scan-project-structure

name	scan-project-structure
version	2.0.0
last_reviewed	"2026-04-22T00:00:00.000Z"
description	[Documentation] Use when scanning service architecture, ports, directory layout, tech stack, and module registry.

Quick Summary

Goal: Scan project codebase → populate docs/project-reference/project-structure-reference.md with accurate service architecture, API ports, directory structure, tech stack, and module codes.

Workflow:

1. Classify — Detect architecture type and scan mode
2. Scan — Parallel sub-agents discover services, ports, tech stack
3. Report — Write findings incrementally to report file
4. Generate — Build/update reference doc from report
5. Fresh-Eyes — Round 2 verification validates all paths and ports

Key Rules:

• Generic — discover everything dynamically, never hardcode project-specific values MUST ATTENTION detect architecture type FIRST — scan depth and sub-agent focus depend on it
• ALL port numbers must be read from actual config files — never infer from memory

---

Scan Project Structure

Phase 0: Detect Architecture Type & Mode

[BLOCKING] Before any other step, run in parallel:

1. Read docs/project-reference/project-structure-reference.md

   • Detect mode: Init (placeholder) or Sync (populated)
   • In Sync mode: note which sections have content; check for stale ports/paths

2. Detect architecture type:

Signal	Architecture	Sub-Agent Focus
Multiple src/Services/ directories, each with own Dockerfile	Microservices	Enumerate ALL services; map each to port + Dockerfile
Single src/ with one Program.cs / Startup.cs	Monolith	Single service deep-scan; module/feature breakdown
Single git repo, multiple deployable apps	Monorepo (non-microservices)	App boundaries; shared library mapping
Nx workspace / multiple project.json	Nx monorepo	Library graph; app/lib/buildable distinction
Multiple repos detected (git submodules)	Polyrepo	Per-repo breakdown; cross-repo contracts

3. Detect orchestration approach:

Signal	Orchestration	What to Document
src/Aspire/ directory	.NET Aspire	Aspire project name, dashboard URL, resource names
docker-compose*.yml	Docker Compose	Service definitions, port mappings, volume mounts
k8s/ or charts/	Kubernetes / Helm	Deployment targets, ingress config
No orchestration files	Direct run	Launch commands per service

4. Load module list from docs/project-config.json modules[] if available — use as expected service catalog.

Evidence gate: Confidence <60% on architecture type → report uncertainty, DO NOT proceed with architecture-specific scan assumptions.

Phase 1: Plan

Create TaskCreate entries for each sub-agent and each verification step. Do not start Phase 2 without tasks created.

Phase 2: Execute Scan (Parallel Sub-Agents)

Launch 3 general-purpose sub-agents in parallel. Each MUST:

• Write findings incrementally after each service/file — NEVER batch at end
• Cite file:line for every port number and Dockerfile path
• Confidence: >80% document; 60-80% note as "observed (unverified)"; <60% omit

All findings → plans/reports/scan-project-structure-{YYMMDD}-{HHMM}-report.md

Agent 1: Backend Services

Think (Completeness dimension): How many services exist? Is there a service in the codebase with no Dockerfile (worker? library? shared?)? Which services expose HTTP APIs vs are background workers?

Think (Port accuracy dimension): Where are ports defined — launchSettings.json, appsettings*.json, docker-compose.yml, Program.cs? Some services may have port in multiple places that must agree.

Think (Pattern dimension): Is there a consistent folder structure per service (e.g., Service/, Domain/, Application/, Infrastructure/)? What deviates from the pattern?

• Glob for **/*.csproj and **/Dockerfile to find all services — reconcile against project-config.json modules
• Read launchSettings.json and appsettings*.json for each service to extract ports
• Grep for [ApiController], MapControllers, app.MapGet to classify API vs worker vs library
• Find service entry points (Program.cs, Startup.cs) and identify service type
• Note services that appear in config but have no Dockerfile (or vice versa) — flag as gap

Agent 2: Frontend Apps

Think (App inventory dimension): How many frontend apps exist? Which are active (have dev-start commands) vs legacy vs deprecated?

Think (Port/config dimension): Where is the dev server port defined — angular.json serve config, vite.config.ts, next.config.js, proxy config? Read the actual config — do not infer.

Think (Dependency dimension): Which apps consume which shared libraries? Is there a design system library? A domain library? What's the dependency graph direction?

• Glob for **/angular.json, **/nx.json, **/vite.config.*, **/next.config.* (exclude node_modules)
• Read app serve configurations for dev server ports
• Find app entry points (main.ts, index.tsx, App.vue)
• Identify framework versions from package.json (exact versions, not ranges)
• Map app-to-library dependencies from Nx project graph or import analysis

Agent 3: Infrastructure & Tech Stack

Think (Infrastructure dimension): What external services must be running for the app to function? Which are optional? What are the default credentials (from docker-compose or defaults)?

Think (CI/CD dimension): What pipeline system is used? What are the build/test/deploy stages? What environments exist?

Think (Version accuracy dimension): Framework/library versions must come from actual config files — not assumed from project type.

• Read docker-compose*.yml — extract infrastructure service definitions, port mappings, credentials
• Find CI/CD configs (.github/workflows/*.yml, azure-pipelines.yml, Jenkinsfile) — extract stages
• Parse primary package managers for key dependencies with versions (package.json, *.csproj)
• Identify databases per service (MongoDB, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Redis) from connection strings
• Find message broker config (RabbitMQ, Kafka, Azure Service Bus) from appsettings

Phase 3: Analyze & Generate

Read full report. Apply fresh-eyes protocol:

Round 1 (main agent): Build section drafts from report findings.

Round 2 (fresh sub-agent, zero memory):

• Do ALL Dockerfile paths in the service table exist on filesystem? (Glob verify — ALL, not 3)
• Do port numbers match the actual launchSettings.json or docker-compose.yml entries? (Grep verify)
• Are there any services found by Agent 1 that are missing from the service table?
• Are framework versions from actual config files (not inferred)?

Target Sections

Section	Content
Architecture Overview	Architecture type, orchestration approach, deployment model
Service Architecture	Table: Service Name, Type (API/Worker/App), Port, Dockerfile path
Infrastructure Ports	Table: Service (DB/MQ/Cache), Port, Credentials (from docker-compose)
Frontend Apps	Table: App name, Framework, Dev port, Build command
Tech Stack	Table: Category (Backend/Frontend/Infra), Technology, Version
Module Codes	Table: Module code abbreviation, Full name, Service path
Key Directories	Top 2-3 levels of src/ with one-line purpose per top-level dir

Phase 4: Write & Verify

1. Write updated doc with <!-- Last scanned: YYYY-MM-DD --> at top
2. Surgical update only — preserve unchanged sections
3. Verify (Glob): ALL Dockerfile paths in service table exist — not just 3
4. Verify (Grep): Port numbers match actual config files
5. Report: sections updated vs unchanged, services catalogued, gaps found

---

[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks per file read. Prevents context loss from long files. Simple tasks: ask user whether to skip.

Prerequisites: MUST ATTENTION READ before executing:

Critical Thinking Mindset — Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources, admit uncertainty, self-check output, cross-reference independently. Certainty without evidence = root of all hallucination.

Scan & Update Reference Doc — Surgical updates only, NEVER full rewrite.

1. Read existing doc first — understand structure and manual annotations
2. Detect mode: Placeholder (headings only) → Init. Has content → Sync.
3. Scan codebase (grep/glob) for current state
4. Diff findings vs doc — identify stale sections only
5. Update ONLY diverged sections. Preserve manual annotations.
6. Update metadata (date, version) in frontmatter/header
7. NEVER rewrite entire doc. NEVER remove sections without evidence obsolete.

Output Quality — Token efficiency without sacrificing quality.

1. No inventories/counts — stale instantly
2. No directory trees — use 1-line path conventions
3. No TOCs — AI reads linearly
4. One example per pattern — only if non-obvious
5. Lead with answer, not reasoning
6. Sacrifice grammar for concision in reports
7. Unresolved questions at end

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid:

Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates service names, ports, and file paths. Grep/Glob to confirm before documenting. Trace full dependency chain after edits. Always trace full chain. Surface ambiguity before coding. NEVER pick silently. NEVER hardcode port numbers without config file evidence. Read launchSettings.json or docker-compose.yml — never infer from memory.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION read existing doc first, scan codebase, diff, surgical update only. Never rewrite entire doc.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION output quality: no counts/trees/TOCs, 1 example per pattern, lead with answer.

MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.

Closing Reminders

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small TaskCreate tasks BEFORE starting IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION detect architecture type in Phase 0 — sub-agent focus depends on it IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line for every port number and path — NEVER infer from memory IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION sub-agents write findings incrementally after each service — NEVER batch at end IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION verify ALL Dockerfile paths — spot-check of 3 is insufficient IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION when Round 1 finds issues, Round 2 fresh-eyes after fixing validates ports and paths. Clean Round 1 ENDS the scan.

Anti-Rationalization:

Evasion	Rebuttal
"Architecture type obvious from directory names"	Verify from actual project files — names are not evidence
"Port numbers are standard (5000, 8080, etc.)"	Read config files — NEVER infer ports from framework conventions
"Checked 3 Dockerfile paths, that's enough"	Glob-verify ALL paths — partial verification hides missing services
"Framework versions obvious from project type"	Read package.json/.csproj for exact versions — never assume
"Skip Round 2 even when Round 1 found issues"	Clean Round 1 ends the scan. When issues exist, fresh-eyes mandatory after fixing — port numbers and paths are the most hallucination-prone data.
"project-config.json not needed if repo looks clear"	Config file provides expected service catalog — use it to detect missing services

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and break into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.