AGENTS.md first. Keep unrelated product work. Check imports and tests before deleting files.

Smallest version: command line only

Keep these files:

• packages/capability/src/contract.ts
• packages/capability/src/implement.ts
• packages/capability/src/to-command.ts
• packages/capability/src/call-watch.ts and packages/capability/src/actor-watch.ts
• every module imported by these files or retained core code, and their tests
• all of packages/core
• the CLI composition needed by the projected command

defineContract, implement, and toCommand keep the shipped stats command working. contract.ts does not depend on the other interfaces.

For CLI only, delete:

• unused projections and their matching tests in packages/capability/src and packages/capability/test, only after tracing imports from the keep list

Keep apps/cli/src/surfaces.ts with only the toCommand composition and its imports. Remove these unused CLI interfaces:

• catalog, openapi, serve, and mcp commands from apps/cli/src/command.ts
• apps/cli/test/serve.test.ts
• catalog, OpenAPI, MCP, and code-mode cases from apps/cli/test/cli.e2e.test.ts

Cut code mode

Delete:

• packages/capability/src/catalog.ts
• packages/capability/src/code-mode.ts
• packages/capability/src/sandbox-error.ts
• packages/capability/src/sandbox-service.ts
• packages/capability/src/sandbox-subprocess.ts
• packages/capability/src/to-code-mode.ts
• packages/capability/test/catalog.test.ts
• packages/capability/test/sandbox.test.ts
• packages/capability/test/to-code-mode.test.ts
• codeMode and mcpServer.codeMode from apps/cli/src/surfaces.ts
• the catalog command and --code-mode flag from apps/cli/src/command.ts
• catalog and code-mode cases from apps/cli/test/cli.e2e.test.ts
• the ./sandbox and ./code-mode exports from packages/capability/package.json

Cut HTTP

Delete:

• packages/capability/src/to-http-api.ts, packages/capability/src/http-api.ts, and the HTTP adapter test
• the ./http-api export from packages/capability/package.json
• http, routes, and webServer from apps/cli/src/surfaces.ts
• the openapi and serve commands from apps/cli/src/command.ts
• apps/cli/test/serve.test.ts
• the OpenAPI case from apps/cli/test/cli.e2e.test.ts

Cut MCP

Delete:

• packages/capability/src/to-toolkit.ts, packages/capability/src/toolkit.ts, and the MCP adapter test
• packages/capability/test/mcp-harness.ts
• tools and mcpServer from apps/cli/src/surfaces.ts
• the mcp command from apps/cli/src/command.ts
• MCP cases from apps/cli/test/cli.e2e.test.ts
• the ./toolkit export from packages/capability/package.json

Code mode imports to-toolkit.ts. Cutting MCP therefore cuts code mode too; apply both lists.

Cut XState

This recipe applies only to a clone that has already removed interest and every other lifecycle except file inspection. packages/core/src/interest-machine.ts also depends on XState and @xstate/effect; replacing file inspection alone cannot remove those dependencies. Find every remaining import before removing either package. Keeping a lifecycle means keeping its runtime and actor-watch.ts.

Delete:

• packages/core/src/inspect-machine.ts and its test
• xstate and @xstate/effect from packages/core/package.json
• their minimumReleaseAgeExclude entries from pnpm-workspace.yaml
• scripts/oxlint-plugin-xstate-effect.ts
• its entry in oxlint.config.ts

Then call FileInspector.inspect directly from the capability handler in packages/core/src/inspect-file.ts.

Cut devtools

Delete:

• packages/devtools
• @rat-stack/devtools from apps/cli/package.json
• devtoolsRoutes, devtoolsWebServer, mcpServer.devtools, and mcpServer.devtoolsCodeMode from apps/cli/src/surfaces.ts
• the --devtools flag from apps/cli/src/command.ts
• the devtools cases from apps/cli/test/serve.test.ts and apps/cli/test/cli.e2e.test.ts

In apps/web, swap devtoolsRoutes for contentRoutes in src/dev/backend.ts, point the development condition of #devtools-overlay in apps/web/package.json at ./src/features/shared/no-devtools.tsx, and delete src/dev/devtools, src/dev/client, and src/dev/features. vite dev keeps serving search and read; test/dev-content-routes.test.ts covers that path.

CallWatch, aroundHandlers, invokerFor, and watchActor stay in packages/capability. Devtools supplies CallWatch when the application is assembled. It observes calls without wrapping capability lists; its default does nothing. aroundHandlers remains the explicit policy wrapper over one list. invokerFor calls capabilities for code mode. watchActor lets machines report to devtools without depending on it.

Clean up after each cut

1. Remove stale exports from packages/capability/src/index.ts and any affected package barrel.
2. Remove stale imports, Layers, commands, and tests found by the compiler. A Layer builds services and supplies their construction dependencies. A service is a named interface for one job.
3. Update the package table in AGENTS.md so repo law matches the clone.
4. Refresh the lockfile and format intentional changes:

pnpm install
pnpm fix
pnpm turbo run check test build

Let the compiler and checks find every stale reference. Do not silence errors or delete unrelated tests.