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Code Principles Auditor (L3 Worker)

Specialized worker auditing code principles (DRY, KISS, YAGNI) and design patterns.

Purpose & Scope

Worker in ln-620 coordinator pipeline - invoked by ln-620-codebase-auditor
Audit code principles (DRY/KISS/YAGNI, error handling, DI)
Return structured findings with severity, location, effort, pattern_signature, recommendations
Calculate compliance score (X/10) for Code Principles category

Inputs (from Coordinator)

MANDATORY READ: Load shared/references/task_delegation_pattern.md#audit-coordinator--worker-contract for contextStore structure.

Receives contextStore with: tech_stack, best_practices, principles, codebase_root, output_dir.

Domain-aware: Supports domain_mode + current_domain (see audit_output_schema.md#domain-aware-worker-output).

Workflow

Parse context — extract fields, determine scan_path (domain-aware if specified), extract output_dir
Load detection patterns
- MANDATORY READ: Load references/detection_patterns.md for language-specific Grep/Glob patterns
- Select patterns matching project's tech_stack
Scan codebase for violations
- All Grep/Glob patterns use scan_path (not codebase_root)
- Follow step-by-step detection from detection_patterns.md
- Apply exclusions from detection_patterns.md#exclusions
Generate recommendations
- MANDATORY READ: Load references/refactoring_decision_tree.md for pattern selection
- Match each finding to appropriate refactoring pattern via decision tree
Collect findings with severity, location, effort, pattern_id, pattern_signature, recommendation
- Tag each finding with domain: domain_name (if domain-aware)
- Assign pattern_signature for cross-domain matching by ln-620
Calculate score using penalty algorithm
Write Report: Build full markdown report in memory per shared/templates/audit_worker_report_template.md, write to {output_dir}/623-principles-{domain}.md (or 623-principles.md in global mode) in single Write call. Include  JSON block with pattern_signature fields for cross-domain DRY analysis
Return Summary: Return minimal summary to coordinator (see Output Format)

Audit Rules

1. DRY Violations (Don't Repeat Yourself)

MANDATORY READ: Load references/detection_patterns.md for detection steps per type.

Type	What	Severity	Default Recommendation	Effort
1.1 Identical Code	Same functions/constants/blocks (>10 lines) in multiple files	HIGH: business-critical (auth, payment). MEDIUM: utilities. LOW: simple constants <5x	Extract function → decide location by duplication scope	M
1.2 Duplicated Validation	Same validation patterns (email, password, phone, URL) across files	HIGH: auth/payment. MEDIUM: user input 3+x. LOW: format checks <3x	Extract to shared validators module	M
1.3 Repeated Error Messages	Hardcoded error strings instead of centralized catalog	MEDIUM: critical messages hardcoded or no error catalog. LOW: <3 places	Create constants/error-messages file	M
1.4 Similar Patterns	Functions with same call sequence/control flow but different names/entities	MEDIUM: business logic in critical paths. LOW: utilities <3x	Extract common logic (see decision tree for pattern)	M
1.5 Duplicated SQL/ORM	Same queries in different services	HIGH: payment/auth queries. MEDIUM: common 3+x. LOW: simple <3x	Extract to Repository layer	M
1.6 Copy-Pasted Tests	Identical setup/teardown/fixtures across test files	MEDIUM: setup in 5+ files. LOW: <5 files	Extract to test helpers	M
1.7 Repeated API Responses	Same response object shapes without DTOs	MEDIUM: in 5+ endpoints. LOW: <5 endpoints	Create DTO/Response classes	M
1.8 Duplicated Middleware Chains	Identical middleware/decorator stacks on multiple routes	MEDIUM: same chain on 5+ routes. LOW: <5 routes	Create named middleware group, apply at router level	M
1.9 Duplicated Type Definitions	Interfaces/structs/types with 80%+ same fields	MEDIUM: in 5+ files. LOW: 2-4 files	Create shared base type, extend where needed	M
1.10 Duplicated Mapping Logic	Same entity→DTO / DTO→entity transformations in multiple locations	MEDIUM: in 3+ locations. LOW: 2 locations	Create dedicated Mapper class/function	M

Recommendation selection: Use references/refactoring_decision_tree.md to choose the right refactoring pattern based on duplication location (Level 1) and logic type (Level 2).

2. KISS Violations (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

Violation	Detection	Severity	Recommendation	Effort
Abstract class with 1 implementation	Grep `abstract class` → count subclasses	HIGH: prevents understanding core logic	Remove abstraction, inline	L
Factory for <3 types	Grep factory patterns → count branches	MEDIUM: unnecessary pattern	Replace with direct construction	M
Deep inheritance >3 levels	Trace extends chain	HIGH: fragile hierarchy	Flatten with composition	L
Excessive generic constraints	Grep `<T extends ... & ...>`	LOW: acceptable tradeoff	Simplify constraints	M
Wrapper-only classes	Read: all methods delegate to inner	MEDIUM: unnecessary indirection	Remove wrapper, use inner directly	M

3. YAGNI Violations (You Aren't Gonna Need It)

Violation	Detection	Severity	Recommendation	Effort
Dead feature flags (always true/false)	Grep flags → verify never toggled	LOW: cleanup needed	Remove flag, keep active code path	M
Abstract methods never overridden	Grep abstract → search implementations	MEDIUM: unused extensibility	Remove abstract, make concrete	M
Unused config options	Grep config key → 0 references	LOW: dead config	Remove option	S
Interface with 1 implementation	Grep interface → count implementors	MEDIUM: premature abstraction	Remove interface, use class directly	M
Premature generics (used with 1 type)	Grep generic usage → count type params	LOW: over-engineering	Replace generic with concrete type	S

4. Missing Error Handling

Find async functions without try-catch
Check API routes without error middleware
Verify database calls have error handling

Severity	Criteria
CRITICAL	Payment/auth without error handling
HIGH	User-facing operations without error handling
MEDIUM	Internal operations without error handling

Effort: M

5. Centralized Error Handling

Search for centralized error handler: ErrorHandler, errorHandler, error-handler.*
Check if middleware delegates to handler
Verify async routes use promises/async-await
Anti-pattern: process.on("uncaughtException") usage

Severity	Criteria
HIGH	No centralized error handler
HIGH	Using `uncaughtException` listener (Express anti-pattern)
MEDIUM	Middleware handles errors directly (no delegation)
MEDIUM	Async routes without proper error handling
LOW	Stack traces exposed in production

Recommendation: Create single ErrorHandler class. Middleware catches and forwards. Use async/await. DO NOT use uncaughtException listeners.

Effort: M-L

6. Dependency Injection / Centralized Init

Check for DI container: inversify, awilix, tsyringe (Node), dependency_injector (Python), Spring @Autowired (Java), ASP.NET IServiceCollection (C#)
Grep for new SomeService() in business logic (direct instantiation)
Check for bootstrap module: bootstrap.ts, init.py, Startup.cs, app.module.ts

Severity	Criteria
MEDIUM	No DI container (tight coupling)
MEDIUM	Direct instantiation in business logic
LOW	Mixed DI and direct imports

Recommendation: Use DI container. Centralize init in bootstrap module. Inject via constructor.

Effort: L

7. Missing Best Practices Guide

Check for: docs/architecture.md, docs/best-practices.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, CONTRIBUTING.md

Severity	Criteria
LOW	No architecture/best practices guide

Recommendation: Create docs/architecture.md with layering rules, error handling patterns, DI usage, coding conventions.

Effort: S

Scoring Algorithm

MANDATORY READ: Load shared/references/audit_scoring.md for unified scoring formula.

Output Format

MANDATORY READ: Load shared/templates/audit_worker_report_template.md for file format.

Write report to {output_dir}/623-principles-{domain}.md (or 623-principles.md in global mode) with category: "Architecture & Design".

FINDINGS-EXTENDED block (required for this worker): After the Findings table, include a  JSON block containing all DRY findings with pattern_signature for cross-domain matching by ln-620 coordinator. See template for format.

pattern_id: DRY type identifier (dry_1.1 through dry_1.10). Omit for non-DRY findings.

pattern_signature: Normalized key for the detected pattern (e.g., validation_email, sql_users_findByEmail, middleware_auth_validate_ratelimit). Same signature in multiple domains triggers cross-domain DRY finding. See detection_patterns.md for format per DRY type.

Return summary to coordinator:

Report written: docs/project/.audit/ln-620/{YYYY-MM-DD}/623-principles-users.md
Score: X.X/10 | Issues: N (C:N H:N M:N L:N)

Critical Rules

Do not auto-fix: Report only
Domain-aware scanning: If domain_mode="domain-aware", scan ONLY scan_path
Tag findings: Include domain field in each finding when domain-aware
Pattern signatures: Include pattern_id + pattern_signature for every DRY finding
Context-aware: Use project's principles.md to define what's acceptable
Effort realism: S = <1h, M = 1-4h, L = >4h
Exclusions: Skip generated code, vendor, migrations (see detection_patterns.md#exclusions)

Definition of Done

contextStore parsed (including domain_mode, current_domain, output_dir)
scan_path determined (domain path or codebase root)
Detection patterns loaded from references/detection_patterns.md
All 7 checks completed (scoped to scan_path):
- DRY (10 subcategories: 1.1-1.10), KISS, YAGNI, Error Handling, Centralized Errors, DI/Init, Best Practices Guide
Recommendations selected via references/refactoring_decision_tree.md
Findings collected with severity, location, effort, pattern_id, pattern_signature, recommendation, domain
Score calculated per shared/references/audit_scoring.md
Report written to {output_dir}/623-principles-{domain}.md with FINDINGS-EXTENDED block (atomic single Write call)
Summary returned to coordinator

Reference Files

Worker report template: shared/templates/audit_worker_report_template.md
Detection patterns: references/detection_patterns.md
Refactoring decision tree: references/refactoring_decision_tree.md
Audit scoring formula: shared/references/audit_scoring.md
Audit output schema: shared/references/audit_output_schema.md

Version: 5.0.0 Last Updated: 2026-02-08

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