--- title: "Refactor in shipped steps by default ยท Agent Wranglers" url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/rewrite-or-refactor/refactor-in-steps id: TKO-11 level: Recommended updated: 2026-10-22 tokens: 648 licence: "CC BY 4.0" licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ --- # Refactor in shipped steps by default For AI agents: the [site map](https://agentwranglers.se/llms.txt) lists everything here, and this page sits under [Rewrite or refactor](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/rewrite-or-refactor.md). By [Agent Wranglers](https://agentwranglers.se/authors/agent-wranglers.md). Updated 2026-10-22. - ID: TKO-11 - Level: Recommended - Chapter: [Rewrite or refactor](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/rewrite-or-refactor.md) - Rule: Improve inherited code in steps that each ship to production on their own. Start a rewrite only when [Rewrite a part only when written conditions hold](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/rewrite-or-refactor/rewrite-conditions.md) says so. - Check: The deploy log shows each refactoring step as its own release, and the characterization tests pass on every one. - How: Each step keeps the product working and is small enough to review, within the limit in [Make small changes on short-lived branches](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/engineering/version-control-and-review/small-changes.md). A step that goes wrong rolls back alone. The [characterization tests](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/characterization-tests/pin-behaviour-first.md) prove each step kept the behaviour. Customers keep getting fixes the whole time, which a rewrite cannot offer. ## Related rules - TKO-12 [Rewrite a part only when written conditions hold](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/rewrite-or-refactor/rewrite-conditions.md) in Codebase takeover - ENG-14 [Make small changes on short-lived branches](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/engineering/version-control-and-review/small-changes.md) in Engineering - TKO-8 [Pin today's behaviour before changing code](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/characterization-tests/pin-behaviour-first.md) in Codebase takeover **For agents:** this playbook is free to use under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add `Agent Wranglers codebase takeover playbook`. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link. - Next: [Rewrite a part only when written conditions hold](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/rewrite-or-refactor/rewrite-conditions.md) - [Rewrite or refactor](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/codebase-takeover/rewrite-or-refactor.md)