| name | architecture-language |
| description | Canonical architectural vocabulary — module, interface, seam, adapter, depth, leverage, locality. Use when reviewing architecture, deepening shallow modules, designing interfaces, or evaluating refactor candidates. NOT a domain glossary (use /ubiquitous-language for that). |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
Architecture Language
Shared vocabulary for every architectural conversation in this repo. Use these terms exactly — don't substitute "component", "service", "API", or "boundary". Consistent language is the whole point.
The full glossary lives in LANGUAGE.md. Load it when:
- Reviewing architecture (
senior-architecture-reviewer, code-analysis)
- Hunting deepening opportunities (
improve-codebase-architecture)
- Designing interfaces or evaluating module shape
- TDD planning where module depth affects test surface
Why this exists
A codebase full of shallow modules is hard for both humans and AI to navigate. The vocabulary in LANGUAGE.md makes the distinction between deep and shallow sayable, which is the prerequisite for fixing it.
When reviewing or planning, prefer the precise term over the casual one — say seam, not "boundary"; interface, not "API surface"; adapter, not "implementation of the interface".
Upstream
The vocabulary and principles are adapted from Matt Pocock's improve-codebase-architecture/LANGUAGE.md (github.com/mattpocock/skills), which itself draws on Ousterhout (A Philosophy of Software Design) and Feathers (Working Effectively with Legacy Code).
