## TL;DR

Remove tests for dead features deliberately: confirm the feature is gone, check the tests are not covering something else, delete, and verify the suite is still meaningful.

## Error

```text
(Not an error; a cleanup workflow. The risk it avoids: deleting tests that still protect live behavior.)
```

## Steps

1. Confirm the feature is removed from the product, not just hidden. Expected: product confirmation.
2. Check the tests do not also cover shared behavior (helpers, utilities). Expected: the blast radius known.
3. Delete the tests and their exclusive fixtures. Expected: clean removal.
4. Run the suite and check coverage of the surrounding area. Expected: no unintended gaps.
5. Note the removal in the PR. Expected: reviewers see the deliberate cleanup.

## When to use

- Features removed from the product.
- Tests for deprecated APIs past their sunset date.

## When not to use

- Flaky tests (quarantine, do not delete).
- Tests you suspect are wrong (investigate first).

## Tool compatibility

- Any framework.

## Variant phrasings

### Delete obsolete tests

The task; verification first.

### Test cleanup after feature removal

The trigger; the workflow is the same.

## Why it happens

Dead tests slow the suite and confuse readers. But hasty deletion removes protection, so verify before deleting.

## Edge cases

- Feature flags can resurrect "removed" features; check flag state.
- Shared fixtures may serve live tests; delete selectively.
- Keep a tombstone note if the deletion might confuse future archaeologists.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_s6zNZzPCzZdAyTr714bd1g