Bob tips

• Real-time code analysis: Automatically detects quality issues as you write code, without manual scanning.
• Catch quality issues early: Identify problematic functions during development, before code review.
• Reduce technical debt: Address complexity and maintainability issues as they emerge.
• Improve code readability: Get specific suggestions for simplifying complex logic.
• Enhance testability: Reduce deeply nested logic and excessive branching that makes testing difficult.

Bob tips performs continuous static analysis on all open files in your editor, calculating code quality metrics at the function level:

Metrics analyzed:

• Cyclomatic complexity: Measures the number of independent paths through your code. A value of 10 or higher is considered high complexity.
• Maintainability index: Evaluates how easy your code is to read, test, and extend. A value of 70 or lower is considered low maintainability.

Automatic detection:

When a function exceeds quality thresholds, Bob automatically:

1. Marks the function with a purple underline in your editor.
2. Adds the finding to the Bob Findings panel.
3. Generates AI-powered refactoring suggestions.

Bob tips runs continuously in the background without requiring manual scans or configuration. Analysis happens automatically as you write and modify code.

Bob tips specifically targets two categories of code quality issues:

Functions with deeply nested logic or excessive branching:

• Multiple nested if/else statements.
• Complex switch statements with many cases.
• Deeply nested loops.
• Excessive conditional logic.

These patterns make code difficult to understand, test, and maintain.

Functions that are difficult to read, test, or extend:

• Long functions with too many responsibilities.
• Poor separation of concerns.
• Complex logic that is hard to follow.
• Code that would benefit from decomposition.

When Bob identifies a quality issue:

1. The problematic function appears with a purple underline in your editor.
2. Hover over the underline to see a tooltip with:
   • The specific quality issue detected.
   • AI-powered refactoring suggestions.
   • Options to discuss the issue with Bob.

All findings across your open files are aggregated in the Bob Findings panel:

• View all quality issues in one centralized location.
• Navigate between findings across multiple files.
• Track which issues you have addressed.
• Reference findings in chat using '@problems'. For more information, see context mentions.

Collaborate with Bob to refactor your code:

Use this option when you want to:

• Understand the issue in more detail.
• Explore different refactoring approaches.
• Plan a more complex refactoring strategy.
• Learn best practices for similar situations.

When disabled, Bob stops analyzing files and removes existing findings from the editor and Bob Findings panel.