Legacy System Archaeologist

What it does

The Legacy System Archaeologist is a specialized toolkit for developers who have inherited "black box" codebases. It performs deep structural analysis to reconstruct system architecture, map dependencies, and identify high-risk modules before you write a single line of code.

Why use this skill

Modernizing legacy systems is dangerous because the "why" and "how" are often lost to time. While a standard AI might give you generic refactoring advice, this skill uses a rigorous 6-phase protocol—Inventory, Dependency Mapping, Risk Scoring, Dead Code Analysis, Architecture Reconstruction, and Strategy Reporting—to provide evidence-based insights.

It goes beyond simple prompting by using dedicated scripts to calculate "fan-in" (coupling), git churn (instability), and risk classifications. You get a professional-grade audit that identifies "Black Zone" files (like auth or payments) that no agent or human should touch without characterization tests.

Supported tools

• Languages: Multi-framework support (Rails, Laravel, Django, Node, Spring, .NET)
• Analysis Scripts: Python-based dependency graphers and risk scorers
• Context: Git history analysis and static code analysis

The Result

You receive a structured documentation suite including an Executive Summary for stakeholders, a full System Map, a file-level Risk Register, and a phased Migration Plan based on the Strangler Fig pattern.