> I've basically determined that my only option to ensure continued or improving code quality is to combine refactoring and bug fixes in the same merge request,

> I've basically determined that my only option to ensure continued or improving code quality is to combine refactoring and bug fixes in the same merge request, while still keeping them in separate commits. That way whenever I touch a part of code for bug fixing or whatever else, I leave it behind in much better state than it was before. I agree, in practice I think this is the best option, with some kind of timebox for the improvements made. One thing I'd like to add is setting up some kinds of tests. If nothing else is available, E2E tests for the critical paths of the business are a good start. For (micro)services, getting API contract tests to work is also invaluable.