We Tried Using LLMs to Automatically Refactor Legacy JavaScript Code—Here's What Actually Happened

📰 Dev.to AI

Learn how LLMs can be used to automatically refactor legacy JavaScript code and the challenges that come with it

intermediate Published 14 Apr 2026
Action Steps
  1. Try using GitHub Copilot to refactor a small part of your legacy JavaScript codebase
  2. Configure LLM settings to adapt to your code style and conventions
  3. Test the refactored code to ensure it works as expected
  4. Apply LLM suggestions to larger parts of the codebase, reviewing and verifying each change
  5. Compare the results of LLM refactoring with manual refactoring to evaluate effectiveness
Who Needs to Know This

Developers and software engineers can benefit from using LLMs to refactor legacy code, saving time and reducing technical debt

Key Insight

💡 LLMs can be a useful tool for refactoring legacy code, but require careful configuration and review to ensure accuracy and effectiveness

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🤖 Can LLMs really refactor legacy JavaScript code? We tried it out and here's what happened 💻

Key Takeaways

Learn how LLMs can be used to automatically refactor legacy JavaScript code and the challenges that come with it

Full Article

If you’ve ever stared at a gnarly, ten-year-old JavaScript codebase and wished a robot could just clean it up for you, you’re not alone. I’ve been there—shoulders slumped, coffee gone cold, wondering if there’s a shortcut through the spaghetti. When LLMs (Large Language Models) like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot started making noise about automatic code refactoring, you better believe I was one of the first in line to see if they could really save us from the pain. Turns out, the story is
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