diff --git a/internal/recipe/runner.go b/internal/recipe/runner.go
index c83eccc..d5aa117 100644
--- a/internal/recipe/runner.go
+++ b/internal/recipe/runner.go
@@ -37,11 +37,16 @@ func (r *Runner) Run() error {
 			previousResults = append(previousResults, "Discovered files:\n"+result)
 			fmt.Println(result)
 
+		case strings.Contains(titleLower, "refactor"):
+			r.refactorFiles(previousResults) // <-- new one-file-at-a-time handler
+			continue
+
 		case strings.Contains(titleLower, "apply") || strings.Contains(titleLower, "patch"):
 			r.handleApplyStep(previousResults)
 			continue
 
 		default:
+			// fallback for any other step
 			prompt := fmt.Sprintf(`Recipe Overview:
 %s
 
@@ -76,7 +81,7 @@ Execute this step now. Respond ONLY with the expected output format — no expla
 	return nil
 }
 
-// discoverFiles — temporary .go hard-code (we'll generalize with extensions next)
+// discoverFiles — real filesystem scan (we'll generalize with extensions next)
 func (r *Runner) discoverFiles() []string {
 	var files []string
 	root := "internal"
@@ -98,6 +103,50 @@ func (r *Runner) discoverFiles() []string {
 	return files
 }
 
+// refactorFiles — one file at a time (small JSON, no truncation)
+func (r *Runner) refactorFiles(previousResults []string) {
+	discoveredLine := previousResults[len(previousResults)-1]
+	lines := strings.Split(discoveredLine, "\n")
+
+	for _, line := range lines {
+		filePath := strings.TrimSpace(line)
+		if filePath == "" || strings.HasPrefix(filePath, "Discovered") || filePath == "No files found matching the criteria." {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		fmt.Printf("   Refactoring %s...\n", filePath)
+
+		content, err := os.ReadFile(filePath)
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("   ❌ Could not read %s\n", filePath)
+			continue
+		}
+
+		prompt := fmt.Sprintf(`Refactor the following file to use Result[T] instead of naked errors.
+Follow existing style and preserve all comments.
+Return ONLY this exact JSON (no extra text, no markdown):
+
+{
+  "file": "%s",
+  "content": "the complete refactored file here"
+}
+
+Original file:
+%s`, filePath, string(content))
+
+		messages := []map[string]string{
+			{"role": "system", "content": "You are Grok, built by xAI. Precise expert programmer and refactoring assistant."},
+			{"role": "user", "content": prompt},
+		}
+
+		response := r.Client.Stream(messages, r.Model)
+		fmt.Println()
+
+		// store the JSON response for the apply step
+		previousResults = append(previousResults, response)
+	}
+}
+
 type FileChange struct {
 	File    string `json:"file"`
 	Content string `json:"content"`
@@ -109,32 +158,30 @@ func (r *Runner) handleApplyStep(previousResults []string) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	lastResult := previousResults[len(previousResults)-1]
+	// collect all JSON objects from the refactor step(s)
+	var allChanges []FileChange
+	for _, res := range previousResults {
+		start := strings.Index(res, "{")
+		end := strings.LastIndex(res, "}") + 1
+		if start == -1 {
+			continue
+		}
+		jsonStr := res[start:end]
 
-	// Find the JSON array in the response
-	start := strings.Index(lastResult, "[")
-	end := strings.LastIndex(lastResult, "]") + 1
-	if start == -1 || end == 0 {
-		fmt.Println("   ⚠️  No JSON found in previous step — skipping.")
-		return
+		var ch FileChange
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(jsonStr), &ch); err == nil {
+			allChanges = append(allChanges, ch)
+		}
 	}
 
-	jsonStr := lastResult[start:end]
-
-	var changes []FileChange
-	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(jsonStr), &changes); err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("   ⚠️  Could not parse JSON: %v\n", err)
-		return
-	}
-
-	if len(changes) == 0 {
-		fmt.Println("   ⚠️  No files to apply — skipping.")
+	if len(allChanges) == 0 {
+		fmt.Println("   ⚠️  No valid file changes found — skipping.")
 		return
 	}
 
 	fmt.Println("   📄 Dry-run mode: creating patch file...")
 	patchPath := filepath.Join(".", "recipe-refactor.patch")
-	if err := createUnifiedPatch(changes, patchPath); err != nil {
+	if err := createUnifiedPatch(allChanges, patchPath); err != nil {
 		fmt.Printf("   ❌ Failed to create patch: %v\n", err)
 		return
 	}