skills/architectural-analysis/SKILL.md
Deep architectural audit focused on finding dead code, duplicated functionality, architectural anti-patterns, type confusion, and code smells. Use when user asks for architectural analysis, find dead code, identify duplication, or assess codebase health.
npx skillsauth add pedronauck/skills architectural-analysisInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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Perform comprehensive architectural audit focused on structural issues, dead code, duplication, and systemic problems.
# Get directory structure
find . -type d -not -path "*/node_modules/*" -not -path "*/.git/*"
# Count files by type
find . -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.tsx" -o -name "*.js" -o -name "*.jsx" | wc -l
index.ts, main.ts, app.ts)index.ts files)Use Glob to find all source files. Create todo list with one item per file to analyze.
For EACH file in the todo list:
For each export, search if it's imported/used anywhere:
# Search for imports of this export
grep -r "import.*ExportName" . --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx"
grep -r "from.*filename" . --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx"
# Search for direct usage
grep -r "ExportName" . --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx"
Dead Code (mark for removal):
Possibly Dead (needs verification):
Internal Dead Code:
Not dead if:
window or global scopeFile: path/to/file.ts
Status: [DEAD|POSSIBLY_DEAD|USED]
Exports: [list]
Dead Exports:
- ExportName - No imports found
- AnotherExport - Only used in test for deprecated feature
Confidence: [HIGH|MEDIUM|LOW]
Update todo list.
Search for common patterns that suggest duplication:
Manual Pattern Recognition:
Grep-Based Detection:
# Find similar function signatures
grep -r "function validateEmail" . --include="*.ts"
grep -r "async.*fetch.*api" . --include="*.ts"
grep -r "export.*UserForm" . --include="*.tsx"
For each potential duplication:
Exact Duplication (CRITICAL):
Similar Logic (HIGH):
Conceptual Duplication (MEDIUM):
Type Duplication (HIGH):
Duplication Group: Email Validation
Type: Exact Duplication
Instances:
- src/utils/validators.ts:42 - validateEmail()
- src/lib/email.ts:15 - isValidEmail()
- src/components/forms/validation.ts:67 - checkEmailFormat()
Analysis: All three implement same regex check
Recommendation: Keep utils/validators.ts version, remove others
Impact: 3 places to update when logic changes
Search for files that do too much:
# Find large files
find . -name "*.ts" -exec wc -l {} + | sort -rn | head -20
Analyze large files:
Look for:
Use grep to trace import chains:
# Check what file imports
grep "^import.*from" src/services/auth.ts
# Check what imports this file
grep -r "from.*auth" src/ --include="*.ts"
Identify:
Check architecture layers:
Singleton Abuse:
Anemic Domain Models:
Shotgun Surgery:
Feature Envy:
Search for problematic type usage:
# Find 'any' usage
grep -r ": any" . --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx" -n
# Find 'unknown' usage
grep -r ": unknown" . --include="*.ts" -n
# Find type assertions
grep -r "as any" . --include="*.ts" -n
grep -r "as unknown" . --include="*.ts" -n
# Find @ts-ignore
grep -r "@ts-ignore" . --include="*.ts" -n
grep -r "@ts-expect-error" . --include="*.ts" -n
For each file with type issues:
any used?Look for:
Check for:
any from missing type annotations# Find functions with many lines
# (manual inspection of large files)
Flag functions over 50 lines - likely doing too much.
Search for functions with 4+ parameters:
Look for:
Search for:
Should be named constants.
# Find commented code blocks
grep -r "^[[:space:]]*//.*function\|class\|const" . --include="*.ts"
Commented code should be deleted (use git history).
Look for:
usr, msg, tmp)Create report at .audits/architectural-analysis-[timestamp].md:
# Architectural Analysis Report
**Date**: [timestamp]
**Files Analyzed**: X
**Dead Code Files**: Y
**Duplication Groups**: Z
---
## Executive Summary
- **Dead Code**: X files, Y exports completely unused
- **Duplicated Functionality**: Z duplication groups
- **Architectural Anti-Patterns**: W issues
- **Type Issues**: V problematic usages
- **Code Smells**: U instances
**Estimated Cleanup**: Remove ~X lines of dead code, consolidate Y duplications
---
## Dead Code
### Completely Dead Files (DELETE)
| File | Reason | Confidence |
|------|--------|------------|
| `src/old/legacy-processor.ts` | No imports found | HIGH |
| `src/utils/unused-helper.ts` | Exported but never used | HIGH |
| `src/temp/temp-service.ts` | Temporary file left behind | HIGH |
**Total Lines**: X,XXX lines can be deleted
### Dead Exports (REMOVE)
| File | Export | Reason |
|------|--------|--------|
| `src/utils/format.ts` | `formatOldDate()` | Replaced by `formatDate()`, no usage |
| `src/services/auth.ts` | `oldLogin()` | Deprecated, no usage found |
### Possibly Dead (VERIFY)
| File | Export | Reason | Verification Needed |
|------|--------|--------|---------------------|
| `src/lib/api.ts` | `fetchOldApi()` | Only used in commented code | Check if truly deprecated |
### Internal Dead Code
- `src/services/user.ts:125` - Private method `_validateLegacy()` never called
- `src/components/form.tsx:89` - Variable `tempData` assigned but never read
---
## Duplicated Functionality
### CRITICAL: Exact Duplicates
#### Duplication Group 1: Email Validation
**Instances**: 3
**Files**:
- `src/utils/validators.ts:42` - `validateEmail(email: string)`
- `src/lib/email.ts:15` - `isValidEmail(email: string)`
- `src/components/forms/validation.ts:67` - `checkEmailFormat(email: string)`
**Analysis**: All three use identical regex pattern `/^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/`
**Lines Duplicated**: ~15 lines × 3 = 45 lines
**Recommendation**:
- Keep: `src/utils/validators.ts:validateEmail()`
- Remove: Other two implementations
- Update: All imports to use validators version
#### Duplication Group 2: API Error Handling
**Instances**: 4
**Files**: [list]
**Analysis**: [similar]
### HIGH: Similar Logic
#### Duplication Group: Date Formatting
**Instances**: 2
**Files**:
- `src/utils/date.ts:30` - `formatDate()` - Uses date-fns
- `src/lib/format.ts:45` - `formatDateTime()` - Uses native Date
**Analysis**: Both format dates but use different libraries
**Recommendation**: Standardize on date-fns, remove native version
### Type Duplication
#### Type Group: User Interface
**Instances**: 3
**Files**:
- `src/types/user.ts` - `User` interface
- `src/models/user.ts` - `UserModel` interface (identical fields)
- `src/api/types.ts` - `UserData` interface (identical fields)
**Recommendation**: Use single `User` type from `src/types/user.ts`
---
## Architectural Anti-Patterns
### God Objects
#### `src/services/application-manager.ts` (850 lines)
**Responsibilities**: Database, auth, config, logging, caching, validation
**Issue**: Violates SRP, does everything
**Recommendation**: Split into:
- `database.service.ts`
- `auth.service.ts`
- `config.service.ts`
- `logging.service.ts`
### Circular Dependencies
#### Cycle 1: `auth.ts` ↔ `user.ts`
- `auth.ts` imports `getUserById` from `user.ts`
- `user.ts` imports `validateToken` from `auth.ts`
**Issue**: Creates tight coupling, makes testing hard
**Recommendation**: Extract shared types to separate file
### Tight Coupling
#### `components/UserForm.tsx` → `services/database.ts`
**Issue**: UI component directly importing database layer
**Recommendation**: Use service layer abstraction
### Layer Violations
#### `models/User.ts` imports from `components/`
**Issue**: Model layer should not know about view layer
**Recommendation**: Remove dependency, pass data via props
---
## Type Issues
### `any` Usage (X instances)
| File | Line | Context | Severity |
|------|------|---------|----------|
| `src/api/client.ts` | 45 | `response: any` | HIGH |
| `src/utils/parse.ts` | 23 | `data: any` | HIGH |
**Total `any` usages**: X
**Recommendation**: Define proper types for all cases
### Type Assertions (Y instances)
| File | Line | Assertion | Issue |
|------|------|-----------|-------|
| `src/lib/api.ts` | 67 | `as User` | Unsafe cast, no validation |
| `src/utils/parse.ts` | 89 | `as unknown as T` | Double cast to bypass types |
**Issue**: Type safety bypassed, runtime errors possible
### @ts-ignore Comments (Z instances)
| File | Line | Reason | Should Fix |
|------|------|--------|------------|
| `src/legacy/old.ts` | 34 | "Type error in legacy code" | Refactor or remove file |
---
## Code Smells
### Long Functions (>50 lines)
| File | Function | Lines | Issue |
|------|----------|-------|-------|
| `src/services/processor.ts` | `processData()` | 127 | Does too much, hard to test |
**Recommendation**: Extract smaller functions
### Complex Conditionals
| File | Line | Issue |
|------|------|-------|
| `src/utils/validator.ts` | 45 | Nested 4 levels deep |
| `src/lib/parser.ts` | 89 | Boolean expression spans 3 lines |
### Magic Numbers
| File | Line | Magic Value | Should Be |
|------|------|-------------|-----------|
| `src/config/limits.ts` | 12 | `86400` | `SECONDS_PER_DAY` |
| `src/utils/format.ts` | 34 | `1000` | `MS_PER_SECOND` |
### Commented-Out Code
**Files with commented code**: X
- `src/old/legacy.ts` - 45 lines of commented code
- `src/services/auth.ts` - Old implementation commented out
**Recommendation**: Delete all commented code (use git history)
---
## Statistics
**Dead Code**:
- Files: X
- Exports: Y
- Lines: Z (estimated)
**Duplication**:
- Groups: X
- Files affected: Y
- Duplicated lines: ~Z
**Architectural Issues**:
- God objects: X
- Circular dependencies: Y
- Layer violations: Z
**Type Issues**:
- `any` usage: X
- Type assertions: Y
- @ts-ignore: Z
**Code Smells**:
- Long functions: X
- Complex conditionals: Y
- Magic numbers: Z
---
## Impact Assessment
### Code Cleanup Potential
- **Dead code removal**: ~X,XXX lines
- **Duplication consolidation**: ~Y,YYY lines
- **Total reduction**: ~Z,ZZZ lines (AA% of codebase)
### Maintainability Improvement
- Fewer places to update when fixing bugs
- Clearer code responsibilities
- Better type safety
- Reduced cognitive load
### Risk Areas
- High coupling in `services/` directory
- Type safety compromised in `api/` layer
- Architectural violations in `components/`
Provide concise summary:
# Architectural Analysis Complete
## Dead Code Found
- **X completely dead files** - Can be deleted immediately
- **Y unused exports** - Can be removed
- **~Z,ZZZ lines** of dead code identified
## Top Dead Files
1. `src/old/legacy-processor.ts` - No imports
2. `src/temp/temp-service.ts` - Temporary file
3. `src/utils/unused-helper.ts` - Exported but never used
## Duplication Found
- **X duplication groups** identified
- **Most duplicated**: Email validation (3 copies)
- **~Y,YYY lines** of duplicated code
## Architectural Issues
- **Z god objects** doing too much
- **W circular dependencies** found
- **V layer violations** detected
## Type Issues
- **X `any` usages** - Should have proper types
- **Y type assertions** - Bypassing type safety
- **Z @ts-ignore comments** - Masking errors
## Code Smells
- **X long functions** (>50 lines)
- **Y complex conditionals** (3+ nesting)
- **Z magic numbers** - Should be constants
## Cleanup Potential
Removing dead code and consolidating duplication could eliminate **~X,XXX lines** (Y% of codebase)
**Full Report**: `.audits/architectural-analysis-[timestamp].md`
A complete architectural analysis includes:
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development
Authors engineering blog posts end-to-end: launch deep-dives, incident postmortems, architecture migrations, performance case studies, tutorials, AI/agent system writeups, security disclosures, and research-to-product translations. Picks the correct archetype, plans the abstraction ladder, enforces an evidence cadence (diagrams, benchmarks, profiles, traces, code, ablations), tunes voice against publisher house styles (Datadog, Vercel, GitHub, AWS, Meta, Cloudflare, Jane Street), and runs a pre-publish gate for narrative momentum and disclosure ethics. Use when drafting a new engineering post, restructuring a draft that feels flat, deciding which evidence form belongs where, validating that depth and product context are balanced, or preparing a postmortem, migration, or performance narrative for external publication. Do not use for API reference documentation, README authoring, marketing copy, release notes, generic SEO content, ghost-written executive thought leadership, or non-engineering long-form essays.
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Master TypeScript's advanced type system including generics, conditional types, mapped types, template literals, and utility types for building type-safe applications. Use when implementing complex type logic, creating reusable type utilities, or ensuring compile-time type safety in TypeScript projects. Don't use for plain JavaScript, runtime validation libraries (Zod, Yup), or basic TypeScript syntax questions.