First Scan

Once installed, running your first scan is simple.

Run a Basic Scan

Navigate to your project root and run:

npx @archlinter/cli scan

By default, archlint will:

1. Scan all TypeScript and JavaScript files in the current directory.
2. Respect your .gitignore file.
3. Use default rules for all 28+ detectors.
4. Output a colored table summary of the detected smells.

Save a Snapshot

To use the "Ratchet" approach, you first need to capture the current state of your architecture:

npx @archlinter/cli snapshot -o .archlint-baseline.json

This file represents your architectural baseline. You should commit it to your repository.

Check for Regressions

Now, as you develop, you can check if your changes have introduced any new architectural issues:

npx @archlinter/cli diff .archlint-baseline.json

In a CI environment, you would typically compare against the main branch:

npx @archlinter/cli diff origin/main --fail-on medium

What's Next?

• Learn about all Detectors
• Configure .archlint.yaml
• Integrate into CI/CD