softspark Architecture Audit
$ARGUMENTS
Explore a codebase organically, surface architectural friction, and propose module-deepening refactors as GitHub issue RFCs.
Usage
/architecture-audit [area to audit or 'full codebase']
What This Command Does
- Explores codebase organically — friction IS the signal
- Presents deepening candidates to user
- Frames problem space for chosen candidate
- Spawns 3+ parallel sub-agents for radically different interface designs
- Compares and recommends
- Files RFC as GitHub issue
Key Concept
A deep module (Ousterhout) has a small interface hiding a large implementation. Deep modules enhance testability, AI navigation, and enable boundary testing.
A shallow module has a large interface with thin implementation — avoid.
Process
1. Organic Exploration
Use Agent (subagent_type=Explore) to navigate the codebase naturally. Note friction:
- Where does understanding one concept require bouncing between many small files?
- Where are modules so shallow the interface is nearly as complex as the implementation?
- Where have pure functions been extracted just for testability but real bugs hide in how they're called?
- Where do tightly-coupled modules create integration risk in the seams?
- What is untested or hard to test?
2. Present Candidates
Numbered list. For each candidate show:
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Cluster | Which modules/concepts are involved |
| Why coupled | Shared types, call patterns, co-ownership |
| Dependency category | In-process, Local-substitutable, Ports & Adapters, or True external (see reference/) |
| Test impact | What existing tests would be replaced by boundary tests |
Do NOT propose interfaces yet. Ask: "Which would you like to explore?"
3. Frame the Problem Space
For the chosen candidate, write a user-facing explanation:
- Constraints any new interface would satisfy
- Dependencies it would rely on
- Rough illustrative code sketch (not a proposal — just grounding)
Show to user, then immediately proceed to step 4.
4. Design Multiple Interfaces
Spawn 3+ sub-agents in parallel via Agent tool. Each gets a different constraint:
| Agent | Constraint |
|---|---|
| Agent 1 | Minimize interface — 1-3 entry points max |
| Agent 2 | Maximize flexibility — many use cases and extension |
| Agent 3 | Optimize for most common caller — default case trivial |
| Agent 4 | Ports & adapters pattern (if cross-boundary) |
Each outputs: interface signature, usage example, what it hides, dependency strategy, trade-offs.
Present sequentially, compare in prose, give opinionated recommendation.
5. Create GitHub Issue RFC
Use gh issue create with template below. Don't ask for review.
Issue Template
Problem
Architectural friction:
- Which modules are shallow and tightly coupled
- Integration risk in the seams
- Why this makes the codebase harder to navigate/maintain
Proposed Interface
- Interface signature (types, methods, params)
- Usage example
- What complexity it hides
Dependency Strategy
- In-process: merged directly
- Local-substitutable: tested with [specific stand-in]
- Ports & adapters: port definition, production adapter, test adapter
- Mock: mock boundary for external services
Testing Strategy
- New boundary tests to write
- Old shallow tests to delete
- Test environment needs
Implementation Recommendations
Durable guidance NOT coupled to file paths:
- What the module should own
- What it should hide
- What it should expose
- How callers migrate
Dependency Categories
| Category | Description | Deepenable? |
|---|---|---|
| In-process | Pure computation, no I/O | Always |
| Local-substitutable | Has local test stand-ins (PGLite, in-memory FS) | If stand-in exists |
| Remote but owned | Your services across network (Ports & Adapters) | Via port injection |
| True external | Third-party (Stripe, Twilio) — mock at boundary | Via mock injection |
Testing Principle
Replace, don't layer. Old unit tests on shallow modules are waste once boundary tests exist — delete them. Tests assert on observable outcomes through public interface, not internal state.
Rules
- MUST explore the codebase organically (Explore sub-agent) before proposing deepening targets — do not anchor on what you already know
- MUST present numbered candidates to the user and wait for selection before step 3 — auto-picking skips the product decision
- NEVER design interfaces in step 2; interface work only happens in step 4 after the problem space is framed
- CRITICAL: step 4 spawns parallel sub-agents with genuinely different constraints (minimize / maximize-flexibility / optimize-common / ports-adapters). Sequential variations of the same idea defeat the purpose.
- MANDATORY: deliverable is a GitHub issue RFC created via
gh issue create. Never open a PR from this skill.
Gotchas
- "Depth" is measured against actual call patterns, not the method count. A module exporting 20 functions where callers only use 2 is effectively 2-deep — the other 18 are dead interface, not richness.
- Shared TypeScript types and Python protocols count as coupling. A "just types" file imported by 30 modules creates a deep blast radius; deleting or renaming it is structurally significant even though no runtime code moves.
- Parallel sub-agents collapse into echo chambers when their constraints are not sharply different. Spell out the opposing tensions ("minimize interface" vs "maximize flexibility") — soft variations produce near-identical designs.
gh issue createwithout--bodyor--body-fileopens$EDITOR. In automated flows this hangs the skill indefinitely. Always pass the body explicitly.- Ports & Adapters introduces indirection that IDE "find references" and static analysis sometimes miss (dynamic dispatch via interface). Count on broken tooling during the transition period and compensate with runtime smoke tests.
When NOT to Use
- For executing a known refactor plan — use
/refactor(direct edits) or/refactor-plan(incremental) - For designing a single module's interface from scratch — use
/design-an-interface - For deciding between 2-3 named architectural options — use
/architecture-decision - For code-quality metrics (complexity, duplication, coverage) — use
/analyze - For understanding a codebase without proposing changes — use
/explore