Modular Decomposition skill

Modular Decomposition

This skill runs the Patterns 1–5 analysis pipeline before service extraction. Each pattern is plain markdown under references/; load the file for that step and execute it against the user’s codebase.

How to Use

Quick start (what users can say)

• Full pipeline: “Run modular decomposition Patterns 1 through 5 on this repo,” “Analyze this monolith for splitting—inventory, coupling, and domain grouping.”
• Single early step: “Identify and size components here,” “Find duplicated domain logic across modules,” “Analyze coupling between our packages.”
• With DDD lens: “Group components into domains and check bounded contexts,” “Use DDD strategic design on this codebase before we group services.”

If the user only wants extraction order, phases, or migration roadmap after analysis exists, use decomposition-planning-roadmap instead. If they need a full legacy migration plan (strangler fig, research, multi-stack), use legacy-migration-planner as well or instead of this skill when that is the primary ask.

How the agent should run it

1. Scope: Confirm the task is structural analysis (inventory → coupling → grouping), not roadmap authoring. If unclear, ask once whether they want the full ordered pipeline or a subset.
2. Order: Run patterns 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 in that order. Do not skip a step unless the user explicitly limits scope; if they do, state which patterns were skipped and how that limits later conclusions.
3. Load references: For each pattern, open the matching references/pattern-NN-*.md file and follow its instructions. Use the optional *-quick-reference.md for the same number when a short checklist is enough.
4. Carry context forward: Reuse outputs from earlier patterns in later ones (e.g. component inventory from Pattern 1 informs coupling in 4 and grouping in 5). Reference concrete paths, modules, or tables from previous steps.
5. Domain language (Pattern 5): If subdomains or bounded contexts need grounding beyond structure, read references/domain-analysis.md before or alongside Pattern 5. Optionally open references/domain-analysis-quick-reference.md or references/domain-analysis-examples.md for condensed rules or illustrations.
6. Deliver: Produce clear, actionable findings per pattern or one consolidated report—always tied to evidence from the repository (files, dependencies, metrics), not generic advice.

Usage examples

Example 1 — Full pipeline

User: "We're going to split this monolith—run the full decomposition analysis (Patterns 1–5)."

Agent: Execute patterns 1→5 in order, loading each references/pattern-NN-*.md, preserving outputs between steps, then summarize cross-cutting recommendations.

Example 2 — Coupling after inventory

User: "We already have a rough module list—focus on coupling (Pattern 4) and then domain grouping (Pattern 5)."

Agent: If no prior inventory exists in the thread, either run Pattern 1 briefly or derive an explicit module list from the repo before 4 and 5. State any assumptions.

Example 3 — DDD before grouping

User: "Map bounded contexts and language, then group components into domains."

Agent: Read references/domain-analysis.md (and optional quick reference/examples) in parallel with or immediately before Pattern 5; align Pattern 5 groupings with linguistic boundaries where evidence supports it.

Prerequisites

• Complete Pattern N before starting Pattern N+1 unless the user explicitly narrows scope. Later patterns depend on earlier results (for example, inventory and structure inform coupling and grouping).
• If business vocabulary, subdomains, or bounded contexts are uncertain, use references/domain-analysis.md before or alongside Pattern 5 (see Bounded contexts below).

Ordered workflow (Patterns 1–5)

Step	Pattern	Primary reference
1	Identify and size components	references/pattern-01-identify-and-size.md (optional: pattern-01-identify-and-size-quick-reference.md)
2	Common domain detection	references/pattern-02-common-domain.md (optional: pattern-02-common-domain-quick-reference.md)
3	Flattening / hierarchy	references/pattern-03-flattening.md (optional: pattern-03-flattening-quick-reference.md)
4	Coupling analysis	references/pattern-04-coupling.md
5	Domain identification and grouping	references/pattern-05-domain-grouping.md (optional: pattern-05-domain-grouping-quick-reference.md)

Pattern 6 — planning and extraction

Pattern 6 (create domain services / extraction) is not duplicated here. After Pattern 5, switch to decomposition-planning-roadmap for phased extraction order, milestones, and migration-style planning. For full legacy migration strategy (strangler-fig, cross-stack rewrites, research-heavy plans), optionally use legacy-migration-planner in addition.

Bounded contexts and DDD strategic design

• Patterns 1–4 focus on structural inventory, duplication, hierarchy, and coupling between parts of the codebase.
• Pattern 5 produces candidate groupings aligned with solution-space boundaries (which components belong together as services).
• Strategic DDD (subdomains, bounded contexts, ubiquitous language) is covered in references/domain-analysis.md, with optional domain-analysis-quick-reference.md and domain-analysis-examples.md. Use it when you need to validate or refine boundaries against business language, not only folder structure.