ports-and-adapters_skill

Overview

This skill applies a production-grade Ports and Adapters (Hexagonal) approach to Symfony applications with controlled scope and clear checkpoints. It provides a reproducible workflow to propose, execute, and validate architectural changes while preserving existing patterns and minimizing risk. The output includes proposed adjustments, checkpoint validation results, and a follow-up backlog of residual tasks.

How this skill works

I inspect current boundaries, coupling points, and context handling in the Symfony codebase to identify the smallest coherent architectural adjustment that delivers value. Changes are executed in incremental checkpoints with explicit validation criteria and roll-forward/rollback guidance. Each checkpoint produces a decision record, test outcomes, and a short summary of tradeoffs and residual risks.

When to use it

• Refining architecture or execution workflows in an existing Symfony project.
• Planning medium to complex changes that must be executed safely and audibly.
• Introducing ports-and-adapters patterns to isolate domain logic from framework concerns.
• When you need a clear sequence of checkpoints and validation for safe deployments.
• Onboarding teams to a consistent, auditable approach to architecture changes.

Best practices

• Default to existing project patterns and only deviate when justified.
• Propose the smallest coherent change that achieves the objective.
• Break work into checkpoints with concrete validation criteria and automated tests.
• Keep a clear, auditable decision log for every architectural change.
• Avoid broad refactors without explicit business or technical necessity.

Example use cases

• Introduce an Input/Output port layer for a legacy service to enable independent testing.
• Migrate a repository implementation behind an adapter to remove framework coupling.
• Add a new application service with a clear adapter boundary and automated checkpoint tests.
• Validate and deploy an incremental change that separates HTTP controllers from domain logic.
• Create a backlog of follow-up tasks after a guarded architectural adjustment.