When to reach for the quality tools

Updated Oct 08, 2026
  • Skylos: when the repository already gates dead code with Skylos or the repository uses it deliberately for cleanup. Load skylos; preserve the existing gate rather than substituting another scanner.
  • deadcode: when the question is "is this name still used?". Run on changed files in CI; review --fix diffs by hand.
  • pyscn: when the question is "is this branch reachable?", "is this block a clone?", or "is this module getting too coupled?". Run weekly on main; treat findings as a worklist, not a build failure.
  • Pyinstrument: when a request or test is slow and the question is "where does the time go?". Use to find hot paths; use pytest-benchmark to regression-test them.