| name | impact-analysis |
| description | Use when user asks what breaks if I change X, impact of changing, what depends on, trace data flow, show connections, dependency graph, upstream/downstream, or safe to modify before refactoring. |
| version | 0.9.1 |
| user-invocable | false |
Impact Analysis & Connections
Analyze what's affected by changes and map component connections using NavGator MCP tools. This skill covers impact analysis, connection viewing, and dataflow tracing.
When to Activate
- User asks what's affected by changing a component or file
- User wants to see dependencies before refactoring
- User asks about upstream/downstream connections
- Before major changes to shared components
- User wants to trace how data flows through the system
Impact Analysis
Use the navgator impact MCP tool with the component name to analyze blast radius.
Input: Component name (e.g., "express", "prisma", "/api/users")
Returns:
- Component's name, type, and layer
- Incoming connections: Components/files that USE this component (may need changes)
- Outgoing connections: Components this one depends on
- Severity assessment (critical/high/medium/low based on dependent count)
- Specific file paths and line numbers for each connection
File-Based Impact
If the user provides a file path instead of a component name:
- The tool resolves the file to its parent component automatically via file map lookup
- If no component found, suggest running a scan to refresh architecture data
Connection Mapping
Use the navgator connections MCP tool to show all connections for a component.
Input: Component name (required), direction (optional: "in", "out", or "both")
Returns:
- All incoming connections (what connects TO this component)
- All outgoing connections (what this component connects TO)
- File paths and line numbers for each connection
Dataflow Tracing
Use the navgator trace MCP tool to follow data flow through the architecture.
Input: Component name (required), direction (optional: "forward", "backward", or "both")
Returns:
- Data flow path through components
- Layer crossings (e.g., frontend → backend → database)
- Dependency chains with depth
Decision Tree
| User Intent | MCP Tool | Notes |
|---|
| "What breaks if I change X?" | navgator impact | Full blast radius |
| "Show connections for X" | navgator connections | All connections |
| "What depends on X?" | navgator connections (direction: "in") | Incoming only |
| "What does X use?" | navgator connections (direction: "out") | Outgoing only |
| "Trace data flow from X" | navgator trace | Forward/backward/both |
| "Is it safe to modify X?" | navgator impact | Check severity |
After Analysis
Present results clearly:
- Severity level and summary
- Direct dependents (most important to review)
- Transitive dependents (may be affected)
- Recommendation: which files to review before making changes
navgator — architecture tracker
