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aijo24/ralph-architecture-sweep

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

13JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

A Claude Code skill that scans a codebase for architecture problems and turns verified findings into ready-to-use GitHub issues.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((ralph-architecture-sweep))
    What it does
      Architecture scan
      Generates issues
      Evidence verification
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Claude Code
    Use cases
      Find shallow modules
      Scan a subsystem
      Verify findings
    Audience
      Developers

Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Scan a codebase for shallow modules and scattered logic, then get ready-to-use GitHub issues.

USE CASE 2

Run an automated architecture review on a specific folder instead of the whole codebase.

USE CASE 3

Verify architecture findings with an independent evidence-replay step before acting on them.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptClaude Code

How does it compare?

aijo24/ralph-architecture-sweep09catho/axonabdulrdeveloper/react--tic-tac-toe
Stars131313
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultymoderatemoderateeasy
Complexity2/54/51/5
Audiencedeveloperresearcherdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires both Claude Code and ralph already set up in the target repository.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

This is a plugin (called a "skill") for Claude Code, an AI-powered coding assistant. It adds a command called /ralph-architecture-sweep that scans a codebase and identifies places where the code structure could be improved, then writes those findings as ready-to-use GitHub issues for a developer to review and act on. The skill is built on top of another tool called ralph, which is a loop that drives Claude Code through repeated analysis cycles. Ralph-architecture-sweep directs that loop specifically at architecture quality: it looks for overly shallow modules (code that just passes data along without doing real work), patterns that repeat across many parts of the codebase, and places where related logic is scattered rather than collected into one responsible location. The ideas behind these checks come from John Ousterhout's book on software design, and the skill credits two other open-source projects that first formalized this methodology. When you run the command, it asks you whether to scan the whole codebase or just a specific folder or subsystem. It then creates a separate working copy of your code branched from your main branch, which means it sees the latest shipped changes and will not re-report things you have already fixed. It divides the work into areas and runs one analysis agent per area, with a retry if one fails. After collecting candidates, a separate verification step replays the evidence independently, throwing out anything that does not meet a minimum threshold of supporting evidence. What remains gets written as structured issues under a local .scratch/ folder. Nothing is pushed to GitHub automatically. The developer reviews the generated issues first and decides what to implement. An optional extension phase (documented separately) can chain ralph to start implementing approved issues, but that part requires project-specific configuration and is not included in the base skill. The skill is installed via npx from your project root and picked up automatically by Claude Code. It is MIT-licensed and requires both Claude Code and ralph to already be set up in the target repository.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Run /ralph-architecture-sweep on this repository and show me the generated issues.
Prompt 2
Install the ralph-architecture-sweep skill into my Claude Code project via npx.
Prompt 3
Explain how ralph-architecture-sweep uses John Ousterhout's design principles to find issues.

Frequently asked questions

What is ralph-architecture-sweep?

A Claude Code skill that scans a codebase for architecture problems and turns verified findings into ready-to-use GitHub issues.

What language is ralph-architecture-sweep written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Claude Code.

What license does ralph-architecture-sweep use?

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is ralph-architecture-sweep to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is ralph-architecture-sweep for?

Mainly developer.

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