code-operations-skills

High-precision code manipulation operations including line-based insertion, bulk refactoring, and file analysis.

Origin: Converted from code-copy-mcp to native Claude Code skills for simpler setup and better integration.

Why This Plugin?

The original MCP server provided precise file operations that complemented Claude's native tools. This plugin preserves that functionality while:

✅ Simpler setup - No MCP server needed, just install the plugin ✅ Natural activation - Skills detect intent automatically from user requests ✅ Better integration - Works seamlessly with other Claude Code skills ✅ Version controlled - Part of the skills marketplace ecosystem

Skills Included

1. code-transfer

Transfer code between files with line-based precision.

Activates when you say:

• "copy this code to [file]"
• "move [function/class] to [file]"
• "extract this to a new file"
• "insert at line [number]"
• "transfer code from X to Y"

What it does:

• Extracts code from source files (functions, classes, code blocks)
• Inserts code at specific line numbers using line_insert.py script
• Moves code between files while maintaining structure
• Reorganizes code into separate modules

Example:

User: "Move the DatabaseConnection class from app.py to a new file database.py"

Claude:
1. Finds and extracts the DatabaseConnection class
2. Creates database.py with the extracted class
3. Updates imports in app.py
4. Removes the old class definition
✅ Code successfully transferred

Key feature: Includes line_insert.py Python script for precise line-number-based insertion (works where Edit tool's string matching isn't suitable).

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2. code-refactor

Perform bulk code refactoring operations across files.

Activates when you say:

• "rename [identifier] to [new_name]"
• "replace all [pattern] with [replacement]"
• "refactor to use [new_pattern]"
• "update all calls to [function/API]"
• "convert [old_pattern] to [new_pattern]"

What it does:

• Renames variables/functions consistently across entire codebase
• Replaces deprecated patterns with modern alternatives
• Updates API calls when endpoints change
• Converts code patterns (callbacks → async/await, var → let/const)
• Standardizes code style across files

Example:

User: "Rename getUserData to fetchUserData everywhere"

Claude:
1. Searches codebase: Found 15 occurrences in 5 files
2. Previews changes with context
3. Replaces all instances using Edit with replace_all
4. Verifies all replacements completed
5. Suggests running tests
✅ Refactored 15 instances across 5 files

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3. file-operations

Analyze files and get detailed metadata without modifying them.

Activates when you say:

• "analyze [file]"
• "get file info for [file]"
• "how many lines in [file]"
• "file statistics for [file]"
• "compare [file1] and [file2]"

What it does:

• Retrieves file size, modification time, permissions
• Counts lines, words, characters in files
• Analyzes code structure (functions, classes, imports)
• Compares file sizes across directories
• Generates code quality metrics

Example:

User: "Analyze app.py and tell me about it"

Claude:
app.py Analysis:
- Size: 15.2 KB
- Lines: 456
- Functions: 12
- Classes: 3
- Imports: 8 modules
- Last modified: 2025-10-20
- TODO comments: 3
✅ Analysis complete

Integration Example

The skills work together for complete code manipulation workflows:

User: "Refactor utils.py - split it into separate utility modules by category"

Claude:
1. [file-operations] Analyzes utils.py structure
   - Found 45 functions across 3 categories
   - File size: 1,245 lines (too large)

2. [code-transfer] Extracts string utilities
   - Creates string_utils.py
   - Transfers 15 related functions

3. [code-transfer] Extracts file utilities
   - Creates file_utils.py
   - Transfers 18 related functions

4. [code-refactor] Updates all imports
   - Finds 23 files importing from utils.py
   - Updates to use specific utility modules

✅ Successfully refactored utils.py into focused modules

Installation

From Claude Code CLI

# Install from marketplace
claude plugins install code-operations-skills

# Or install from local directory
claude plugins install /path/to/code-operations-plugin

Manual Installation

1. Copy code-operations-plugin/ to ~/.claude/plugins/
2. Restart Claude Code
3. Skills will activate automatically based on usage patterns

Usage Tips

When to Use code-transfer vs Edit

Use code-transfer when:

• Moving code between files
• Inserting at specific line numbers
• Creating new files from extracted code
• User specifies "line N"

Use native Edit when:

• Replacing existing code in-place
• Insertion point defined by content, not line number
• Simple find-and-replace

Efficient Refactoring Workflow

1. Search first - Use Grep to understand scope
2. Preview changes - Show user what will be affected
3. Execute systematically - Make changes file by file
4. Verify - Re-search to confirm completion
5. Test - Suggest running test suite

File Analysis Best Practices

• Combine multiple metrics for comprehensive analysis
• Use human-readable formats for user reporting
• Suggest optimizations when finding issues
• Compare against project baselines

Dependencies

Minimal - only Python stdlib:

• Python 3.6+ (for line_insert.py script)
• No external packages required

Comparison with Original MCP

Feature	MCP Server	This Plugin
Line-based insertion	✅ copy_code tool	✅ line_insert.py script
Bulk refactoring	✅ search_and_replace	✅ Edit + replace_all
File analysis	✅ get_file_info	✅ Bash + Grep + Read
Copy entire files	✅ copy_entire_file	✅ Read + Write
Setup complexity	MCP server config	Plugin install
Activation	Explicit tool calls	Natural language
Integration	Separate process	Native skills

What we kept:

• Precise line-based insertion capability
• Safety features (backups, validation)
• Comprehensive file operations

What we improved:

• No server process needed
• Automatic skill activation
• Better integration with Claude Code ecosystem
• Leverages native tools where possible

Technical Details

line_insert.py Script

Location: skills/code-transfer/scripts/line_insert.py

Purpose: Insert code at specific line numbers (complements Edit tool's string matching)

Features:

• 1-based line numbering
• Automatic file creation if needed
• Optional timestamped backups
• Multi-line code support
• Basic path validation for security

Usage:

python3 line_insert.py <file_path> <line_number> <code> [--backup]

Example:

# Insert function at line 50
python3 line_insert.py src/utils.py 50 "def helper():\\n    pass"

# Insert with backup
python3 line_insert.py src/utils.py 50 "def helper():\\n    pass" --backup

Skill Activation Logic

Skills activate based on natural language patterns in user requests:

code-transfer triggers:

• Keywords: "copy", "move", "extract", "transfer", "insert at line"
• Context: Mentions source and target files

code-refactor triggers:

• Keywords: "rename", "replace all", "refactor", "update all", "convert"
• Context: Bulk operations across files

file-operations triggers:

• Keywords: "analyze", "info", "statistics", "how many", "compare"
• Context: Non-destructive analysis requests

Version

1.0.0 - Initial release (converted from code-copy-mcp)

Author

mhattingpete

License

MIT (same as original MCP server)

Contributing

Issues and PRs welcome at the skills marketplace repository.

Related Resources

• Original MCP: code-copy-mcp
• Skills Marketplace: claude-skills-marketplace
• Claude Code Docs: docs.claude.com/claude-code