architecture

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SKILL.md

Architecture Skill

Determine correct file placement and structure for an Electron multi-process project.

Detailed References


Decision Tree — Where Does New Code Go?

Is it UI (React components, hooks, pages)?
  └── YES → src/renderer/              → see references/renderer.md

Is it an IPC handler responding to renderer calls?
  └── YES → src/process/bridge/        → see references/process.md

Is it business logic running in the main process?
  └── YES → src/process/services/      → see references/process.md

Is it an AI platform connection (API client, message protocol)?
  └── YES → src/process/agent/<platform>/

Is it a background task that runs in a worker thread?
  └── YES → src/process/worker/

Is it used by BOTH main and renderer processes?
  └── YES → src/common/

Is it an HTTP/WebSocket endpoint?
  └── YES → src/process/webserver/

Is it a plugin/extension resolver or loader?
  └── YES → src/process/extensions/

Is it a messaging channel (Lark, DingTalk, Telegram)?
  └── YES → src/process/channels/

Process Boundary Rules

Hard rules — violating them causes runtime crashes.

Process Can use Cannot use
Main (src/process/) Node.js, Electron main APIs, fs, path, child_process DOM APIs (document, window, React)
Renderer (src/renderer/) DOM APIs, React, browser APIs Node.js APIs (fs, path), Electron main APIs
Worker (src/process/worker/) Node.js APIs DOM APIs, Electron APIs
Preload (src/preload.ts) contextBridge, ipcRenderer DOM manipulation, Node.js fs

Cross-process communication:

  • Main ↔ Renderer: IPC via src/preload.ts + src/process/bridge/*.ts
  • Main ↔ Worker: fork protocol via src/process/worker/WorkerProtocol.ts
// NEVER in renderer
import { something } from '@process/services/foo'; // crashes at runtime

// Use IPC instead
const result = await window.api.someMethod(); // goes through preload

Naming Conventions

Directories

Scope Convention Reason
Renderer component/module dirs PascalCase React convention — dir name = component name
Everything else lowercase Node.js convention
Categorical dirs (everywhere) lowercase components/, hooks/, utils/, services/
Platform dirs (everywhere) lowercase acp/, codex/, gemini/ — cross-process consistency

Quick test: "Inside src/renderer/ AND represents a specific component/feature (not a category)?" → PascalCase. Otherwise → lowercase.

Files

Content Convention Examples
React components, classes PascalCase SettingsModal.tsx, CronService.ts
Hooks camelCase with use prefix useTheme.ts, useCronJobs.ts
Utilities, helpers camelCase formatDate.ts, cronUtils.ts
Entry points index.ts / index.tsx Required for directory-based modules
Config, types, constants camelCase types.ts, constants.ts
Styles kebab-case or Name.module.css chat-layout.css

Structural Rules

  1. Directory size limit: Max 10 direct children. Split into subdirectories by responsibility when approaching.
  2. No single-file directories: Merge into parent or related directory.
  3. Single file vs directory: If a component needs a private sub-component or hook, convert to a directory with index.tsx.
  4. Page-private first: Start code in pages/<PageName>/. Promote to shared only when a second consumer appears.

Test File Mapping

Tests mirror source files in tests/ subdirectories:

Source Test
src/process/services/CronService.ts tests/unit/cronService.test.ts
src/renderer/hooks/ui/useAutoScroll.ts tests/unit/useAutoScroll.dom.test.ts
src/process/extensions/ExtensionLoader.ts tests/unit/extensions/extensionLoader.test.ts

When tests/unit/ exceeds 10 direct children, group into subdirectories matching source structure.


Quick Checklist

  • Code is in the correct process directory (no cross-process imports)
  • Renderer code does not use Node.js APIs
  • Main process code does not use DOM APIs
  • New IPC channels are bridged through preload.ts
  • Renderer component/module dirs use PascalCase; categorical dirs use lowercase
  • Platform dirs use lowercase everywhere
  • Directory-based modules have index.tsx / index.ts entry point
  • Page-private code is under pages/<PageName>/, not in shared dirs
  • No single-file directories
  • No directory exceeds 10 direct children
  • New source files are auto-included in coverage — verify they are not accidentally excluded in vitest.config.tscoverage.exclude
  • New services separate pure logic from IO
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