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name: triad-audit description: Run systematic code audits using the Subtractive Triad framework (DRY → Rams → Heidegger). Use when auditing codebases for bloat, reviewing PRs for quality, finding dead code, or evaluating if code "earns its existence." allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob, ground_compare, ground_count_uses, ground_check_connections, ground_find_duplicate_functions, ground_find_orphans, ground_find_dead_exports, ground_analyze

Subtractive Triad Audit

Systematic code reduction using the DRY → Rams → Heidegger framework.

The Framework

Apply three levels of scrutiny, in order:

Level 1: DRY (Implementation)

Question: "Have I built this before?"

Use ground_find_duplicate_functions to find copied code:

Copyground_find_duplicate_functions with directory="src/" min_lines=5 exclude_tests=true

Look for:

• Duplicate code across files
• Repeated patterns that should be abstracted
• Copy-paste with minor variations

Action: Unify

Level 2: Rams (Artifact)

Question: "Does this earn its existence?"

Use ground_find_dead_exports to find unused code:

Copyground_find_dead_exports with module_path="src/utils.ts"

Use ground_count_uses to verify before claiming dead:

Copyground_count_uses with symbol="unusedFunction"

Look for:

• Unused imports and exports
• Dead code paths
• Over-engineered abstractions
• Features nobody uses

Action: Remove

Level 3: Heidegger (System)

Question: "Does this serve the whole?"

Use ground_find_orphans to find disconnected modules:

Copyground_find_orphans with directory="src/"

Use ground_check_connections to verify:

Copyground_check_connections with module_path="src/old-utils.ts"

Look for:

• Orphaned modules (nothing imports them)
• Inconsistent naming conventions
• Poor cohesion
• Missing documentation

Action: Reconnect

Running an Audit

Full Codebase Audit

Use ground_analyze for batch analysis:

Copyground_analyze with directory="src/" checks=["duplicates", "dead_exports", "orphans"]

PR Review

1. Get the changed files from the PR
2. Run targeted analysis on affected areas
3. Apply the three levels to each change

Single File Deep Dive

Copyground_find_dead_exports with module_path="path/to/file.ts"
ground_count_uses with symbol="exportedFunction" search_path="src/"

Output Format

Generate a structured report:

Copy# Subtractive Triad Audit: [Scope]

## Summary
- **DRY Score**: X/10
- **Rams Score**: X/10  
- **Heidegger Score**: X/10
- **Overall Health**: X/10

## Level 1: DRY Findings
| Location A | Location B | Similarity | Action |
|------------|------------|------------|--------|

## Level 2: Rams Findings
| Export | File | Uses | Action |
|--------|------|------|--------|

## Level 3: Heidegger Findings
| Module | Connections | Action |
|--------|-------------|--------|

## Recommendations
### P0 - Must Fix
### P1 - Should Fix
### P2 - Backlog

Scoring Guidelines

Philosophy

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

The Subtractive Triad operationalizes this into actionable code review. It shifts the question from "does this work?" to "does this need to exist?"

Requirements

Install Ground MCP for automated analysis:

Copynpm install -g @createsomething/ground-mcp

Add to .cursor/mcp.json:

Copy{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ground": {
      "command": "ground-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Case Study

See the framework in action: Kickstand Triad Audit — 155 scripts reduced to 13 (92% reduction).

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From CREATE SOMETHING — The canon for "less, but better."