Architecture Introspector

About

Architecture Introspector provides a rigorous, principle-based framework for evaluating software systems by challenging inherited assumptions and identifying technical debt. By applying a "delete first, optimize later" philosophy, it helps developers validate architectural decisions, enforce modularity through the 2-3 consumer rule, and streamline codebases to ensure every component serves a demonstrated need. It is an essential tool for planning refactors, onboarding to complex codebases, and preventing the adoption of "cargo cult" patterns that add overhead without proportional value.

Key Features

• Generates detailed reports featuring deletion candidates, simplification plans, and success metrics.
• Provides a structured 6-phase introspection process for systematic system mapping and analysis.
• Identifies common anti-patterns such as Enterprise Fizz-Buzz and Resume-Driven Development.
• Applies SpaceX's 5-step methodology: Question, Delete, Simplify, Accelerate, and Automate.
• 17 GitHub stars
• Enforces the 2-3 consumer rule to prevent premature abstraction and modularity overhead.

Use Cases

• Evaluating whether to extract shared services or inline existing single-use abstractions.
• Onboarding to unfamiliar codebases to understand rationale and find simplification opportunities.
• Identifying and pruning unjustified technical debt in over-engineered architectures.