writing-openrewrite-recipes

# OpenRewrite Recipe Writing Skill

## Overview

OpenRewrite recipes are automated refactoring operations that modify Lossless Semantic Trees (LSTs) representing source code. This skill guides through creating recipes efficiently and correctly.

## When NOT to Use This Skill

Do NOT use this skill for:
- General Java programming questions unrelated to OpenRewrite
- Questions about running existing OpenRewrite recipes (use OpenRewrite documentation)
- Build tool configuration unrelated to recipe development
- General refactoring advice without OpenRewrite context

## Quick Start Decision Tree

To determine the best approach quickly:

1. Can the transformation be expressed by composing existing recipes?
   → **Use Declarative YAML** (see Declarative YAML Recipes section below)

2. Is it a simple expression/statement replacement pattern?
   → **Use Refaster Template** (see Refaster Template Recipes section below)

3. Requires complex logic, conditional transformations, or custom analysis?
   → **Use Imperative Java Recipe** (see Imperative Recipe Development Workflow below)

For imperative recipes, proceed to "Imperative Recipe Development Workflow" below.

## Recipe Type Selection

Choose the appropriate recipe type based on your needs:

### Declarative YAML Recipes (Preferred)

**Use when:** Composing existing recipes with configuration

**Advantages:** No code, simple, maintainable

**Example use case:** Combining framework migration steps

```yaml
type: specs.openrewrite.org/v1beta/recipe
name: com.yourorg.MyMigration
displayName: Migrate to Framework X
recipeList:
  - org.openrewrite.java.ChangeType:
      oldFullyQualifiedTypeName: old.Type
      newFullyQualifiedTypeName: new.Type
  - com.yourorg.OtherRecipe
```

**Finding Recipes to Use:**
When building declarative YAML recipes, consult the recipe catalog CSV files in the `references/` directory:

- `references/recipes-top.csv` - 50 commonly used recipes across all categories (best starting point)
- `references