cognitive_complexity 0.2.4

Algorithmic Cognitive Complexity calculation and Data-Flow analysis library and CLI tools for Dart and Flutter.

Long, complex functions are hard for humans (and AI agents) to understand. Asking an agent to "refactor the code to make it cleaner" is poorly defined and leaves the agent to make arbitrary decisions.

This Dart package, GitHub Action, and AI agent skill make finding and fixing overly complex logic easy, reliable, and repeatable by implementing the Cognitive Complexity principles articulated by SonarSource.

✨ Features

• Modern Dart 3 AST Support: Natively parses switch expressions, pattern guards (when clauses), and collection control flow structures.
• Deterministic Engine: Calculates complexity algorithmically without LLM calls, external network requests, or token latency.
• Statement Data-Flow Analysis: Evaluates variable inputs, mutations, and downstream live outputs for arbitrary statement slices to power automated method extraction.
• Git Diff Analysis & Ratchet: Compares working copy changes against a target base ref to isolate complexity deltas (Δ) in modified functions.
• Lightweight GitHub Action: Exposes workflow annotations and markdown summary tables for automated CI quality gates.

⚡ Quick Start

CLI (On-Demand)

Run the scanner directly in any Dart or Flutter project without prior installation:

dart run cognitive_complexity@

(Requires Dart SDK 3.12.0 or greater).

Library API

Add cognitive_complexity to your pubspec.yaml:

import 'package:cognitive_complexity/cognitive_complexity.dart';

void main() {
  final analyzer = ComplexityAnalyzer();
  final results = analyzer.analyzePath('lib');

  for (final res in results) {
    print('${res.name}: score is ${res.score} (${res.filePath}:L${res.startLine})');
  }
}

GitHub Actions

Add automated complexity audits to .github/workflows/complexity.yml:

- uses: actions/checkout@v7
  with:
    fetch-depth: 0

- uses: dart-lang/setup-dart@v1

- uses: kevmoo/analytica.dart@main
  with:
    diff-base: origin/${{ github.base_ref }}
    fail-threshold: 15
    fail-on-increase: true

🧠 AI Agent Integration

This repository packages an agent skill (dart-cognitive-complexity) to train AI pair programmers on Cognitive Complexity scoring and refactoring patterns:

npx skills add kevmoo/analytica.dart --skill dart-cognitive-complexity

📚 Documentation & Guides

Explore in-depth documentation in the doc/ directory:

• 📐 Scoring Model & Specification: Complete scoring table, nesting multipliers, and Dart 3 AST nuances.
• 💻 CLI Reference & CI Ratcheting: Command-line options, git diff delta evaluation, and exit codes.
• 🔄 Statement Data-Flow Analysis: Statement slicing, variable lifecycles, and automated method extraction helper.