Architecture Analyzer Skill

Analyzes and visualizes software architecture patterns and dependencies to support migration planning, module boundary identification, and architectural decision-making.

Purpose

Enable comprehensive architecture analysis for:

•Component dependency mapping
•Layered architecture detection
•Coupling and cohesion metrics
•Architectural violation detection
•Module boundary identification
•Dependency graph generation

Capabilities

1. Component Dependency Mapping

•Extract dependencies between modules/packages
•Map inter-service communications
•Identify external system integrations
•Track data flow between components
•Generate dependency matrices

2. Layered Architecture Detection

•Identify architectural layers (presentation, business, data)
•Detect layer violations
•Map cross-cutting concerns
•Analyze layer dependencies
•Validate architectural patterns

3. Coupling/Cohesion Metrics

•Calculate afferent coupling (Ca)
•Calculate efferent coupling (Ce)
•Compute instability index (I = Ce / (Ca + Ce))
•Measure module cohesion
•Identify highly coupled components

4. Architectural Violation Detection

•Detect circular dependencies between modules
•Identify layer bypassing
•Find direct database access from UI layers
•Check for proper abstraction usage
•Validate dependency rules

5. Module Boundary Identification

•Detect logical module groupings
•Identify bounded contexts
•Map shared kernel areas
•Analyze module interfaces
•Suggest decomposition boundaries

6. Dependency Graph Generation

•Generate DOT format graphs
•Create Mermaid diagrams
•Export to PlantUML
•Produce interactive visualizations
•Support multiple granularity levels

Tool Integrations

This skill can leverage the following external tools when available:

Tool	Purpose	Integration Method
Structure101	Architecture visualization	Export analysis
Lattix	Dependency analysis	CLI / API
NDepend	.NET architecture analysis	CLI
JDepend	Java package dependencies	CLI
Madge	JavaScript/TypeScript	CLI
deptree	Python dependencies	CLI
go-arch-lint	Go architecture	CLI
ast-grep	Pattern matching	MCP Server

Usage

Basic Analysis

bash

# Invoke skill for architecture analysis
# The skill will analyze structure and dependencies

# Expected inputs:
# - targetPath: Path to codebase root
# - analysisDepth: 'module' | 'package' | 'class' | 'function'
# - outputFormat: 'json' | 'dot' | 'mermaid' | 'plantuml'
# - includeMetrics: boolean

Analysis Workflow

•
Discovery Phase
- •Identify project structure
- •Detect build configuration
- •Map source directories
•
Extraction Phase
- •Parse import/require statements
- •Extract module dependencies
- •Identify external dependencies
•
Analysis Phase
- •Calculate coupling metrics
- •Detect architectural patterns
- •Identify violations
- •Map boundaries
•
Visualization Phase
- •Generate dependency graphs
- •Create architecture diagrams
- •Produce metric reports

Output Schema

json

{
  "analysisId": "string",
  "timestamp": "ISO8601",
  "target": {
    "path": "string",
    "language": "string",
    "moduleCount": "number",
    "totalFiles": "number"
  },
  "architecture": {
    "pattern": "string (layered|modular|monolithic|microservices)",
    "layers": [
      {
        "name": "string",
        "modules": ["string"],
        "allowedDependencies": ["string"]
      }
    ],
    "boundedContexts": [
      {
        "name": "string",
        "modules": ["string"],
        "interfaces": ["string"]
      }
    ]
  },
  "modules": [
    {
      "name": "string",
      "path": "string",
      "files": "number",
      "linesOfCode": "number",
      "dependencies": ["string"],
      "dependents": ["string"],
      "metrics": {
        "afferentCoupling": "number",
        "efferentCoupling": "number",
        "instability": "number",
        "cohesion": "number"
      }
    }
  ],
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "from": "string",
      "to": "string",
      "type": "import|call|inherit|implement",
      "count": "number"
    }
  ],
  "violations": [
    {
      "type": "circular|layer-bypass|abstraction-leak",
      "severity": "high|medium|low",
      "from": "string",
      "to": "string",
      "description": "string",
      "recommendation": "string"
    }
  ],
  "metrics": {
    "averageCoupling": "number",
    "maxCoupling": "number",
    "cyclomaticComplexity": "number",
    "circularDependencies": "number",
    "layerViolations": "number"
  },
  "graphs": {
    "dot": "string (file path)",
    "mermaid": "string (file path)",
    "plantuml": "string (file path)"
  }
}

Integration with Migration Processes

This skill integrates with the following Code Migration/Modernization processes:

•legacy-codebase-assessment: Architecture understanding
•monolith-to-microservices: Service boundary identification
•migration-planning-roadmap: Dependency-based planning
•code-refactoring: Coupling reduction targets

Configuration

Skill Configuration File

Create .architecture-analyzer.json in the project root:

json

{
  "analysisDepth": "module",
  "excludePaths": [
    "node_modules",
    "vendor",
    "dist",
    "build",
    ".git",
    "__tests__"
  ],
  "modulePatterns": {
    "javascript": "src/*",
    "java": "src/main/java/**",
    "python": "src/*"
  },
  "layers": {
    "enabled": true,
    "definitions": [
      {
        "name": "presentation",
        "patterns": ["**/ui/**", "**/views/**", "**/controllers/**"],
        "allowedDependencies": ["business", "shared"]
      },
      {
        "name": "business",
        "patterns": ["**/services/**", "**/domain/**"],
        "allowedDependencies": ["data", "shared"]
      },
      {
        "name": "data",
        "patterns": ["**/repositories/**", "**/dao/**"],
        "allowedDependencies": ["shared"]
      },
      {
        "name": "shared",
        "patterns": ["**/common/**", "**/utils/**"],
        "allowedDependencies": []
      }
    ]
  },
  "rules": {
    "maxCoupling": 10,
    "maxModuleSize": 5000,
    "forbiddenDependencies": [
      {"from": "presentation", "to": "data"}
    ]
  },
  "visualization": {
    "formats": ["mermaid", "dot"],
    "groupBy": "layer",
    "showMetrics": true
  }
}

MCP Server Integration

When ast-grep MCP Server is available for pattern detection:

javascript

// Example architecture pattern detection
{
  "tool": "ast_grep_search",
  "arguments": {
    "pattern": "import { $_ } from '../data/$_'",
    "language": "typescript",
    "path": "./src/ui"
  }
}

Architectural Patterns

Layered Architecture

code

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│      Presentation Layer         │
│  (UI, Controllers, Views)       │
└──────────────┬──────────────────┘
               │
┌──────────────▼──────────────────┐
│       Business Layer            │
│  (Services, Domain, Logic)      │
└──────────────┬──────────────────┘
               │
┌──────────────▼──────────────────┐
│         Data Layer              │
│  (Repositories, DAOs, ORM)      │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

Modular Monolith

code

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              Application Shell               │
├───────────┬───────────┬───────────┬─────────┤
│  Module A │  Module B │  Module C │ Shared  │
│  ┌─────┐  │  ┌─────┐  │  ┌─────┐  │ ┌─────┐ │
│  │ UI  │  │  │ UI  │  │  │ UI  │  │ │Utils│ │
│  ├─────┤  │  ├─────┤  │  ├─────┤  │ └─────┘ │
│  │Logic│  │  │Logic│  │  │Logic│  │         │
│  ├─────┤  │  ├─────┤  │  ├─────┤  │         │
│  │Data │  │  │Data │  │  │Data │  │         │
│  └─────┘  │  └─────┘  │  └─────┘  │         │
└───────────┴───────────┴───────────┴─────────┘

Microservices (Target)

code

┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐
│Service A│  │Service B│  │Service C│
│  ┌───┐  │  │  ┌───┐  │  │  ┌───┐  │
│  │API│  │  │  │API│  │  │  │API│  │
│  └─┬─┘  │  │  └─┬─┘  │  │  └─┬─┘  │
│    │    │  │    │    │  │    │    │
│  ┌─▼─┐  │  │  ┌─▼─┐  │  │  ┌─▼─┐  │
│  │DB │  │  │  │DB │  │  │  │DB │  │
│  └───┘  │  │  └───┘  │  │  └───┘  │
└─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘
      │            │            │
      └────────────┼────────────┘
                   │
            ┌──────▼──────┐
            │  Event Bus  │
            └─────────────┘

Metrics Reference

Coupling Metrics

Metric	Formula	Good	Warning	Bad
Afferent Coupling (Ca)	Incoming dependencies	< 10	10-20	> 20
Efferent Coupling (Ce)	Outgoing dependencies	< 10	10-20	> 20
Instability (I)	Ce / (Ca + Ce)	0-0.3 or 0.7-1.0	0.3-0.7	-
Abstractness (A)	Abstract classes / Total	Context dependent	-	-

Distance from Main Sequence

D = |A + I - 1|

•D = 0: Ideal (on the main sequence)
•D > 0.3: Warning
•D > 0.5: Problematic

Best Practices

•Regular Analysis: Run architecture analysis as part of CI/CD
•Define Boundaries: Explicitly define module and layer boundaries
•Enforce Rules: Use architectural fitness functions
•Document Decisions: Use ADRs for architectural changes
•Track Metrics: Monitor coupling trends over time
•Visualize: Keep architecture diagrams up to date

architecture-analyzer

Architecture Analyzer Skill

Purpose

Capabilities

1. Component Dependency Mapping

2. Layered Architecture Detection

3. Coupling/Cohesion Metrics

4. Architectural Violation Detection

5. Module Boundary Identification

6. Dependency Graph Generation

Tool Integrations

Usage

Basic Analysis

Analysis Workflow

Output Schema

Integration with Migration Processes

Configuration

Skill Configuration File

MCP Server Integration

Architectural Patterns

Layered Architecture

Modular Monolith

Microservices (Target)

Metrics Reference

Coupling Metrics

Distance from Main Sequence

Best Practices

Related Skills

Related Agents

References