Architecture Normalizer

Purpose

Use this skill as an architecture normalization engine, not as a general refactoring assistant. Its job is to move a repository toward deterministic, high-cohesion, low-coupling module hierarchy while preserving behavior and public APIs.

The central rule: every architectural decision must be produced as an explicit reviewable artifact before any source file is changed.

Required References

• Read references/policy-format.md before creating, editing, or applying architecture policies.
• Read references/artifact-contract.md before generating, reviewing, or executing .architecture/ artifacts.
• Read references/analysis-signals.md when scoring cohesion, coupling, entropy, god files/classes/packages, split candidates, or dependency risk.
• Use scripts/repo_fingerprint.py <repo> --json for manifest repository hashes and execution preflight checks.

Non-Negotiable Contract

• Do not modify source files during Analysis. Analysis may only create or update .architecture/ artifacts.
• Do not execute normalization without completed Analysis artifacts and explicit approval for the specific actions being executed.
• During Execution, never invent moves, splits, renames, import updates, exports, compatibility layers, or deletes. Execute approved artifact actions only.
• Preserve public imports and exports whenever possible. Generate compatibility exports for moved public API paths.
• Load policies before analysis. Do not hardcode language thresholds, layout rules, public API rules, or allowed dependency rules into the plan.
• Keep output deterministic: sorted paths, stable action IDs, stable artifact filenames, and stable YAML/JSON ordering where feasible.
• Stop when the repository fingerprint differs from the manifest, artifacts conflict, a policy is missing or ambiguous, or validation cannot be run.
• Do not print or store secrets. Prefer structural evidence: imports, exported symbols, file names, non-secret config keys, tests, and public APIs.

Phase 0: Policy Loading

1. Inspect repository structure and dependency/config files enough to identify languages and tooling.
2. Load existing policies from .architecture/policy.yaml or .architecture/policies/*.yaml when present.
3. If no approved policy exists, resolve a conservative baseline policy from references/policy-format.md, write it under .architecture/policies/<language>.yaml with status: proposed, and mark all execution actions unapproved.
4. Record the resolved policy files and versions in .architecture/manifest.yaml.

Execution is forbidden when the relevant policy is only proposed, rejected, missing, or internally inconsistent.

Phase 1: Architecture Analysis

Analysis is read-only for repository source files. It must generate deterministic artifacts inside .architecture/.

Required analysis behavior:

• Compute the repository fingerprint with scripts/repo_fingerprint.py.
• Detect single-responsibility violations, multiple public types, god files, god classes, god packages, cyclic imports, dead code candidates, duplicate models/DTOs/enums/errors, forbidden generic names, large files/classes/functions, hidden public APIs, layer violations, dependency violations, feature envy, and architecture entropy.
• Generate explicit remediation artifacts for every proposed change.
• Use stable IDs such as MOVE-0001, SPLIT-0001, RENAME-0001, IMPORT-0001, EXPORT-0001, and COMPAT-0001.
• Sort actions by normalized source path, action kind, then destination path.
• Include evidence and rationale for every action. Evidence should cite files, symbols, imports, exported APIs, tests, or dependency edges.
• Use generated_at: null unless a deterministic repository-derived timestamp is available, such as the HEAD commit timestamp.

Required artifact set:

• .architecture/manifest.yaml
• .architecture/analysis.md
• .architecture/entropy.json
• .architecture/dependency-graph.graphml
• .architecture/package-layout.graphml
• .architecture/move-plan.yaml
• .architecture/split-plan.yaml
• .architecture/rename-plan.yaml
• .architecture/imports-plan.yaml
• .architecture/exports-plan.yaml
• .architecture/compatibility-plan.yaml
• .architecture/risk-report.yaml
• .architecture/validation-plan.yaml

If a graph format cannot be produced with available tooling, create the file with a deterministic placeholder graph containing the nodes/edges that were derived and record the tooling gap in risk-report.yaml.

Phase 2: Human Review

Artifacts are the review boundary.

• Treat user edits to artifacts as authoritative unless they violate the non-negotiable contract.
• Execute only actions with status: approved or with an explicit current user instruction approving the exact action set.
• Treat missing, proposed, rejected, stale, or conflicting actions as not executable.
• If review changes introduce new decisions, return to Analysis and regenerate affected artifacts before execution.

Phase 3: Architecture Execution

Execution reads approved artifacts only. It must not perform fresh architectural analysis.

Before editing source files:

1. Recompute the repository fingerprint.
2. Compare it with .architecture/manifest.yaml.
3. Inspect git status --short and avoid overwriting unrelated user changes.
4. Stop if the repository changed, unless the user explicitly asks to regenerate Analysis.

During execution:

• Prefer git mv for file moves.
• Apply approved moves, splits, renames, import updates, public exports, and compatibility layers in dependency-safe order.
• Preserve public APIs through explicit exports: Python __init__.py, TypeScript/JavaScript index.ts or index.js, Rust pub use, Go exported symbols, C/C++ public headers.
• Do not use wildcard exports.
• Delete obsolete files only when an approved delete action exists.
• If a needed action is missing, stop and write .architecture/execution-blockers.yaml.

Execution must be idempotent. Running it twice against the same approved artifacts should produce no further source changes.

Phase 4: Validation

Validation is mandatory after execution.

Run the validation commands declared by policy and confirmed from repository configuration when available:

• formatter
• linter
• compiler or type checker
• unit and integration tests
• import/public API validation
• architecture layout validation

Record validation commands and results in .architecture/validation-results.yaml. Report failure exactly; do not claim success unless commands were run and passed.

Output Discipline

When reporting results:

• Separate Analysis, Review, Execution, and Validation status.
• List generated or changed artifacts.
• List source files changed only after Execution.
• Include exact validation commands and outcomes.
• State when execution was refused because approval, policy, fingerprint, or validation gates were not satisfied.