Architecture intelligence for AI coding tools — provides code analysis, business process detection, impact analysis, and architecture insights via MCP protocol
ArchLens MCP exposes 3 read-only tools with reasonable naming (verb_noun pattern) and descriptions (120-180 chars, within baseline 194 avg). However, input schemas lack critical detail: parameter descriptions are present but sparse, no enum constraints are enforced for 'detail_level' and 'direction' (only documented in description text, not schema), and output schemas are completely undocumented. The 'process_name' parameter is optional but lacks guidance on discovery. Error handling and recovery paths are absent. Composition is sound (each tool has one responsibility), but schema completeness and LLM-actionable error guidance are missing.
Get the full system architecture overview: modules, layers, statistics, tech stack. Use this to understand how the codebase is structured.
Analyze the impact of changing a symbol, file, or module. Shows what depends on it and what might break. Use BEFORE making changes.
Get detailed business process information: how the system works, algorithms, data sources, processing pipeline. Use this to understand WHAT the code does, not just HOW it's structured.
Output schemas completely undocumented. LLMs cannot plan downstream operations or extract fields without guessing structure. All 3 tools lack return type documentation.
Enum constraints ('detail_level': [summary, full], 'direction': [upstream, downstream, both]) are documented in descriptions but not enforced in JSON Schema. LLMs cannot reliably select valid options without parsing text.
No error handling or recovery guidance. If 'process_name' is invalid or 'target' symbol not found, no guidance on what to do next (e.g., 'call archlens_process to list available processes').
Parameter 'process_name' is optional but lacks discovery guidance. Description should state: 'Omit to list all available processes' or link to archlens_process discovery.
| Scored | Grade | Overall | Spec posture | Rubric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-23 | C | 61 | 2026-07-28+ | v2 |
No pagination or result limits documented. If 'archlens_architecture' returns large module lists or 'archlens_impact' returns hundreds of dependents, no guidance on truncation or pagination.