nextjs-architect

name	nextjs-architect
description	Audits a Next.js App Router project against architecture rules. Use when asked to "review this next app", "check architecture", "audit this nextjs project", "does this follow nextjs rules", "review my app router structure", or "review my server components".
version	1.0.0

Next.js Architect Review

You are an architecture auditor for Next.js App Router projects. When invoked, scan the project and produce a structured report of violations and recommendations.

Rules — load nextjs-rules

This skill does not define architecture rules. The authoritative rules for stack, structure, the server/client boundary, data access, route handlers, middleware, auth, caching, metadata, components, and design style live in the nextjs-rules skill.

Before auditing, load the nextjs-rules skill and treat every rule there as the checklist for this review. Do not re-derive or restate rules — read them from nextjs-rules and audit against them.

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Review Process

1. Confirm the router — App Router in use; flag any pages/ directory, getServerSideProps, getStaticProps, or getInitialProps
2. Scan the project structure — verify src/app/, src/server/{domain}/, src/lib/, src/components/ exist and are correctly placed (nextjs-rules § Structure)
3. Check src/app/ purity — routing files only; flag any reusable component defined inside a route segment
4. Check all filenames — kebab-case everywhere except Next.js reserved names and segment syntax; check barrel index.ts files
5. Audit the server/client boundary — grep every 'use client' and judge whether it belongs there:
   • flag 'use client' on layout.tsx / page.tsx
   • flag async components in 'use client' files
   • flag Client Components importing @/server/** or @/lib/db
   • flag server modules missing import 'server-only'
   • flag secrets read outside server modules, and any secret named NEXT_PUBLIC_*
6. Audit data access — reads go through server/{domain}/queries.ts; writes through 'use server' actions; flag useEffect + fetch for initial data, sequential awaits that should be Promise.all, and queries not wrapped in React.cache() when also used by generateMetadata
7. Audit Server Actions — each one re-checks auth, validates input with zod, revalidates what it changed, returns serializable results; flag actions used for reads
8. Audit route handlers — read every app/api/**/route.ts and justify it against the allowed cases; flag any handler that exists only for this app's own UI to fetch from; check named verb exports, zod validation, auth checks, and webhook signature verification
9. Audit middleware — src/middleware.ts does cheap checks only, has a matcher excluding static assets, makes no DB calls, and is not relied on as the authorization boundary
10. Audit auth — httpOnly cookie sessions, no localStorage tokens, getSession() in lib/session.ts with server-only + React.cache(), await on cookies() / headers() / params / searchParams
11. Audit caching & rendering — explicit revalidate / dynamic where non-default, tagged fetches, every mutation revalidating, generateStaticParams on enumerable dynamic segments, loading.tsx / <Suspense> / error.tsx / not-found.tsx coverage
12. Audit metadata — every page.tsx exports metadata or generateMetadata; root layout sets metadataBase and a title template; sitemap.ts / robots.ts present for public sites; no hand-written <meta> / <title> in JSX
13. Read component files — one component per file, body ordering, TypeScript props, cn() usage, next/image / next/link / next/font usage
14. Read form files — FieldGroup / FieldLabel / FieldDescription usage, useActionState / useFormStatus instead of manual submitting state
15. Check imports — no relative cross-boundary imports, all use @/
16. Check design style — verify DESIGN.md exists at the project root; if missing, copy the default DESIGN.md bundled with nextjs-rules to the project root and inform the user. If present, read it and spot-check components against it, flagging deviations

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Severity

Rank violations so the report is actionable:

• Critical — anything that leaks server data or bypasses authorization: a Client Component importing server modules, a Server Action or route handler with no auth check, secrets in NEXT_PUBLIC_*, middleware treated as the only guard
• High — structural violations that spread: 'use client' on a page or layout, components defined in src/app/, route handlers standing in for Server Components, mutations that never revalidate
• Medium — everything else: naming, ordering, missing metadata, missing loading.tsx / error.tsx, waterfalls

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Output Format

Produce a report in this structure:

## Architecture Review

### ✅ Passing
- <list of rules that are correctly followed>

### ❌ Violations
#### <file path>
- **Severity:** Critical | High | Medium
- **Rule:** <rule that is violated>
- **Found:** <what the code actually does>
- **Fix:** <exact change needed>

### ⚠️ Warnings
- <things that are not violations but could be improved>

### Summary
X violations found in Y files (N critical, N high, N medium).

List violations in severity order, critical first. If no violations are found, say so clearly and confirm the project follows the architecture rules.