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If possible, you could try to get the requirements and design to those and write something new.
If that's not possible, I would start flow-charting. I always do it by hand in whatever tool you have handy. Some languages have tools that can do this for you (Go and Java and I think PHP to name a few) if it's that big of a mess. From there, find your inputs and outputs and go back to the "rewrite it" part.
Depends on the size of the pile. If it's huge, then you have to use LLM too, with some decent tooling like Claude Code. Let it analyse the code first, and put a summary for you. Then design the proper solution yourself, and either fix it manually, or if it's too tedious, guide LLM to apply the changes for you. Ofc iteratively and don't let it apply changesets without your approval. I had a similar task recently, did it like that
Fighting fire with fire. I like it.
Document the features and requirements, then rewrite it with proper architecture and without LLMs.
can confirm. this is the way
Cry in the bathroom
I just cry at my desk and tell them it's because AI is so beautiful
Vibe code it a bit further, then pass it back. If they can hand you slop without second thought, why shouldn't you?
For work, or for hobby?
Hobby: have AI document what it's supposed to do, then work through it like the ship of theseus one function at a time replacing it with not bad code.
Work: use it, document the bugs, ninja in and clear them out one at a time until it works. Keep blinders on and ignore anything not directly related to each bug. Same strategy as legacy code.
The problem with this approach is twofold.
For work. The code goes like 8 levels of abstraction. I'm trying to figure out how to unravel it.
Even a code flow/branching diagram would help I think
Depending on the language, there might exist an automated tool for generating those kinds of diagrams from code.
Nature of the code? Library, CLI tool, cloud service, API, UI?
My first thought is test suite.
Handed to review, handed to maintain, handed to extend?
Primary maintainer ....
The same as taking over any legacy project applies, really.
Start out with some expectation management - the current state of the solution prevents progress from going fast, and your stakeholders need to understand that.
Then get some tests going, such that you can try to defend whatever value the system has, if any.
Finally, start refactoring as much as you can get the space to do. Repeat until the system reaches your desired state.
Of course! Vibe coding is a popular activity nowadays and *** thinking ***
Start by separating the files by namespace and class. Then, by method. Delete the first method, then the next, and so on. Then rewrite the code by hand as God intended.
Unironically get Opus to get you a base of a flow document based on the code so you can figure it out.
Then of course, you dig in yourself, understanding what Opus said, then fiflling in the gaps.
Edit: I don't think you need to pay for Cursor to prompt Opus once for this. Just make sure to use Opus, Auto picks the dumbest model available on free tier.
