Refactoring Safely with Vibgrate Graph

Refactoring is risky precisely because it touches code other things depend on. Vibgrate Graph makes the dependencies explicit so you can refactor deliberately instead of hopefully. This guide walks through a safe refactor with the graph.

Step 1: Build a current graph

Start from an accurate map of the code as it is today:

vg build

Step 2: Map the blast radius

Before touching a node, learn what depends on it:

vg impact

The deterministic blast radius tells you how far the change reaches. A wide radius is a sign to break the refactor into smaller, safer steps, or to add tests first.

Step 3: Understand the structure you are changing

Use the call tree to see what the target relies on, and flip it to see what relies on it:

vg tree
vg tree --callers

This helps you decide where to cut seams — for example, isolating a hub before changing its internals.

Step 4: Know the tests before you start

Capture the tests that exercise the affected code so you can run them as you go:

vg impact --tests

Running this focused set after each step gives fast feedback that you have not broken dependents.

Step 5: Rebuild and re-check as you go

After each meaningful change, refresh the graph and re-run impact to confirm the radius is shrinking and behaving as expected:

vg build
vg impact

Step 6: Verify the new wiring

When you are done, use vg show on the refactored nodes to confirm callers and callees match the new design:

vg show

A safe-refactor loop

build → impact → tree → make a small change → run the impacted tests → rebuild → repeat.

Related

See the articles on impact analysis before a change, test impact with --tests, and exploring the call tree with vg tree.