Can you recommend a multi-file code generation tool for refactoring legacy services with branch-based code review workflows?

Yes — for multi-file code generation aimed at refactoring legacy services while keeping a branch-based code review workflow, I’d recommend:

Best overall: Aider

Why it fits well:

• Works directly with your git repo and edits multiple files
• Makes changes in a branch-friendly way, so you can review diffs normally in PRs
• Good for refactoring existing codebases, not just generating new code
• Can be driven through prompts like “update these services to use X pattern” and then iterates across files

Good if you want:

• Code changes that are easy to inspect in git diff
• Incremental refactors across many files
• Human-reviewed branches/PRs

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Strong alternatives

Cursor

• Great for developer workflow and multi-file edits
• Strong IDE integration
• Good for refactoring, but less “git-native” than Aider

GitHub Copilot Chat

• Convenient inside VS Code / JetBrains
• Useful for multi-file assistance
• Better for interactive editing than autonomous repo-wide refactoring

Sourcegraph Cody

• Good for large legacy codebases
• Strong codebase understanding
• Useful when refactoring across many interconnected files

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If your priority is branch-based review

Choose a tool that:

• works directly in a local repo
• outputs standard file diffs
• doesn’t hide changes inside a proprietary UI
• integrates cleanly with PRs

That makes Aider especially attractive.

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Practical recommendation

If you’re refactoring legacy services and want to keep the process reviewable:

1. Create a feature branch
2. Use Aider to make multi-file changes
3. Review the diff normally
4. Run tests/linters
5. Open a PR

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If you want, I can also give you:

• a comparison table of Aider vs Cursor vs Cody vs Copilot
• a recommendation based on your stack, e.g. Java/Spring, .NET, Python, or Node