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name: occams-razor description: Complexity Pruning and Simplification using the Subtraction Method. Use when refactoring, reducing boilerplate, or challenging over-engineered solutions. license: MIT

Occam's Razor (The Subtraction Method)

"Entities should not be multiplied without necessity." - William of Ockham

When to Use

• Before adding a new library or dependency.
• When refactoring legacy code.
• When a solution feels "heavy", "boilerplate-y", or hard to explain.
• During Code Review to challenge over-engineering.

The Protocol: The Subtraction Method

Do not ask "What can I add?". Ask "What can I remove?". Follow these 4 steps explicitly.

1. The Hypothesis

Assume the current solution is over-engineered. State: "This solution is too complex. It can be simpler."

2. The "Why" Test (Safety Check)

Iterate through every component. Prune ruthlessly, but verify safety.

• Grep Test: Search for the string/symbol in the entire codebase. Is it referenced dynamically?
• Test Suite: Run the project's tests. Do they pass?
• Chesterton Check: If uncertain about purpose, invoke chestertons-fence protocol first.
• Decision Matrix:
  • Unused & No Deps: DELETE.
  • Unused but "Nice to have": DELETE.
  • Referenced or Tests Fail: KEEP.

3. The Prune

Actively remove the unnecessary components.

• Replace heavy libraries with native language features (e.g., lodash -> Array.map).
• Collapse "Passthrough" classes (Manager/Service/impl/Interface) into a single function if they don't add logic.
• Delete unused config/boilerplate.

4. Verification

Does the bare metal system still solve the user's Core Problem?

• If YES: You are done.
• If NO: Restore only the minimum necessary piece.