c4-reverse-engineer

C4 architecture diagrams are generated by inferring context, container, and component structures directly from the codebase. This produces behavioral specifications and visual documentation without requiring any source code modifications.

Reverse-engineering code into C4 diagrams is the process of analyzing a codebase to extract its system architecture. It identifies system behavior and maps it into Context, Container, and Component views for onboarding and documentation.

Yes, you can create architecture documentation without modifying source code by inferring the architecture from the existing codebase. This generates behavioral specifications and C4 diagrams describing what the system does rather than how it is coded.

To validate inferred architecture diagrams against code evidence, use a deterministic, phase-based workflow with pre-fetch and validation templates. This enforces consistency between the generated C4 diagrams and the actual source code structure.

Yes, C4 reverse-engineering is applicable to codebases of varying sizes. It enforces a structured workflow using subagents to process the codebase, ensuring accurate context, container, and component diagrams regardless of scale.