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2025-11-30 09:07:22 +08:00

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Iteration 1: Executor Command Builder Decomposition

Date: 2025-10-21 Duration: ~2.6 hours Status: Completed Framework: BAIME (Bootstrapped AI Methodology Engineering)


1. Executive Summary

Focused on collapsing the 51-point cyclomatic hotspot inside (*ToolExecutor).buildCommand by introducing dictionary-driven builders and pipeline helpers. Refined (*ToolExecutor).ExecuteTool into a linear orchestration that delegates scope decisions, special-case handling, and response generation to smaller functions. Added value-function-aware instrumentation while keeping existing tests intact.

Key achievements: cyclomatic complexity for buildCommand dropped from 51 → 3, ExecuteTool from 24 → 9, and new helper functions encapsulate metrics logging. All executor tests remained green, validating structural changes. Methodology layer advanced with formal iteration documentation and reusable scoring formulas.

Value Scores:

  • V_instance(s_1) = 0.83 (Target: 0.80, Gap: +0.03 over target)
  • V_meta(s_1) = 0.50 (Target: 0.80, Gap: -0.30)

2. Pre-Execution Context

Previous State (s_{0}): From Iteration 0 baseline.

  • V_instance(s_0) = 0.42 (Gap: -0.38)
    • C_complexity = 0.00
    • C_coverage = 0.74
    • C_regressions = 1.00
  • V_meta(s_0) = 0.18 (Gap: -0.62)
    • V_completeness = 0.10
    • V_effectiveness = 0.20
    • V_reusability = 0.25

Meta-Agent: M_0 — BAIME driver with value-function scoring capability, newly instantiated.

Agent Set: A_0 = {Refactoring Agent (complexity-focused), Test Guardian (Go test executor)}.

Primary Objectives:

  1. Reduce executor hotspot complexity below threshold (cyclomatic ≤10).
  2. Preserve behavior via targeted unit/integration test runs.
  3. Introduce helper abstractions for logging/metrics reuse.
  4. Produce methodology artifacts (iteration logs + scoring formulas).

3. Work Executed

Phase 1: OBSERVE - Hotspot Confirmation (~20 min)

Data Collection:

  • gocyclo (pre-change) captured in Iteration 0 notes.
  • Test suite status: go test ./cmd/mcp-server -run TestBuildCommand and -run TestExecuteTool (baseline run, green).

Analysis:

  • Switch Monolith: buildCommand enumerated 13 tools, repeated flag parsing, and commingled validation with scope handling.
  • Scope Leakage: ExecuteTool mixed scope resolution, metrics, and jq filtering.
  • Special-case duplication: cleanup_temp_files, list_capabilities, and get_capability repeated duration/error logic.

Gaps Identified:

  • Hard-coded switch prevents incremental extension.
  • Metrics code duplicated across special tools.
  • No separation between stats-only and stats-first behaviors.

Phase 2: CODIFY - Refactoring Plan (~25 min)

Deliverables:

  • toolPipelineConfig struct + helper functions (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go:19-43).
  • Refactoring safety approach captured in this iteration log (no extra file).

Content Structure:

  1. Extract pipeline configuration (jq filters, stats modes).
  2. Normalize execution metrics helpers (record success/failure).
  3. Use command builder map for per-tool argument wiring.

Patterns Extracted:

  • Builder Map Pattern: Map tool name → builder function reduces branching.
  • Pipeline Config Pattern: Encapsulate repeated argument extraction.

Decision Made: Replace monolithic switch with data-driven builders to localize tool-specific differences.

Rationale:

  • Simplifies adding new tools.
  • Enables independent testing of command construction.
  • Reduces cyclomatic complexity to manageable levels.

Phase 3: AUTOMATE - Code Changes (~80 min)

Approach: Apply small-surface refactors with immediate gofmt + go test loops.

Changes Made:

  1. Pipeline Helpers:

    • Added toolPipelineConfig, newToolPipelineConfig, and requiresMessageFilters to centralize argument parsing (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go:19-43).
    • Introduced determineScope, recordToolSuccess, recordToolFailure, and executeSpecialTool to unify metric handling (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go:45-115).
  2. Executor Flow:

    • Rewrote ExecuteTool to rely on helpers and new config struct, reducing nested branching (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go:117-182).
    • Extracted response builders for stats-only, stats-first, and standard flows (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go:184-277).
  3. Command Builders:

    • Added toolCommandBuilders map and per-tool builder functions (e.g., buildQueryToolsCommand, buildQueryConversationCommand, etc.) (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go:279-476).
    • Simplified scope flag handling via scopeArgs helper (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go:315-324).
  4. Logging Utilities:

    • Converted classifyError into data-driven rules and added containsAny helper (cmd/mcp-server/logging.go:60-90).

Code Changes:

  • Modified: cmd/mcp-server/executor.go (~400 LOC touched) — decomposition of executor pipeline.
  • Modified: cmd/mcp-server/logging.go (30 LOC) — error classification table.

Results:

Before: gocyclo buildCommand = 51, ExecuteTool = 24
After:  gocyclo buildCommand = 3,  ExecuteTool = 9

Benefits:

  • Complexity reduction exceeded target (evidence: gocyclo cmd/mcp-server/executor.go).
  • Special tool handling centralized; easier to verify metrics (shared helpers).
  • Methodology artifacts (iteration logs) increase reproducibility.

Phase 4: EVALUATE - Calculate V(s_1) (~20 min)

Instance Layer Components:

  • C_complexity = max(0, 1 - (17 - 10)/40) = 0.825 (post-change maxCyclo = 17, function ApplyJQFilter).
  • C_coverage = 0.74 (unchanged coverage 70.3%).
  • C_regressions = 1.00 (tests pass).

V_instance(s_1) = 0.5*0.825 + 0.3*0.74 + 0.2*1.00 = 0.83.

Meta Layer Components:

  • V_completeness = 0.45 (baseline + iteration logs in place).
  • V_effectiveness = 0.50 (refactor completed with green tests, <3h turnaround).
  • V_reusability = 0.55 (builder map + pipeline config transferable to other tools).

V_meta(s_1) = (0.45 + 0.50 + 0.55) / 3 = 0.50.

Evidence:

  • gocyclo cmd/mcp-server/executor.go | sort -nr | head (post-change output).
  • GOCACHE=$(pwd)/.gocache go test ./cmd/mcp-server -run TestBuildCommand (0.009s).
  • GOCACHE=$(pwd)/.gocache go test ./cmd/mcp-server -run TestExecuteTool (~70s, all green).

Phase 5: VALIDATE (~10 min)

Cross-validated builder outputs using existing executor tests (multiple subtests covering each tool). Manual code review ensured builder map retains identical argument coverage (see executor_test.go:276, executor_test.go:798).

Phase 6: REFLECT (~10 min)

Documented iteration results here and updated main experiment state. Noted residual hotspot (ApplyJQFilter, cyclomatic 17) for next iteration.


4. V(s_1) Summary Table

Component Weight Score Evidence
C_complexity 0.50 0.825 gocyclo max runtime = 17
C_coverage 0.30 0.74 Coverage 70.3%
C_regressions 0.20 1.00 Tests green
V_instance 0.83 weighted sum
V_completeness 0.33 0.45 Iteration logs established
V_effectiveness 0.33 0.50 <3h cycle, tests automated
V_reusability 0.34 0.55 Builder map reusable
V_meta 0.50 average

5. Convergence Assessment

  • Instance layer surpassed target (0.83 ≥ 0.80) but relies on remaining hotspot improvement for resilience.
  • Meta layer still short by 0.30; need richer methodology automation (templates, checklists, metrics capture).
  • Convergence not achieved; continue iterations focusing on meta uplift and remaining complexity pockets.

6. Next Iteration Plan (Iteration 2)

  1. Refactor ApplyJQFilter (cyclomatic 17) by separating parsing, execution, and serialization steps.
  2. Add focused unit tests around jq filter edge cases to guard new structure.
  3. Automate value collection (store gocyclo + coverage outputs in artifacts directory).
  4. Advance methodology completeness via standardized iteration templates.

Estimated effort: ~3.0 hours.


7. Evolution Decisions

Agent Evolution

  • Refactoring Agent remains effective () — new focus on parsing utilities.
  • Introduce Testing Augmentor (⚠️) for jq edge cases to push coverage.

Meta-Agent Evolution

  • M_1 retains BAIME driver but needs automation module. Decision deferred to Iteration 2 when artifact generation script is planned.

8. Artifacts Created

  • .claude/skills/code-refactoring/iterations/iteration-1.md — this document.
  • Updated executor/logging code (cmd/mcp-server/executor.go, cmd/mcp-server/logging.go).

9. Reflections

What Worked

  1. Builder Map Extraction: Simplified code while maintaining clarity across 13 tool variants.
  2. Pipeline Config Struct: Centralized repeated jq/stats parameter handling.
  3. Helper-Based Metrics Logging: Reduced duplication and eased future testing.

What Didn't Work

  1. Test Runtime: TestExecuteTool still requires ~70s; consider sub-test isolation next iteration.
  2. Meta Automation: Value calculation still manual; needs scripting support.

Learnings

  1. Breaking complexity into data-driven maps is effective for CLI wiring logic.
  2. BAIME documentation itself drives meta-layer score improvements; must maintain habit.
  3. Remaining hotspots often sit in parsing utilities; targeted tests are essential.

Insights for Methodology

  1. Introduce script to capture gocyclo + coverage snapshots automatically (Iteration 2 objective).
  2. Adopt iteration template to reduce friction when writing documentation.

10. Conclusion

The executor refactor achieved the primary objective, elevating V_instance above target while improving the meta layer from 0.18 → 0.50. Remaining work centers on parsing complexity and methodology automation. Iteration 2 will tackle ApplyJQFilter, add edge-case tests, and codify artifact generation.

Key Insight: Mapping tool handlers to discrete builder functions transforms maintainability without altering tests.

Critical Decision: Invest in helper abstractions (config + metrics) to prevent regression in future additions.

Next Steps: Execute Iteration 2 plan for jq filter refactor and methodology automation.

Confidence: Medium-High — complexity reductions succeeded; residual risk lies in jq parsing semantics.


Status: Executor refactor delivered Next: Iteration 2 - JQ Filter Decomposition & Methodology Automation Expected Duration: 3.0 hours