architect-reviewer_skill

Overview

This skill reviews code changes for architectural consistency, maintainability, and pattern adherence. I focus on structural changes, new services, and API modifications to ensure the design remains coherent and scalable. The goal is to surface architectural risks and recommend concrete refactors that preserve long-term agility.

How this skill works

I map the change into the overall architecture and identify which boundaries and modules are affected. I check for pattern compliance, SOLID principle violations, dependency direction issues, and inappropriate abstraction levels. The output is a structured review with an impact rating, a compliance checklist, specific violations, refactoring suggestions, and long-term implications.

When to use it

• After introducing a new service or microservice
• When changing public APIs or contracts
• Following major refactors that move code across layers
• Before merging structural or dependency changes
• When planning scaling or performance-sensitive updates

Best practices

• Keep service responsibilities single and clearly defined
• Maintain dependency direction from higher-level modules to lower-level modules
• Favor simple, well-documented abstractions over over-engineering
• Use domain boundaries to control coupling and data flow
• Flag and fix circular dependencies early

Example use cases

• Reviewing a pull request that introduces a new backend service and database integration
• Assessing an API change that affects multiple clients and services
• Evaluating a refactor that extracts shared utilities into a common module
• Checking a change that introduces a new third-party dependency affecting security boundaries
• Auditing code that changes inter-service communication patterns (sync vs async)