/nw-design

name: nw-design
description: "Designs system architecture with C4 diagrams and technology selection. Routes to the right architect based on design scope (system, domain, application, or full stack). Two interaction modes: guide (collaborative Q&A) or propose (architect presents options with trade-offs)."
user-invocable: true
argument-hint: '[component-name] - Optional: --residuality --paradigm=[auto|oop|fp]'

NW-DESIGN: Architecture Design

**Wave**: DESIGN (wave 3 of 6) | **Agents**: Morgan (nw-solution-architect), nw-system-designer, nw-ddd-architect | **Command**: `*design-architecture`

Overview

Execute DESIGN wave through discovery-driven architecture design. The command starts with two interactive decisions:

1. **Design Scope** — routes to the right architect: system-level (@nw-system-designer), domain-level (@nw-ddd-architect), application-level (@nw-solution-architect), or full stack (all three in sequence). 2. **Interaction Mode** — guide (architect asks questions, you decide together) or propose (architect reads requirements, presents 2-3 options with trade-offs).

All architects write to `docs/product/architecture/brief.md` (SSOT), each in its own section. Analyzes existing codebase, evaluates open-source alternatives, produces C4 diagrams (Mermaid) as mandatory output.

Output Tiers (per D2)

Provenance: feature `lean-wave-documentation` — D2 (schema-typed sections), D10 (one-line expansion descriptions). Tier-1 [REF] sections (always emitted) + Tier-2 EXPANSION CATALOG items (lazy, on-demand) are the two output bands. Full contract: `nWave/skills/nw-density-resolution-contract/SKILL.md`.

Tier-1 [REF] — always emitted

Under `## Wave: DESIGN / [REF] <Section>` headings:

• DDD list — D-numbered design decisions with verdicts and one-line rationale
• Component decomposition — table of components with paths and change types
• Driving ports — inbound surfaces (CLI, skill, HTTP) named per the C4 contract
• Driven ports + adapters — outbound side-effects with adapter mapping
• Technology choices — pinned languages/frameworks/runtime versions
• Decisions table — DDD-N row per locked decision (no rationale prose)
• Reuse Analysis table — every overlapping component classified EXTEND or CREATE NEW
• Open questions — items deliberately deferred to DISTILL/DELIVER

Tier-2 EXPANSION CATALOG — lazy, on-demand (per D10)

Rendered under `## Wave: DESIGN / [WHY|HOW] <Section>` only when requested via `--expand <id>` (DDD-2), the wave-end menu (`expansion_prompt = "ask"`), `mode = "full"` auto-expansion, or an ad-hoc user request mid-session.

| Expansion ID | Tier label | One-line description | |---|---|---| | `trade-off-analysis` | [WHY] | Quality-attribute trade-off matrix with prioritization rationale | | `rejected-alternatives` | [WHY] | Architectures weighed and rejected with one-paragraph reason per option | | `c4-narrative` | [HOW] | Long-form C4 walkthrough: System Context → Container → Component prose | | `evolution-scenarios` | [WHY] | Hypothetical future stress vectors and how the design absorbs them | | `paradigm-rationale` | [WHY] | Why FP/OOP was selected; comparison vs the alternative for this domain | | `reuse-analysis-deep-dive` | [WHY] | Per-row justification for every EXTEND vs CREATE NEW decision in the Reuse table | | `c4-component-diagrams` | [HOW] | Component-level C4 diagrams for complex subsystems (Mermaid) | | `expansion-catalog-rationale` | [WHY] | Why this set of expansions, why these defaults, why D10 enforces one-line descriptions |

Density resolution (per D12)

Call `resolve_density(global_config)` from `scripts/shared/density_config.py` after reading `~/.nwave/global-config.json` (missing/malformed = empty dict). Returns `mode` (`"lean"` | `"full"`) + `expansion_prompt` (`"ask"` | `"always-skip"` | `"always-expand"` | `"smart"`) per the D12 cascade (resolver-internal, DDD-5 — do NOT replicate locally). Branch on `density.mode` for what to emit; branch on `density.expansion_prompt` at wave end for menu behaviour. Full cascade detail, branch semantics, ad-hoc override workflow: `nWave/skills/nw-density-resolution-contract/SKILL.md`.

Telemetry (per D4 + DDD-6)

Every expansion choice emits a `DocumentationDensityEvent` (dataclass at `src/des/domain/telemetry/documentation_density_event.py`) via `event.to_audit_event()` → `JsonlAuditLogWriter().log_event(...)`. Schema fields per D4: `feature_id`, `wave`, `expansion_id`, `choice`, `timestamp`. For this wave the schema declares `"wave": "DESIGN"`. Use helper `scripts/shared/telemetry.py:write_density_event(...)` — do NOT write JSONL directly.

Wave-specific signal: DEVOPS/DISTILL consuming a lean DESIGN feature-delta — downstream `--expand` requests for trade-off or evolution scenarios indicate the `[REF]` baseline was insufficient. Full emission rules: `nWave/skills/nw-density-resolution-contract/SKILL.md`.

Prior Wave Consultation

Before beginning DESIGN work, read SSOT and prior wave artifacts in this order:

1. **Read SSOT architecture** (if `docs/product/` exists) — read `docs/product/architecture/brief.md` (extend, not recreate), `docs/product/architecture/adr-*.md` (existing decisions), `docs/product/journeys/{name}.yaml` (journey schema for port identification). Gate: all existing files read or confirmed missing. 2. **Read DISCUSS artifacts** (primary input) — read from `docs/feature/{feature-id}/discuss/`: `wave-decisions.md` (decision summary), `user-stories.md` (scope, requirements, acceptance criteria), `story-map.md` (walking skeleton and release slicing), `outcome-kpis.md` (quality attributes). Gate: all four files read or confirmed missing. 3. **Read SPIKE findings** (if spike was run) — read from `docs/feature/{feature-id}/spike/`: `findings.md` (validated assumptions, performance measurements, what didn't work). This informs your architecture constraints. Gate: file read if present, marked as not found if absent. 4. **Output confirmation checklist** — after re