| name | architecture-audit |
| description | Comprehensive **project** consistency review across code, documentation, diagrams, and configuration |
| tier | standard |
| applyTo | **/*audit*,**/*review*,**/*consistency* |
Architecture Audit
Comprehensive project consistency review across code, documentation, diagrams, and configuration
Overview
Systematic audit process to ensure all project artifacts stay synchronized. Catches version drift, terminology inconsistencies, outdated diagrams, broken references, and code-to-docs mismatches.
⚠️ IMPORTANT: This skill audits the user's project code, NOT the Alex cognitive architecture in .github/. Ignore .github/ folder contents when performing audits - focus on the actual source code, documentation, and configuration in the project root and subdirectories.
Triggers
- "audit", "comprehensive review", "fact-check"
- "consistency check", "project health"
- "pre-release audit", "documentation review"
- Before major releases or after significant refactoring
Audit Checklist
1. Version Consistency
# Find version references in common locations
# EXCLUDE: .github/** (Alex cognitive architecture - not project code)
$patterns = @(
'package.json', # "version": "x.y.z"
'src/**/config*.json', # Version in config files (not .github)
'*.md', # Root documentation only
'docs/**/*.md', # Project docs (not .github)
'src/**/constants.ts', # Hardcoded versions
'CHANGELOG.md' # Version headers
)
# Grep for version patterns
Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Include $patterns |
Select-String -Pattern 'v?\d+\.\d+\.\d+' |
Group-Object -Property Line
Check: All version references match the canonical version (usually package.json)
2. Terminology Consistency
Build a deprecated terms list for your project:
| Deprecated Term | Current Term | Migration Pattern |
|---|
DK-*.md | skills/*/SKILL.md | File format change |
domain-knowledge/ | skills/ | Folder rename |
| (project-specific) | (project-specific) | (document here) |
# Search for deprecated terms (exclude .github/)
$deprecated = @('OLD_TERM_1', 'OLD_TERM_2')
foreach ($term in $deprecated) {
Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Include "*.md","*.ts","*.json" -Exclude ".github" |
Where-Object { $_.FullName -notmatch '\\.github\\' } |
Select-String -Pattern $term
}
3. Fact Inventory
Maintain a facts file or section with current counts:
## Current Facts (Update on Audit)
- Skills: 46 folders
- Commands: 16 total
- Tools: 11 MCP tools
- Agents: 5 custom agents
- Instructions: 19 files
- Prompts: 7 files
Check: All documentation referencing these counts matches actual values
4. Diagram Validation
For each diagram (Mermaid/ASCII):
# Find all diagrams in project (exclude .github/)
Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Include "*.md" |
Where-Object { $_.FullName -notmatch '\\.github\\' } |
Select-String -Pattern '```mermaid|```ascii|┌|╔' |
Group-Object -Property Path
5. Cross-Reference Validation
# Find markdown links in project (exclude .github/)
Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Include "*.md" |
Where-Object { $_.FullName -notmatch '\\.github\\' } |
Select-String -Pattern '\[.*?\]\((?!http)[^)]+\)' |
ForEach-Object {
# Extract path and verify existence
}
6. Code-to-Docs Sync
| Code Artifact | Documentation Location | Check |
|---|
| Exported functions | API docs | Signatures match |
| Config options | README/User Manual | All options documented |
| CLI commands | Help text / docs | Commands listed |
| Error messages | Troubleshooting | Errors explained |
7. Configuration Alignment
Audit Report Template
# Architecture Audit Report
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Version Audited:** x.y.z
**Auditor:** [name/AI]
## Summary
| Category | Status | Issues Found |
|----------|--------|--------------|
| Version Consistency | ✅/⚠️/❌ | N |
| Terminology | ✅/⚠️/❌ | N |
| Fact Accuracy | ✅/⚠️/❌ | N |
| Diagrams | ✅/⚠️/❌ | N |
| Cross-References | ✅/⚠️/❌ | N |
| Code-Docs Sync | ✅/⚠️/❌ | N |
## Issues Found
### [Category]
- **File:** path/to/file
- **Line:** N
- **Issue:** Description
- **Fix:** Suggested correction
## Actions Taken
- [ ] Issue 1 fixed
- [ ] Issue 2 fixed
Automation Opportunities
Pre-commit Hook
npm run audit:quick
CI Pipeline
- name: Architecture Audit
run: npm run audit:full
if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
Scheduled Audit
on:
schedule:
- cron: '0 9 * * 1'
Anti-Patterns
❌ Skipping audits before release — Drift accumulates silently
❌ Manual-only audits — Automate what you can
❌ Fixing without documenting — Record the pattern for next time
❌ Ignoring "cosmetic" issues — They signal deeper drift
❌ Auditing only changed files — Drift affects unchanged files too
Best Practices
✅ Run full audit before major releases
✅ Add new deprecated terms as you migrate
✅ Update fact inventory after structural changes
✅ Document audit findings for patterns
✅ Automate repetitive checks
✅ Time-box manual review (don't boil the ocean)
Integration with Other Skills
release-preflight → Trigger audit before release
brain-qa → Synapse-specific validation and architecture health
code-review → Audit as part of PR review
refactoring-patterns → Audit after major refactoring
Master Alex Extensions
Master Alex-specific audit procedures that extend the generic project audit above. These leverage knowledge of exact folder structure, heir relationships, safety imperatives, and build/release workflows.
Audit Philosophy (Semantic + Structural)
| Dimension | Script (Automated) | Alex (With This Skill) |
|---|
| Structural | File existence, counts, format | ✅ Automated |
| Semantic | — | Do files describe concepts consistently? |
| Logic | — | Are documented workflows achievable? |
| Code | Compile, lint, bundle | Does code match documented claims? |
| Architectural | Version alignment, heir sync | Is memory architecture reflected accurately? |
Master-Only Sections (1-9)
| # | Section | What It Checks |
|---|
| 1 | Version Alignment | package.json ↔ CHANGELOG ↔ copilot-instructions |
| 2 | Heir Folder Sync | Master → heir file counts |
| 3 | Skill Inheritance | SKILL_EXCLUSIONS in sync-architecture.cjs |
| 4 | Safety Imperatives | Kill switch, protection markers |
| 5 | Build Artifacts | dist/extension.js exists and recent |
| 6 | Documentation Cross-Refs | Required links between docs |
| 7 | Synapse Health | Valid connections, no orphans |
| 8 | alex_docs Audit | Version refs, deprecated terms |
| 9 | Skill Network Diagram | Node count matches actual skills |
Inheritable Sections (10-22)
| # | Section | What It Checks |
|---|
| 10 | Extension UI | Dead buttons |
| 11 | Dependency Health | npm audit vulnerabilities |
| 12 | TypeScript & Lint | Compile errors, lint warnings |
| 13 | Security | Secrets in code, CSP compliance |
| 14 | Bundle Size | extension.js size |
| 15 | Git Hygiene | Uncommitted changes, branch status |
| 16 | Changelog | Format, version alignment |
| 17 | API Compatibility | Deprecated VS Code APIs |
| 18 | Test Coverage | Test file count vs source files |
| 19 | Accessibility | ARIA labels, CSS variables |
| 20 | Localization | l10n configuration |
| 21 | Asset Integrity | Icon exists, no missing assets |
| 22 | Configuration Files | launch.json, tsconfig.json, .vscodeignore |
Production Scripts
# Full audit (all 22 sections)
.\.github\muscles\audit-master-alex.ps1
# Quick audit (master-specific only, sections 1-9)
.\.github\muscles\audit-master-alex.ps1 -Section quick
# Specific sections
.\.github\muscles\audit-master-alex.ps1 -Section 4,7,13
Semantic Review Checklist (Manual — Not Scriptable)