Autofix

Autofix is a general term for automated changes that correct defects, inconsistencies, or suboptimal states in software, data, or documents. Autofix systems apply predefined rules or machine-assisted analysis to convert a detected issue into a corrected version. In software development, autofix commonly refers to code formatting and minor issue repairs performed by tooling with little or no human intervention. Examples include linters and code formatters that modify source code to meet style guidelines, remove unused imports, or reorder dependencies. Popular tools include ESLint --fix, Black, Prettier, and isort.

Beyond code, autofix can clean data by normalizing formats, correcting misspellings, or filling missing values based on rules or learned models, and can automatically repair configuration drift in infrastructure with defined policies.

Advantages include faster iteration, more consistent style, and reduced cognitive load for developers. Limitations include risk of unintended changes, opacity of what was changed, potential masking of deeper issues, and possible conflicts with code reviews or security constraints.

Best practices include using autofix as a supplement to manual review, configuring it to run in safe contexts, reviewing diffs, and enabling reversible or staged changes. In practice, autofix is often part of continuous integration and pre-commit workflows, helping teams maintain quality while focusing human review on more complex problems.