๐Ÿ“ฌ Originally published on ZenOfCode

I'm reposting here to share with more devs โ€” feedback welcome!

How I Use ChatGPT to Refactor Smarter, Not Harder

Refactoring old code feels like walking through a minefield. One wrong move and boom โ€” tests fail, bugs spawn, and your day is ruined.

Hereโ€™s how I use ChatGPT as a legit refactoring assistant โ€” not just a novelty.

๐Ÿงช Step 1: Let It Explain Old Code

Before I even touch anything, I drop chunks into ChatGPT and ask:

โ€œExplain what this code does and if there are any smells.โ€

It helps me:

  • Understand legacy patterns

  • Spot anti-patterns

  • See opportunities to clean up

๐Ÿง  Step 2: Ask for a Refactored Version

Once I know what it does, I ask:

โ€œRefactor this code to use cleaner naming and extract logic to smaller methods.โ€

Youโ€™ll get suggestions like:

  • Breaking up long methods

  • Extracting reusable logic

  • Better naming

๐Ÿงผ Step 3: Keep the Parts You Like

ChatGPT isnโ€™t perfect โ€” but itโ€™s a powerful second brain.

Use its suggestions as a starting point, then tweak it to your taste.

โš™๏ธ Bonus: Custom Prompts That Work

Here are a few prompts Iโ€™ve saved:

  • โ€œRefactor this async method to improve readability and keep exception safety.โ€

  • โ€œCan you convert this into a more testable service class?โ€

  • โ€œSuggest a more SOLID-compliant structure for this code.โ€

๐Ÿ“ฆ Tools I Pair With It

  • GitHub Copilot โ€“ for inline suggestions

  • TestGPT โ€“ helps generate test cases

  • Prettier โ€“ keep things neat post-refactor

๐Ÿง  TL;DR

  • ChatGPT can help you read, refactor, and rethink your code

  • Itโ€™s not cheating โ€” itโ€™s upgrading your solo dev experience

  • You still drive โ€” AI just helps navigate

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