> Get the build working on your machine Nope. Make a portable/virtualized env, and make it build there. That way it'll build on you machine, in the CI pipeline

> Get the build working on your machine Nope. Make a portable/virtualized env, and make it build there. That way it'll build on you machine, in the CI pipeline, on your co-worker's machine, etc etc. > linters, fuzzing, auto-formatting No, for at least two reasons: 1) Too risky, you change some "cosmetic" things and something will quietly shift in the depths, only to surface at the worst possible time 2) Stylistic refactors will bury the subtle footprints of the past contributors - these you will need as you walk through the tunnels on your forensic missions to understand Wat The Fuk and Why Generally, touch as little as possible, focus on what adds value (actual value, like, sales dollars). The teetering jenga tower of legacy code is best not approached lightly. Work with PMs to understand the roadmap, talk to sales and support to understand what features are most used and valuable. The code is just an artifact, a record of unhappy accidents and teeth-grinding compromises. Perhaps there's a way to walk away from it altogether.