I Built an AI-Powered Dead Code Detector for VS Code (and It Goes Way Beyond Unused Imports)

Short summary

A VS Code extension using Claude API detects dead code patterns (unreachable logic, unused APIs, obsolete feature flags) beyond traditional linters. Sends file content with structured system prompts to Claude, renders results as inline diagnostics and a filterable webview panel with jump-to-line navigation.

• •Detects three categories of dead code that traditional linters miss: unreachable logic, unused APIs, and obsolete feature flags
• •Uses Claude API with carefully engineered system prompts to reliably return structured JSON responses
• •Integrates with VS Code as inline diagnostics and a filterable results panel with severity badges and navigation

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.