Boundary Enforcement with Layered Architecture: Preventing LLM Spaghetti Code

James Phoenix
James Phoenix

Summary

LLMs create spaghetti architectures by violating layer boundaries—routes accessing databases directly, domain logic mixed with infrastructure. ESLint boundary rules automatically enforce layered architecture (presentation → application → domain → infrastructure), catching violations at lint-time and guiding LLMs to respect architectural patterns through immediate feedback.

The Problem

Without enforced boundaries, LLMs leak code between architectural layers—presentation accessing infrastructure directly, domain logic depending on external APIs, business rules scattered across layers. This creates unmaintainable spaghetti code that’s hard to test, debug, and refactor. Traditional code reviews catch this too late; LLMs need real-time feedback during generation.

The Solution

Use ESLint boundary rules (eslint-plugin-boundaries) to automatically enforce layered architecture constraints. Define clear layers (presentation, application, domain, infrastructure) with explicit dependency rules (presentation can use application/domain, application can use domain, domain depends on nothing). Linting fails immediately when LLM violates boundaries, forcing correction and teaching proper architecture through rapid feedback loops.

Leanpub Book

Read The Meta-Engineer

A practical book on building autonomous AI systems with Claude Code, context engineering, verification loops, and production harnesses.

Continuously updated
Claude Code + agentic systems
View Book

Related Concepts

References

Topics
Architecture PatternsBoundary EnforcementClean ArchitectureDddDependency ManagementDomain Driven DesignEslintLayered ArchitectureLlm ConstraintsQuality Gates

Newsletter

Become a better AI engineer

Weekly deep dives on production AI systems, context engineering, and the patterns that compound. No fluff, no tutorials. Just what works.

Join 306K+ developers. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.


More Insights

Cover Image for The Semantic Triangle: Mock Screens, PoC Backend, and Spec File Beat Any One Alone

The Semantic Triangle: Mock Screens, PoC Backend, and Spec File Beat Any One Alone

Three artefacts. Three reduced ambiguities. One projection task instead of three inventions.

James Phoenix
James Phoenix
Cover Image for Contracts Parallelize Agents

Contracts Parallelize Agents

If you’re waiting for Agent A to finish before starting Agent B, you’re wasting time. Define the contract between them and dispatch both now.

James Phoenix
James Phoenix