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refactor-architecturelisted

Use when an existing codebase has architectural friction — changes touch many files, modules are shallow, seams leak — and you want to improve its structure. Reviews for module depth and locality, then proposes targeted refactors. Skip for new design (use system-architecture) or a quick local fix.
NjoyimPeguy/augments · ★ 1 · Code & Development · score 74
Install: claude install-skill NjoyimPeguy/augments
# Refactor Architecture Improve the structure of code that already exists. The goal is **deep modules** — a lot of behaviour behind a small interface — and **locality**, so a change lives in one place. This is maintenance; for designing new structure, use `system-architecture`. The vocabulary these steps lean on — module, interface, depth, seam, adapter, leverage, and the deletion test — is defined in `vocabulary.md`. ## When to use - An existing codebase has friction: a change bounces you across many files, modules are thin wrappers, tests couple to internals, seams leak. - **Skip** for greenfield design (`system-architecture`) or a one-off local fix. ## Procedure 1. **Walk the friction.** Find where a single change forces edits across many files, and where a module's complexity has spread to its callers. 2. **Apply the deletion test** to each suspect module: if removing it would concentrate complexity across its callers, it's earning its depth — keep it. If complexity merely *relocates*, it's shallow — collapse it. 3. **Find the real seams.** A seam is justified by **two** actual implementations, not one hypothetical. Classify each dependency: in-process (deepen freely), substitutable (in-memory fake), owned-remote (port + adapter), true-external (mock at the boundary). 4. **Design it twice.** For a load-bearing refactor, sketch two distinct structures (e.g. minimize entry points vs. optimize the common caller) and compare on depth, locality, and seam placement before