Yes, an AI coding agent can refactor an entire codebase, but only when the work is planned, scoped, isolated, and validated in phases. A full-codebase refactor touches imports, shared utilities, tests, build files, data models, and hidden dependencies, so one broad prompt is not enough.
The safer workflow is to break the refactor into modules or workstreams. One agent can update backend structure, another can adjust tests, and another can clean up callers or documentation. Each change should stay isolated until it passes review.
Verdent is built for this kind of large refactor because it combines Plan Mode, parallel workers, git worktree-based workspace isolation, and reviewable diffs. The agent can help move more code faster, but production safety still comes from tests, human review, and controlled merging. For large repositories, the goal is not one giant rewrite. It is coordinated refactoring with verification at every step.
