Perl — 140 Operations for AI Agents

This page is the canonical reference an AI coding agent uses to refactor, query, and analyze Perl code through the act MCP server. 140 operations available: 66 refactor, 18 query, 42 analysis, 14 verification. Each operation is callable from Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, or any MCP-compatible agent host. Click any operation for a stable anchor link suitable for citation.

18Query

66Refactor

42Analysis

14Verify

Query

18 query tools, the same on every supported language. Descriptions live in the shared reference: /docs/query-tools.

callers control_flow data_flow definition diagnostics effect_closure effect_summary fix_auto get_type graph import_organize interface mutations references repo_outline skeleton symbols symbols_batch

Refactor

Operation	Description
`add-chomp-after-readline`	Insert chomp after <> or readline
`add-filehandle-close`	Insert explicit close() after filehandle use
`add-my-declaration`	Add `my` declaration to implicit variables in Perl
`add-or-die-handler`	Add // die to risky operations
`add-parens-for-precedence`	Add parentheses to clarify operator precedence
`add-return-statement`	Insert explicit return where sub returns nothing
`add-sort-context`	Wrap sort() in list context when in scalar context
`add-strict-warnings`	Add `use strict;` and `use warnings;` pragmas to a Perl file
`add-subroutine-signature`	Convert prototype+@_ usage to modern sub signature
`add-use-feature`	Insert 'use feature qw(...)' for enabled features
`convert-concat-to-interpolation`	Convert Perl string concatenation to string interpolation
`convert-context-sensitive-to-explicit`	Make explicit return values for scalar/list context
`convert-foreach-to-for`	Convert foreach to for for consistent style
`convert-grep-to-loop`	Convert grep {} to explicit foreach with if
`convert-hash-to-lexical`	Convert package variables to lexical hash for encapsulation
`convert-if-to-ternary`	Convert simple if/else to ?:
`convert-if-to-unless`	Convert if !() to unless for readability
`convert-map-to-loop`	Convert map {} to explicit foreach loop where clarity improves
`convert-qw-to-list`	Convert qw() to explicit list for better editor support
`convert-slurp-mode`	Convert <> to explicit open/read/close with error handling
`convert-unless-to-if`	Convert unless to if !() form for consistency
`expand-postfix-conditional`	Convert postfix conditional to block form
`expand-postfix-loop`	Convert postfix loop to block form
`expand-reference-creation`	Convert implicit reference creation to explicit \$ref form
`expand-regex-qr`	Convert bare regex pattern to qr// form with modifiers explicit
`expand-ternary-to-if`	Convert ?: to if/else for multi-line expressions
`extract-function`	Extract code range to new function
`extract-subroutine`	Extract code block into new subroutine with parameter inference
`extract-variable`	Extract expression into named variable at appropriate scope
`extract_function`	Extract a code selection into a new function — automatically infers parameters, return types, and inserts the call site. Use instead of manually cutting/pasting code. Works without LSP; LSP improves type inference. Params: file (string), new_name (string), start_line (u32), start_column (u32), end_line (u32), end_column (u32) [, preview (bool), receipt (bool)]
`extract_variable`	Extract an expression into a named variable — inserts the declaration and replaces the expression with the variable name. Works without LSP. Params: file (string), new_name (string), start_line (u32), start_column (u32), end_line (u32), end_column (u32) [, preview (bool)]
`generate-attribute-validation`	Generate input validation for sub parameters
`generate-export-list-from-subs`	Auto-generate @EXPORT based on non-private subs
`generate-getter-setter`	Generate accessor methods for hash-based objects
`generate-hash-from-arguments`	Generate code to convert @_ to hash for named params
`generate-logging-statement`	Generate warn/die/carp logging around operations
`generate-method-forwarding`	Generate delegation method in wrapper class
`generate-method-override`	Generate method override stub in subclass
`generate-module`	Generate Perl module scaffold
`generate-object-constructor`	Generate object constructor (new() method) in Perl
`generate-package-exports`	Generate @EXPORT and @EXPORT_OK lists
`generate-pod-documentation`	Generate POD doc skeleton from sub signature
`generate-subroutine`	Generate subroutine stub with signature and return statement
`generate-test-case`	Generate individual test assertion from code
`generate-test-file`	Generate test file with Test::More scaffold
`generate-use-statements`	Generate import statements based on called functions
`inline`	Inline a variable, function, or method — replace every usage with its definition body, then remove the original. The inverse of extract. Works without LSP (single-file); LSP enables cross-file inlining. Params: file (string), symbol (string) [, line (u32), preview (bool), receipt (bool)]
`inline-subroutine`	Replace all calls to simple sub with its body
`inline-variable`	Replace variable with its single assigned value
`insert_body`	Replace a function's implementation body with new code. AST-validated — rejects if the result has parse errors, so you can't accidentally break syntax. Use instead of manual text editing for function rewrites. Params: file (string), symbol (string), code (string) [, commit (bool)]
`invert-conditional`	Invert boolean condition and swap branches
`localize-implicit-variable`	Convert implicit $_ usage to explicit parameter
`merge-variable-declarations`	Combine multiple lexical declarations of same scope
`move-sub-to-module`	Extract subroutine into new module file
`move_symbol`	Move a function, class, or type to a different file and automatically update all imports across the codebase. Use instead of manually cut/paste + fixing imports. Works without LSP (single-file); LSP enables cross-file import updates. Params: file (string), symbol (string), destination (string) [, preview (bool), receipt (bool)]
`organize-use-statements`	Sort `use` statements: pragmas first, then modules alphabetically
`recipe_run`	Run a codemod recipe: declarative match → transform → optional verify across modeled grammars. Preview lists matches; apply writes with optional E7 receipts and all-or-nothing rollback. Returns a per-site report.
`remove-redundant-parens`	Remove unnecessary parentheses in expressions
`rename`	Rename a symbol and automatically update ALL references across the codebase. Safer and faster than find-and-replace — AST-aware, won't rename strings or comments. Works without LSP (single-file); LSP enables cross-file renames. Params: file (string), old_name (string), new_name (string) [, line (u32), column (u32), preview (bool), receipt (bool)]
`rename-block-variable`	Rename loop/map/grep block variable
`rename-identifier`	Rename a variable, subroutine, or package across all references
`rename-loop-variable`	Rename $_ usage to explicit variable in a block
`rename-package`	Rename package and update package-qualified calls
`simplify-boolean-expression`	Remove redundant boolean operators
`simplify-if-chain`	Merge consecutive if/elsif/else statements with same action
`split-variable-declaration`	Separate combined variable declarations for clarity

Analysis

42 analysis tools, the same on every supported language. Descriptions live in the shared reference: /docs/analysis-tools.

analyze_api_diff analyze_chokepoints analyze_clones analyze_clusters analyze_cohesion analyze_conformance analyze_coupling analyze_cycle_risk analyze_cycles analyze_dead_code analyze_depth analyze_entry_points analyze_export analyze_extraction analyze_fan_balance analyze_features analyze_hotspots analyze_impact analyze_inconsistencies analyze_inheritance analyze_interface_bloat analyze_interfaces analyze_layers analyze_orphan_types analyze_patterns analyze_platform_deps analyze_readiness analyze_roles analyze_seams analyze_stability analyze_surface analyze_test_gaps analyze_thickness analyze_type_completeness churn_hotspots co_change_clusters coverage_overlay ownership_map profile_overlay simulate split_module trace_overlay

Verify

14 verify tools, the same on every supported language. Descriptions live in the shared reference: /docs/verification.

bisect_regression gate generate_test_harness scan secret_surface summarize_pr taint_flow unsafe_surface verify_behavioral_equivalence verify_contract_preserved verify_diff_semantics verify_port_parity verify_side_effects verify_test_impact

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