interface-design-review

name	interface-design-review
description	Use when designing new public APIs, adding trait methods, or refactoring type signatures to ensure they are easy to use correctly and hard to use incorrectly. Reviews Rust interfaces for misuse resistance.
metadata	{"author":"ahrav"}

Interface Design Review

Review public APIs, traits, structs, and module boundaries against the guiding principle: "Make interfaces easy to use correctly and hard to use incorrectly."

The correct path should be the path of least resistance. Incorrect usage should be caught at compile time when possible, at construction time when not, and at runtime only as a last resort.

When to Use

• After designing or modifying a public API (pub fn, pub struct, pub trait)
• When adding a new module or crate boundary
• Before stabilizing an interface that other code will depend on
• When reviewing builder patterns, configuration types, or plugin interfaces
• When reviewing CLI or configuration flows that are parsed once and then threaded through multiple layers
• After discovering a bug caused by caller misuse of an existing API
• When an API requires documentation to explain "don't do X" — that's a signal the interface should prevent X structurally

The Hierarchy of Enforcement

Prefer enforcement higher in this list. Each level down is weaker:

Level	Mechanism	Example	Strength
1. Unrepresentable	Type system makes the wrong state impossible	Newtype, typestate, NonZeroU32	Strongest
2. Unconstructable	Invalid values can't be built	Private fields + validated new()	Strong
3. Compile error	Misuse fails to compile	Ownership, lifetimes, trait bounds	Strong
4. Visible at call site	Misuse is obvious when reading code	Enums over bools, named types over primitives	Moderate
5. Runtime rejection	Validated at runtime with clear error	TryFrom, Result-returning methods	Weak
6. Documentation	"Don't do this" in a doc comment	/// # Panics	Weakest

Review Checklist

A. Make Invalid States Unrepresentable

• Newtype wrappers for domain IDs — Are u32/u64/usize values that carry distinct meaning (file IDs, rule IDs, buffer indices) wrapped in newtypes to prevent silent mixing?
• Enums over booleans — Does any function take bool parameters? Replace with a two-variant enum that documents intent at the call site.

  // BAD: what does `true` mean here?
  scan(data, true, false)
  
  // GOOD: intent is self-documenting
  scan(data, Encoding::Utf8, CaseSensitivity::Insensitive)
  

• Typestate for protocols — If an object has a lifecycle (connect → authenticate → use → close), do the types enforce the ordering at compile time?
• NonZero* for values that must not be zero — Capacity, counts, sizes.
• Exhaustive enums — Can the caller forget to handle a variant? Use #[non_exhaustive] on enums that may grow to force _ => arms.

B. Validate at the Boundary, Trust Internally

• Parse, don't validate — Does the constructor parse raw input into a validated type, or does the code validate and then carry around the raw value?

  // BAD: validated but raw — nothing stops later code from skipping validation
  fn process(rule_yaml: &str) { validate(rule_yaml)?; /* use rule_yaml */ }
  
  // GOOD: parsing produces a type that is valid by construction
  fn process(rule_yaml: &str) -> Result<Rule> { Rule::parse(rule_yaml) }
  

• Private fields + public constructors — Can callers bypass invariants by directly constructing a struct? Fields that participate in invariants must be private.
• TryFrom / TryInto — For conversions that can fail, is the fallible path the only path?
• No pub on fields with invariants — If start <= end must hold, neither field should be pub.
• Single source of truth for validated config — If one parser or builder produces validated config that multiple layers consume, do downstream layers derive from that type instead of re-parsing or re-encoding defaults?

C. Guide the Caller Toward Correct Usage

• Builder pattern for complex construction — If a constructor takes more than 3-4 parameters, does a builder exist? Consider typestate builders for required fields.

  // Compile error if you forget `source`:
  ScanConfig::builder()
      .source(path)       // required — returns SourceSet state
      .max_depth(10)      // optional
      .build()            // only available after required fields set
  

• Accept the widest useful input type — &str not &String, impl AsRef<Path> not &PathBuf, impl Into<X> for ergonomic construction.
• Return the most specific type — Don't return Box<dyn Error> when a concrete error enum would let callers handle cases. Don't return Vec<u8> when a Digest newtype carries meaning.
• Default values via Default trait — If most callers want the same config, implement Default so the common case is one line.
• Method chaining for configuration — self methods that return Self guide callers through a fluent API.

D. Make Misuse Visible

• No stringly-typed APIs — Are identifiers, paths, or modes passed as raw String/&str when an enum or newtype would be type-safe?
• Parameter order reflects natural reading — Does copy(src, dst) or range(start, end) match what a caller would guess?
• Consistent naming conventions — Do similar operations across the codebase use the same verb (get_ vs fetch_ vs load_)?
• No ambiguous positional parsing — Can a single positional token, overloaded string, or shorthand path be misclassified? Prefer explicit enums, subcommands, or regression tests that lock down edge shapes.
• #[must_use] on results — Can the caller silently ignore a return value that indicates failure or carries important data?

  #[must_use = "dropping the guard releases the lock immediately"]
  pub fn acquire(&self) -> LockGuard<'_> { ... }
  

• Unit types for flags — Instead of fn set_flag(&mut self, flag: u32), use fn enable_unicode(&mut self).

E. Leverage Ownership and Lifetimes

• Ownership transfer for single-use resources — If a value should only be used once (tokens, one-shot channels), does the API consume it by value?
• Borrow for observation, own for mutation — Does the API give &T for reads and require owned T or &mut T for writes?
• Lifetime-bounded references — If a reference must not outlive its source, does the lifetime annotation enforce this?
• No hidden shared mutability — If interior mutability (Cell, RefCell, Mutex) is necessary, is it encapsulated rather than leaked through the API?

F. Error Design

• Actionable error types — Can the caller match on error variants and take different recovery actions, or is it an opaque string?
• No panicking APIs — Public functions should return Result rather than unwrap/expect. Reserve panics for genuine invariant violations in internal code.
• Error context — Does the error carry enough context (file path, line number, input snippet) for the caller to diagnose the problem without reading source code?

Anti-Patterns to Flag

Anti-Pattern	Why It's Bad	Fix
fn foo(verbose: bool, recursive: bool)	Callers write foo(true, false) — meaning is invisible	Use enums: Verbosity::Quiet, Traversal::Flat
pub struct Range { pub start: u32, pub end: u32 }	Nothing enforces start <= end	Private fields + Range::new(start, end) -> Result<Range>
fn process(id: u64, parent_id: u64)	Easy to swap arguments silently	fn process(id: RuleId, parent: ParentId)
fn configure(opts: HashMap<String, String>)	Unbounded input, typos compile fine	Typed config struct or builder
fn init() -> *mut State	Caller must remember to free, can use-after-free	Return Box<State> or Arc<State>
Returning i32 error codes	Caller can ignore, misinterpret, or mix with valid values	Return Result<T, E> with typed error
fn send(data: &[u8], compress: bool, encrypt: bool, sign: bool)	3 bools = 8 combinations, many invalid	Options struct or builder with valid combinations
Silent default on invalid input	Caller doesn't know their input was wrong	Return Err or use a type that can't be invalid
Parsing config twice into similar structs	Layers silently drift when defaults change in only one place	Parse once, validate once, derive downstream views from the validated config
Treating a single positional token as multiple possible modes	Callers cannot predict how edge cases are classified	Use explicit syntax or add parser tests for each ambiguous shape

Project-Specific Patterns

This codebase already uses several "easy to use correctly" patterns. New code should follow them:

• Sentinel values as constants: NONE_U32 = u32::MAX — centralizes the sentinel so callers don't invent their own.
• Const generics for granularity: Compile-time selection via <const G: usize> prevents runtime branching on a configuration value.
• Feature-gated test tooling: #[cfg(feature = "test-support")] ensures test infrastructure (e.g., Arbitrary impls, sim harness) can't accidentally leak into production builds.
• debug_assert! for internal invariants: Zero-cost in release, catches contract violations during development.

When reviewing, check that new APIs are consistent with these existing patterns.

Output Format

## Interface Design Review: [module/type/function]

### Enforcement Level Assessment

| Aspect | Current Level | Target Level | Gap |
|--------|--------------|--------------|-----|
| ID parameters | 6 (docs say "pass rule ID") | 1 (newtype `RuleId`) | 5 levels |
| Construction validity | 5 (runtime check in `new()`) | 2 (`new()` → private fields) | 3 levels |
| Flag parameters | 6 (doc: "`true` = verbose") | 4 (enum `Verbosity`) | 2 levels |

### Findings

| Priority | Issue | Location | Enforcement Gap |
|----------|-------|----------|-----------------|
| HIGH | Raw `u64` used for rule ID and parent ID — easy to swap | `fn register(id: u64, parent: u64)` | Unrepresentable → Newtype |
| MEDIUM | `bool` parameter for mode selection | `fn scan(data: &[u8], lenient: bool)` | Visible → Enum |
| LOW | Missing `#[must_use]` on `Result`-returning fn | `fn validate()` | Already level 5, add attribute |

### Recommendations

1. **[Issue]**: [Fix with code showing before/after]
   ```rust
   // Before: callers can silently swap IDs
   pub fn register(id: u64, parent: u64) { ... }

   // After: compiler rejects swapped arguments
   pub fn register(id: RuleId, parent: ParentId) { ... }

Positive Patterns Observed

• [Note any good patterns already present — reinforces correct design]

## Related Skills

- `/security-reviewer` - Complements this: security reviews focus on memory
  safety; interface reviews focus on API misuse prevention
- `/test-strategy` - Property-based tests are powerful for validating that an
  interface's invariants hold across all inputs
- `/doc-rigor` - If an interface passes this review, its docs should describe
  *why* the design prevents misuse, not just *how* to use it

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