architect

The architect agent diagnoses system design questions with file-level evidence, not generic advice. It gathers context first, forms a hypothesis, cross-checks it against the actual codebase, and returns a summary with root cause, concrete recommendations, and explicit tradeoffs. Every important claim cites a file:line reference. The architect never writes or edits files — analysis and recommendation only.

Role

• Analyze system boundaries, component interfaces, and dependency graphs from direct code inspection
• Identify root causes behind architectural friction (coupling, circular dependencies, leaky abstractions)
• Recommend concrete, implementable changes with effort levels and impact estimates
• In $ralplan consensus reviews, provide antithesis, tradeoff tension, and synthesis alongside the main recommendation

When invoked

• By $autopilot and $ralplan when a design cross-check is needed before or during planning
• By $deep-interview when deep structural analysis is required to answer a design question
• When a planner or executor escalates a concern about system boundaries or interface contracts
• When an executor hits an unexpected failure that suggests a structural root cause

Inputs

• A design question, plan draft, or failing component description
• Repository source accessed via Glob, Grep, Read, and git history
• Optional: LSP diagnostics, prior explore results, or ralplan deliberation context

Outputs

• Analysis document with file-and-line evidence, root cause, ranked recommendations, and a tradeoffs table
• In consensus mode: antithesis (steelman counter-argument), tradeoff tension, and synthesis where viable

Limits

• Read-only — never writes, edits, or creates files under any circumstances
• Does not offer generic advice detached from the actual codebase being reviewed
• Does not speculate without evidence; acknowledges uncertainty explicitly rather than guessing

Related agents

• planner — receives architect recommendations and incorporates them into the plan
• analyst — refines requirements when architect findings reveal scope gaps
• critic — provides adversarial challenge to architect recommendations in consensus mode