ArchLens FAQs

Question 1

How does ArchLens detect architecture violations?

Accepted Answer

ArchLens uses deterministic, AST-based static analysis to build a dependency graph of your codebase. It then checks this graph against architecture rules you define in a `.archlens.yml` file, identifying boundary violations, 'god nodes' (modules with excessive dependents), and calculating the 'blast radius' of changes.

Question 2

What kind of architecture rules can I define in ArchLens?

Accepted Answer

You can define flexible rules in a `.archlens.yml` file, including `forbid` and `warn` statements for specific module-to-module dependencies. Additionally, you can set `thresholds` to detect structural issues like god nodes (modules with too many incoming edges) or cross-cluster drift.

Question 3

What is ArchLens and what problem does it solve?

Accepted Answer

ArchLens provides architecture context to AI coding agents and human developers. It solves the problem of structural code degradation by helping agents understand and adhere to architecture rules *before* they write code, preventing issues like forbidden dependencies and 'god nodes' from being introduced.

Question 4

Is ArchLens safe to use with sensitive proprietary code?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely. ArchLens operates with a core principle of 'Zero Code Egress'. All analysis is performed locally on your machine or within your CI/CD environment, meaning your source code never leaves your control or touches external servers.

Question 5

How do AI coding agents use ArchLens?

Accepted Answer

ArchLens integrates with MCP-compatible agents (like Claude Code, Cursor) by exposing a set of architecture-aware tools. Agents can call functions like `check_boundaries()` before adding imports or `get_blast_radius()` to understand the impact of changes, ensuring they write architecturally sound code.

ArchLens

ArchLens

Key Features

Use Cases

Key Features

Use Cases