Diagnose cognitive architecture health — synapse integrity, memory balance, connection density, and drift detection
Diagnose, don't describe. Every metric has a threshold. Every finding has a fix.
| Dimension | What It Measures | Healthy | Warning | Critical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synapse Integrity | % of connections targeting existing files | 100% | 95-99% | <95% |
| Connection Density | Avg connections per skill | 3-6 | 1-2 | 0 |
| Bidirectional Coverage | % of connections with reciprocal entries | >80% | 50-80% | <50% |
| Memory Balance | Ratio of procedural:episodic:declarative | ~1:1:4 | Skewed 3:1 | Missing category |
| Schema Compliance | Skills with valid synapses.json | 100% | 95-99% | <95% |
| Inheritance Consistency | Synapses.json matches catalog labels | 100% | Any mismatch | — |
| Staleness | Skills with outdated content | <5% | 5-15% | >15% |
Parse every synapses.json → extract connections[].target → verify file exists.
Common breakage causes: File renames, folder restructuring, consolidation merges.
Fix pattern: Check consolidation mappings in dream-state-automation.instructions.md for old→new file paths. If not mapped, add the mapping and re-run dream.
orphan = skill with 0 connections (isolated node)
hub = skill with 8+ connections (potential bottleneck)
leaf = skill with 1 connection (normal for specialized skills)
Healthy network: Most skills are leaves (1-3) with a few hubs (meditation, architecture-health, skill-activation). Orphans indicate missing integration.
| Memory Type | File Pattern | Ideal % | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declarative | SKILL.md, copilot-instructions.md | ~60% | Domain knowledge |
| Procedural | .instructions.md | ~25% | Auto-loaded procedures |
| Episodic | .prompt.md | ~15% | Interactive workflows |
Imbalance signals:
| Drift Type | Signal | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Version drift | package.json version ≠ copilot-instructions.md version | Sync via release-preflight |
| Terminology drift | Old terms ("DK files") in active files | Grep + replace |
| Count drift | Hardcoded numbers stale by next session | Replace with references |
| Inheritance drift | Catalog says "master-only" but synapses.json says "inheritable" | Trust synapses.json |
## Architecture Health Report — [date]
### Summary: [HEALTHY | ATTENTION REQUIRED | CRITICAL]
| Dimension | Score | Status |
| --------- | ----- | ------ |
| Synapse Integrity | X/Y valid (Z%) | ✅/⚠️/🔴 |
| Connection Density | avg N.N | ✅/⚠️/🔴 |
| Memory Balance | P:E:D = X:Y:Z | ✅/⚠️/🔴 |
| Schema Compliance | X/Y valid | ✅/⚠️/🔴 |
### Issues Found
1. [Issue] → [Fix]
| System | Role |
|---|---|
| Dream (muscle: brain-qa.ps1) | Automated structural checks — the "X-ray" |
| Architecture Health (this) | Interpretation framework — the "radiologist" |
| Meditation | Consolidation after diagnosis — the "surgery" |
| Self-Actualization | Comprehensive assessment — the "full physical" |
Dream runs the scans. This skill teaches how to read and act on the results.
See synapses.json for connections.