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Matlab Modernize Code

MathWorksOfficialCreated by MathWorks

  • Skill
  • Tool integration
  • Software development
  • BSD-2-Clause
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From the author

Modernize removed or discouraged MATLAB functions and patterns. Use when the check_matlab_code MCP tool reports that a function "is not recommended", "will be removed in a future release", or "has been removed" — at any severity (info, warning, or error) — when migrating legacy code, or when replacing removed or discouraged APIs with current equivalents. Also applies to discouraged patterns Code Analyzer does not flag (containers.Map, bsxfun, str2num, eval, clear all) and to removed or discouraged functions such as trainNetwork, csvread, xlsread, datenum, guide, svmtrain, ltln2val, webmap.
— the description by MathWorks

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a systematic approach to modernizing MATLAB codebases. It acts as a resolver for issues identified by the check_matlab_code MCP tool, which flags functions that are removed, discouraged, or slated for future removal. By replacing outdated APIs and anti-patterns with current, performant, and secure alternatives, this skill helps maintain code longevity and compatibility with modern MATLAB releases.

What it does

  • Identifies and replaces removed or discouraged MATLAB functions.
  • Refactors anti-patterns like eval, clear all, and str2num.
  • Provides migration paths for file I/O, UI components, and signal processing.
  • Integrates with static analysis results from check_matlab_code.
  • Offers domain-specific guidance for deep learning, audio/video, and communications.
  • Promotes modern design patterns like table-based workflows and arguments blocks.

When to use it

  • When check_matlab_code reports lifecycle diagnostics (info, warning, or error).
  • When migrating legacy scripts to newer MATLAB versions.
  • When replacing discouraged patterns like containers.Map or bsxfun.
  • When updating code to use modern APIs like readmatrix or datetime.
  • When starting new projects to ensure best-practice implementation from the start.

Advantages

  • Ensures code compatibility with current and future MATLAB releases.
  • Improves code performance and readability by using optimized modern APIs.
  • Enhances security by eliminating dangerous patterns like unrestricted eval.
  • Reduces technical debt by systematically removing deprecated dependencies.
  • Provides clear, tested migration paths for common domain-specific tasks.

Usage examples

“Modernize this legacy file I/O code: [M, t] = xlsread('data.xlsx');”
The agent replaces the call with the modern readtable function: T = readtable('data.xlsx');
“How do I replace this discouraged eval pattern: eval(['A' int2str(n) '=magic(n);']);”
The agent suggests using a cell array for dynamic indexing: A = cell(10,1); for n = 1:10, A{n} = magic(n); end
“Update my audio code that uses the removed wavread function.”
The agent provides the modern replacement using audioread, including handling for sample ranges and native formats.
“Replace my old BPSK modulator object with the modern function call.”
The agent replaces the comm.BPSKModulator object instantiation with the direct pskmod(data, 2) function call.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/matlab/matlab-modernize-code/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip matlab-modernize-code.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by MathWorks

Code Modernization

Replace removed or discouraged MATLAB functions and anti-patterns with modern equivalents. This skill is the resolver — the MCP tool check_matlab_code (MATLAB's Code Analyzer) is the detector.

Terms used in this skill:

  • Removed — the function is no longer in MATLAB; calling it errors.

  • Discouraged — the function still works, but a better API exists. It may or may not be slated for removal in a future release.

When to Use

  • check_matlab_code reports a lifecycle diagnostic — any of these three wordings, matched case-insensitively (STRMATCH is not recommended is the same signal as the lowercase form):

    • 'X' is not recommended... (severity: info)

    • 'X' will be removed in a future release... (severity: warning)

    • 'X' has been removed... (severity: error — the code errors today)

  • Code uses a discouraged pattern Code Analyzer does not flag — e.g. containers.Map, bsxfun, str2num, eval, clear all — scan the source, not just the diagnostics (see Conventions)

  • User asks to modernize, migrate, or update old MATLAB code

  • Code uses functions listed in the quick reference table below

  • After static analysis reveals removed or discouraged API usage

  • Writing new code in a domain that has known removed or discouraged patterns

When NOT to Use

This skill swaps removed or discouraged APIs for modern equivalents. It does not:

  • Review code quality broadly

  • Debug runtime behavior (removed-function errors excepted — those are modernization fixes)

  • Optimize already-correct code for speed → hand off to matlab-optimize-performance

  • Write or migrate function input/output validation (arguments blocks, inputParser/validateattributes → mustBe* validators, repeating args, name-value forwarding) → hand off to matlab-validate-function-arguments

Quick Reference: Removed, Discouraged & Anti-Patterns

TopicRecommendationSinceCategoryRationale
csvread / dlmreadreadmatrixR2019aFile I/O
csvwrite / dlmwritewritematrixR2019aFile I/O
xlsreadreadtable, readmatrixR2019aFile I/O
xlswritewritetable, writematrixR2019aFile I/O
datenum / datestr / nowdatetime (use string/char to format)R2022bDate/Time (Not recommended)Flagged by Code Analyzer
eval / evalc / evalinDynamic field names s.(name), function handles / feval, cells for sequential names—Anti-patternNot compiled (slow); can overwrite workspace vars; hard to debug; injection risk
str2numstr2num(text, Evaluation="restricted")R2022aSecurityUnrestricted form runs input via eval (injection risk); see references
uicontroluibutton, uidropdown, etc.R2016aUI/App
guideappdesignerR2025aUI (Removed)
strmatchstartsWith, matchesR2019bStrings
clear allclearvars—WorkspaceClears functions from memory; forces recompilation

datestr nuance: datestr's job was to format a date as text, so its modern replacement is string(dt) / char(dt) or setting dt.Format — not a bare datetime(...) call. Use datetime to replace datenum/now (the numeric/serial-date path). Neither is removed; both are Code Analyzer "not recommended" as of R2022b.

s = datestr(t, 'yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS');          % old
s = string(t, 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss');           % new — note the specifiers change:
                                                % datetime uses MM=month, mm=minute (datestr had mm=month, MM=minute)

Modern Design Patterns

Prefer these in all new code:

Table-Based Workflows
data = readtable('sensors.csv');
data.Timestamp = datetime(data.Timestamp);
data.Status = categorical(data.Status);
recentData = data(data.Timestamp > datetime('today') - days(7), :);
summary = groupsummary(recentData, 'SensorID', 'mean', 'Value');
String Arrays (not char arrays)
name = "John";                        % not 'John'
names = ["John", "Jane", "Bob"];      % not {'John','Jane','Bob'}
fullName = firstName + " " + lastName; % not [first,' ',last]
idx = contains(names, "Jo");          % not cellfun + strfind
Arguments Block (not nargin/varargin)
function result = processData(data, options)
    arguments
        data (:,:) double
        options.Method (1,1) string {mustBeMember(options.Method, ["fast","accurate"])} = "fast"
        options.Verbose (1,1) logical = false
    end
end

Key Migrations

File I/O: csvread/xlsread → readmatrix/readtable
% Old                          → Modern
M = csvread('data.csv');       % M = readmatrix("data.csv");
M = dlmread('data.txt','\t'); % M = readmatrix("data.txt", Delimiter="\t");
[n,t,r] = xlsread('f.xlsx');  % T = readtable("f.xlsx");
csvwrite('out.csv', M);       % writematrix(M, "out.csv");
xlswrite('out.xlsx', data);   % writetable(T, "out.xlsx");
eval → Structured Alternatives

Avoid eval/evalc/evalin: the text isn't compiled (slower), can silently overwrite workspace variables, and is hard to read/debug. Match the intent to a construct — see references/core-functions-guidance.md for the full set (sequential names, sprintf filenames, try/catch).

% Old: eval([varName ' = 42;']);          -> dynamic field name
s.(varName) = 42;

% Old: result = eval(['process_' method '(x)']);  -> handle dispatch table
handlers.fast = @processFast;
handlers.slow = @processSlow;
result = handlers.(method)(x);

% Old: for n=1:10, eval(['A' int2str(n) '=magic(n);']); end  -> index a cell
A = cell(10,1);
for n = 1:10, A{n} = magic(n); end

References

Load these when working in a specific domain:

Load when...Reference
Core MATLAB functions (file I/O, strings, UI); security anti-patterns (eval/str2num), containers.Map→dictionary, bsxfun→implicit expansionreferences/core-functions-guidance.md
Deep Learning (trainNetwork→trainnet, LayerGraph/SeriesNetwork/DAGNetwork→dlnetwork, classify, activations)references/deep-learning-guidance.md
Signal processing functionsreferences/signal-processing-guidance.md
Audio/video I/O migration (wavread, aviread)references/audio-video-guidance.md
Optimization toolbox (optimset, optimtool)references/optimization-guidance.md
Control systems plot optionsreferences/control-systems-guidance.md
Image processing ROI objectsreferences/image-processing-guidance.md
Statistics/ML (svmtrain, dataset, classregtree)references/statistics-ml-guidance.md
Communications System objectsreferences/communications-guidance.md
Mapping Toolbox (webmap, wmmarker, wmline, geotiffread, mfwdtran, makerefmat)references/mapping-guidance.md

Conventions

  • Always run check_matlab_code first — let static analysis find removed or discouraged usage

  • After running it, scan the source for patterns the Code Analyzer may under-flag: str2num (framed only as a perf tip); containers.Map (see next point).

  • containers.Map is not flagged by check_matlab_code. A plain script using it returns zero diagnostics; a containers.Map property default surfaces only a handle-default-sharing warning ("all instances share the same object data"). The detect-first workflow will not find this migration — treat any containers.Map usage, and that handle-sharing warning on a property, as a containers.Map→dictionary trigger.

  • subplot is not deprecated or discouraged. It is fully supported and is never flagged by check_matlab_code. tiledlayout/nexttile is a preferred alternative for new code, not a required migration — do not tell the user to replace working subplot code.

  • Fix removed or discouraged patterns before other code quality issues

  • When writing new code, use the modern pattern from the start — don't write legacy code and fix it later

  • A 'X' has been removed diagnostic (severity error) means the function errors today — treat it as a break-fix modernization, ahead of "not recommended" (info) and "will be removed" (warning) cases

  • When migrating, test the modern replacement against the old behavior to confirm equivalence

  • Legacy .m files are often Windows-1252 encoded. After an edit, verify non-ASCII characters (°, µ, ±) survived — a diff showing an unrelated one-line change on a comment or string is usually a re-encoded byte, not your edit.

  • Consult the domain-specific reference file for detailed migration patterns with code examples


Copyright 2026 The MathWorks, Inc.


Files

references/audio-video-guidance.md

Audio/Video I/O Modernization

Quick Reference: Function Mappings

Since gives the removal release for removed functions (all discouraged years earlier).

TopicRecommendationSinceStatus
wavreadaudioreadR2015bRemoved
wavwriteaudiowriteR2015bRemoved
wavfinfoaudioinfoR2015bRemoved
wavplayaudioplayerR2015bRemoved
wavrecordaudiorecorderR2015bRemoved
avireadVideoReaderR2015bRemoved
avifileVideoWriterR2015bRemoved
mmreaderVideoReaderR2014aRemoved
aviinfoVideoReaderR2010bNot Recommended, will be removed
mmfileinfo— (current function)—Supported — not discouraged

Audio File Reading

wavread → audioread

Status: wavread removed. Use audioread.

Old Pattern (Will Not Work):

% REMOVED: wavread no longer exists
[y, fs] = wavread('audio.wav');
[y, fs, nbits] = wavread('audio.wav');
y = wavread('audio.wav', [1000 5000]);  % Read samples 1000-5000

Modern Pattern (Use This):

% Read entire file
[y, fs] = audioread("audio.wav");

% Read specific sample range
[y, fs] = audioread("audio.wav", [1000 5000]);

% Get native format (for bit depth)
[y, fs] = audioread("audio.wav", "native");
info = audioinfo("audio.wav");  % Contains BitsPerSample

Why Modern is Better:

  • Supports multiple formats: WAV, FLAC, MP3, MPEG-4 AAC, OGG, OPUS

  • Cross-platform compatibility (no platform-specific quirks)

  • Better large file handling

  • Native format preservation option

Migration Notes:

  • audioread returns audio normalized to [-1, 1] by default

  • Use 'native' option to get original integer format

  • Use audioinfo separately to get bit depth and other metadata


wavfinfo → audioinfo

Status: wavfinfo removed. Use audioinfo.

Old Pattern (Will Not Work):

% REMOVED: wavfinfo no longer exists
[size, fs, nbits, opts] = wavfinfo('audio.wav');

Modern Pattern (Use This):

% Get complete audio file information
info = audioinfo("audio.wav");

% Access specific properties
fs = info.SampleRate;
numSamples = info.TotalSamples;
duration = info.Duration;
numChannels = info.NumChannels;
bitsPerSample = info.BitsPerSample;

Why Modern is Better:

  • Returns structured information (easier to work with)

  • Supports all audio formats MATLAB can read

  • More comprehensive metadata


Audio File Writing

wavwrite → audiowrite

Status: wavwrite removed. Use audiowrite.

Old Pattern (Will Not Work):

% REMOVED: wavwrite no longer exists
wavwrite(y, fs, 'output.wav');
wavwrite(y, fs, 16, 'output.wav');  % 16-bit

Modern Pattern (Use This):

% Write audio file (default format)
audiowrite("output.wav", y, fs);

% Specify bit depth
audiowrite("output.wav", y, fs, BitsPerSample=16);

% Write to different formats
audiowrite("output.flac", y, fs);  % FLAC (lossless)
audiowrite("output.ogg", y, fs);   % Ogg Vorbis
audiowrite("output.m4a", y, fs);   % MPEG-4 AAC

Why Modern is Better:

  • Multiple output format support

  • Quality settings for compressed formats

  • Better metadata support


Audio Playback

wavplay → audioplayer

Status: wavplay removed. Use audioplayer object.

Old Pattern (Will Not Work):

% REMOVED: wavplay no longer exists
wavplay(y, fs);
wavplay(y, fs, 'sync');  % Synchronous playback

Modern Pattern (Use This):

% Create audio player object
player = audioplayer(y, fs);

% Play asynchronously (non-blocking)
play(player);

% Play synchronously (blocking) - use playblocking
playblocking(player);

% Control playback
pause(player);
resume(player);
stop(player);

% Play specific range (sample indices)
play(player, [1000 5000]);

% Clean up
clear player;

Why Modern is Better:

  • Non-blocking by default (better for GUIs)

  • Playback control (pause, resume, stop)

  • Supports callbacks during playback

  • Can query playback position

Callback Example:

player = audioplayer(y, fs);
player.StopFcn = @(~,~) disp("Playback complete");
play(player);

Audio Recording

wavrecord → audiorecorder

Status: wavrecord removed. Use audiorecorder object.

Old Pattern (Will Not Work):

% REMOVED: wavrecord no longer exists
y = wavrecord(n, fs);           % Record n samples
y = wavrecord(n, fs, ch);       % Specify channels
y = wavrecord(n, fs, ch, nbits);

Modern Pattern (Use This):

% Create recorder object
recorder = audiorecorder(fs, nBits, nChannels);

% Record for specific duration
recordblocking(recorder, duration);  % Blocking record

% Or record asynchronously
record(recorder);
pause(duration);  % Or wait for user input
stop(recorder);

% Get recorded data
y = getaudiodata(recorder);

% Get data in specific format
y = getaudiodata(recorder, "double");
y = getaudiodata(recorder, "int16");

% Clean up
clear recorder;

Why Modern is Better:

  • Non-blocking recording option

  • Can pause and resume recording

  • Real-time audio data access

  • Callback support for monitoring

Real-Time Monitoring Example:

recorder = audiorecorder(44100, 16, 1);
recorder.TimerFcn = @(~,~) plotAudio(recorder);
recorder.TimerPeriod = 0.1;
record(recorder);

Video File Reading

aviread, aviinfo → VideoReader

Status: aviread was removed in R2015b. aviinfo is not recommended and will be removed in a future release — it still runs today, but migrate it to VideoReader now.

Old Pattern (avoid — aviread errors, aviinfo is discouraged):

% REMOVED (R2015b): aviread no longer exists
mov = aviread('video.avi');
frame = aviread('video.avi', 10);  % Read frame 10

% NOT RECOMMENDED: aviinfo still runs but will be removed
info = aviinfo('video.avi');

Modern Pattern (Use This):

% Create VideoReader object
v = VideoReader("video.mp4");

% Get video properties
numFrames = v.NumFrames;
frameRate = v.FrameRate;
duration = v.Duration;
width = v.Width;
height = v.Height;

% Read all frames
while hasFrame(v)
    frame = readFrame(v);
    % Process frame
end

% Read specific frame (R2014b+)
frame = read(v, 10);  % Frame 10

% Read range of frames
frames = read(v, [10 20]);  % Frames 10-20

% Seek to time position
v.CurrentTime = 5.0;  % Jump to 5 seconds
frame = readFrame(v);

Why Modern is Better:

  • Supports many formats: MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV, WMV, etc.

  • Time-based and frame-based access

  • Hardware-accelerated decoding

  • Better memory management

Reading Large Videos Efficiently:

v = VideoReader("video.mp4");
% Process frame-by-frame to avoid loading entire video
while hasFrame(v)
    frame = readFrame(v);
    processedFrame = myProcessing(frame);
end

Video File Writing

avifile → VideoWriter

Status: avifile removed. Use VideoWriter.

Old Pattern (Will Not Work):

% REMOVED: avifile no longer exists
aviobj = avifile('output.avi');
aviobj.FPS = 30;
for i = 1:numFrames
    aviobj = addframe(aviobj, frame);
end
aviobj = close(aviobj);

Modern Pattern (Use This):

% Create VideoWriter object
v = VideoWriter("output.mp4", "MPEG-4");
v.FrameRate = 30;
v.Quality = 90;  % For compressed formats

% Open, write frames, close
open(v);
for i = 1:numFrames
    frame = getFrame(i);  % Your frame generation
    writeVideo(v, frame);
end
close(v);

Output Format Options:

% Uncompressed AVI
v = VideoWriter("output.avi", "Uncompressed AVI");

% Motion JPEG AVI
v = VideoWriter("output.avi", "Motion JPEG AVI");

% MPEG-4 (requires license on some platforms)
v = VideoWriter("output.mp4", "MPEG-4");

% Grayscale AVI
v = VideoWriter("output.avi", "Grayscale AVI");

% Indexed AVI (with colormap)
v = VideoWriter("output.avi", "Indexed AVI");

Why Modern is Better:

  • Multiple format support

  • Quality control for compressed video

  • Frame rate and resolution control

  • Better error handling


mmreader → VideoReader

Status: mmreader was removed in R2014a (discouraged since R2010b). Use VideoReader.

mmreader was an early multimedia reader that has been fully replaced by VideoReader.

Note: mmfileinfo is not removed — it is a current, supported function that returns information about a multimedia file. It is not discouraged; there is no need to migrate away from it.


Complete Audio Processing Example

Modern Audio Processing Workflow:

% Read audio
[signal, fs] = audioread("input.wav");

% Get file info
info = audioinfo("input.wav");
fprintf("Duration: %.2f seconds, Channels: %d\n", info.Duration, info.NumChannels);

% Process (example: apply gain)
processed = signal*0.8;

% Write output
audiowrite("output.wav", processed, fs, BitsPerSample=24);

% Play result
player = audioplayer(processed, fs);
playblocking(player);

Complete Video Processing Example

Modern Video Processing Workflow:

% Read video
reader = VideoReader("input.mp4");

% Create output
writer = VideoWriter("output.mp4", "MPEG-4");
writer.FrameRate = reader.FrameRate;
open(writer);

% Process frame-by-frame
while hasFrame(reader)
    frame = readFrame(reader);

    % Example: Convert to grayscale
    grayFrame = rgb2gray(frame);
    grayFrame = repmat(grayFrame, 1, 1, 3);  % Back to RGB for writing

    writeVideo(writer, grayFrame);
end

close(writer);

Copyright 2026 The MathWorks, Inc.


Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

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Security

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Attribution and licence

Created by
MathWorks
Publisher
MathWorks (Official)
Source
matlab/matlab-agentic-toolkit · skills-catalog/matlab-software-development/matlab-modernize-code · commit 2a7f215
Licence
BSD 2-Clause License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE.md)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
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