DDD Boundary Check (Project-Agnostic)

Goal

Prevent architectural erosion by enforcing:

• Bounded Context isolation
• Layered dependency direction
• Domain purity (no infrastructure leakage into domain)
• Contract-first integration across contexts

This skill is project-agnostic: it relies on repository structure + dependency evidence, not on domain-specific rules.

When to use

Run this skill when:

• a PR changes code under /domain, /application, /infrastructure, /api, /services
• new modules/packages are added
• cross-module references appear in the diff
• events/contracts are changed
• persistence/ORM changes touch domain types

Inputs you MUST inspect

• File paths changed in the diff
• Namespaces/modules/packages of changed files
• Imports/usings/references added
• Build module dependency graph (solution/project references or package deps) if available
• Public API surface changes (controllers/endpoints/contracts)

Universal DDD rules (MUST)

1) Dependency Direction (Layering)

Allowed direction (typical):

• API → Application → Domain
• Infrastructure → Application and/or implements Application ports
  Forbidden:
• Domain referencing Infrastructure
• Domain referencing API or delivery mechanisms
• Application depending on concrete infra adapters (must depend on ports/interfaces)

Pass condition: For each changed file, show that new imports/usings do not violate direction.

2) Bounded Context Isolation

• A bounded context must not call another bounded context internals directly.
• Integration must be via:
  • published contracts (events/messages)
  • public APIs (explicit client/SDK)
  • anti-corruption layer (ACL) / adapters

Forbidden indicators:

• direct imports from another context's domain or internal packages
• sharing domain entities/value objects across contexts
• referencing another context's repository/ORM models

Pass condition: Cross-context interactions in the diff occur only through contracts/, integration/, clients/, or explicit ACL modules.

3) Domain Purity

Inside Domain:

• no ORM annotations/attributes
• no HTTP, serialization, database, message-broker libraries
• no logging frameworks as direct dependency (domain can expose domain events; logging is application/infra)
• no time/system IO calls directly (use abstractions)

Pass condition: Domain types changed remain POCO/POJO-like and free of infrastructure concerns.

4) Aggregates & Invariants

• Only aggregate roots enforce invariants and publish domain events.
• External code must not mutate aggregate internals bypassing methods.
• Repositories are per-aggregate root.

Pass condition: Changes that affect entities show invariants enforced in methods, not in controllers/handlers.

5) Transaction Boundaries & Side Effects

• Domain methods are deterministic and side-effect-free (except producing domain events).
• Side effects (IO, broker publish, DB writes, external calls) live in Application/Infrastructure.

Pass condition: Side effects in the diff occur in Application/Infra; Domain exposes intent/events only.

Heuristics for projects without explicit BC folders

If the repo doesn't clearly separate contexts, infer them by:

• top-level modules/packages/projects (e.g., Customer.*, Payment.*)
• folder roots under src/
• solution project boundaries (each service = BC by default)

If still ambiguous, treat each deployable unit (service/app) as a bounded context and enforce isolation between them.

Output required (what you MUST produce)

Provide:

1. A short verdict: PASS / WARN / FAIL
2. Evidence list:
   • files checked
   • new cross-module imports
   • any violations found with file+line references (or best-effort pointers)
3. Fix guidance:
   • what to move where (Domain vs Application vs Infra)
   • suggested ACL/adapters/contracts to introduce
4. If FAIL, propose a minimal refactor plan (3–6 steps)

Common violations and fixes

Violation: Domain depends on ORM

Fix:

• move persistence mapping to Infrastructure
• use separate persistence models if needed
• map Domain ↔ Persistence in adapter

Violation: Context A imports Context B domain entities

Fix:

• define integration contracts (DTO/events) in a shared contracts module
• create ACL adapter in Context A that translates contracts ↔ domain

Violation: Controller mutates entity fields directly

Fix:

• expose behavior methods on aggregate root
• perform orchestration in Application command handler

Minimal acceptance checklist

• No Domain → Infrastructure references introduced
• No cross-context internal imports introduced
• Contracts versioning considered when integration changed
• Side effects kept out of Domain
• Aggregate invariants enforced in domain methods

Quick Mode

For low-context activation, load .enterprise/governance/agent-skills/architecture/ddd-boundary-check/SKILL-QUICK.md or QUICK.md first. Load this full skill for deep analysis, violation fixing, or formal review gates.