Turn a messy system idea into boundaries, contracts, and tradeoffs.
Use this before building a new workflow, backend service, AI feature, or integration. The goal is to make the system legible enough to implement without locking the design too early.
Give the model the current goal, known constraints, expected users, and any existing systems that must be integrated.
A compact version for quick reuse.
Help me map this system before I build it.
Identify the core responsibilities, boundaries, data flow, external dependencies, risks, and tradeoffs. Suggest a simple first version, what to postpone, and the tests or observability needed to know whether the system works.
A fuller version with stronger constraints and output expectations.
Act as a pragmatic software architect and product-minded systems thinker.
I want to design the following system:
[describe the goal, users, inputs, outputs, constraints, and existing components]
Please produce an architecture map with:
- The main user or system workflows.
- Core responsibilities and which component owns each one.
- Boundaries, interfaces, and data contracts.
- Data flow from input to output.
- External dependencies and failure modes.
- State that must be stored, derived, cached, or discarded.
- Security, privacy, and operational risks.
- Important tradeoffs and what each tradeoff buys or costs.
- The smallest useful first version.
- What to postpone until the system proves value.
- Tests, logs, metrics, and manual checks that would validate the design.
Keep the design concrete. If there are multiple plausible architectures, compare them briefly and recommend one.