I built a tool that turns any GitHub repo into an interactive architecture map

Andy — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 14:05:18 +0000

The problem

We've all been there. You join a new team, clone the repo, and stare at 500+ files wondering: where do I even start?

You open a service file. It imports from 3 other modules. Those modules import from 5 more. Twenty minutes later, you're 12 files deep and you've already forgotten where you started.

I spent years doing this manually — drawing architecture diagrams on whiteboards that were outdated by the next sprint. So I built something to fix it.

What is ReposLens?

ReposLens takes a GitHub repository and generates an interactive dependency graph of its architecture. Services, databases, queues, gateways — all mapped as nodes and edges you can click, drag, and explore.

But it goes beyond visualization:

🔍 8 Architecture Detection Rules

The engine analyzes your graph and detects real problems:

Circular dependencies — A depends on B, B depends on A
Layer violations — your database layer depending on your frontend
Diamond dependencie — two modules sharing a transitive dependency
Deep chains — call chains 5+ levels deep that increase latency and fragility
Hub nodes — one component concentrating 40%+ of all connections
And 3 more rules covering coupling, orphan nodes, and gateway overload

🎯 Priority Scoring (1-100)

Not all issues are equal. Each recommendation gets a priority score combining severity, magnitude, and graph size. Red badge (≥70) = fix now. Amber (≥40) = plan it. Gray (<40) = nice to have.

💡 Full Explanations

Click "Explain" on any recommendation and get 5 sections:

Why it matters — the architectural principle
Impact — what happens if you ignore it
How to fix — step-by-step refactoring guide
Recommended pattern — Gateway, Observer, DIP, etc.
Before / After — concrete diagram of the fix

📋 Export to GitHub Issues

One click copies the recommendation as a formatted markdown issue. Paste it directly in your repo's issue tracker. Analysis → Action in 2 seconds.

The stack

For the curious:

Layer	Tech
Frontend	Next.js, TypeScript, ReactFlow
Backend	NestJS, Prisma, PostgreSQL
Hosting	Vercel (frontend) + Railway (API + DB)
Payments	Stripe
i18n	French + English

Why I built it

I'm a solo developer. I've worked on projects where understanding the existing architecture took longer than building the new feature. Every team I've been on had the same problem: **no one had a clear picture of the system.

Tools like SonarQube give you code quality metrics. dep-cruiser gives you dependency lists. But none of them show you the architecture in a way that's instantly understandable.

ReposLens is visual-first. You see the problem, you click it, you understand it, you export it as an issue. That's the loop.

Try it

🔗 www.reposlens.com

Free tier: 2 projects, public repos, basic analysis.
Pro ($19/mo): 8 rules, full explanations, export to GitHub Issues, private repos.

I'd love to hear your feedback. What would make this more useful for your workflow?

DEV Community: Andy

I built a tool that turns any GitHub repo into an interactive architecture map