claude-flow-depth

🎯 DEPTH Methodology Installer for Claude Code

An npm package that initializes new projects with the DEPTH (Design-Twice, Eliminate complexity, Pull complexity down, Trade-off documentation, Hide implementation) methodology - an Ousterhout-first development approach.

🚀 Quick Start

Global Installation

npm install -g claude-flow-depth@alpha

Initialize New Project

# Interactive setup
npx claude-flow-depth@alpha init my-project

# Quick setup with defaults
npx claude-flow-depth@alpha init my-project --yes

# Force overwrite existing directory
npx claude-flow-depth@alpha init my-project --force

# With MCP integration
npx claude-flow-depth@alpha init my-project \
  --frontend-mcp https://your-project.supabase.co/functions/v1/frontend-mcp \
  --backend-mcp https://your-project.supabase.co/functions/v1/backend-mcp \
  --api-key your-supabase-key

Test MCP Connections

npx claude-flow-depth@alpha test-mcp \
  --frontend https://your-project.supabase.co/functions/v1/frontend-mcp \
  --backend https://your-project.supabase.co/functions/v1/backend-mcp \
  --api-key your-api-key

🎯 What Gets Installed

Project Structure

my-project/
├── .depth                    # Global DEPTH configuration
├── .depthmodes              # Phase-specific settings
├── .claude/
│   ├── commands/depth/      # DEPTH methodology commands
│   └── settings.json        # Claude Code + MCP configuration
├── depth-sessions/          # Session history
├── depth-reports/           # Generated reports
├── depth-memory/            # Persistent memory
├── examples/                # Sample DEPTH workflows
├── docs/                    # Methodology guides
├── CLAUDE.md               # Project overview
└── package.json            # Pre-configured scripts

DEPTH Commands Available

/depth orchestrator "Build feature"        # Complete methodology
/depth design-twice "Create API"           # Design alternatives  
/depth interface-simplify "Optimize API"   # Interface optimization
/depth complexity-allocate "Design modules" # Complexity distribution
/depth strategic-invest "Plan improvements" # Strategic planning
/depth implementation-hide "Generate code"  # Code generation

Quality Gates Enforced

• ✅ Module Depth Ratio > 0.6 (deep modules)
• ✅ Interface Complexity < 0.4 (simple interfaces)
• ✅ Strategic Investment 10-20% (Ousterhout's rule)
• ✅ Information Hiding > 80% (encapsulation)

🔧 CLI Options

init Command

npx claude-flow-depth init [directory] [options]

Options:
  -f, --force                 Force overwrite existing directory
  -y, --yes                   Skip prompts, use defaults
  --frontend-mcp <url>        Frontend MCP URL
  --backend-mcp <url>         Backend MCP URL  
  --api-key <key>            Supabase API key

test-mcp Command

npx claude-flow-depth test-mcp [options]

Options:
  --frontend <url>           Frontend MCP URL to test
  --backend <url>            Backend MCP URL to test
  --api-key <key>           API key for authentication

🎓 DEPTH Methodology

What is DEPTH?

Design-Twice • Eliminate complexity • Pull complexity down • Trade-off documentation • Hide implementation

DEPTH follows John Ousterhout's principles from "A Philosophy of Software Design" to create maintainable, scalable software.

Methodology Phases

1. Design-Twice: Create two design alternatives, choose the superior approach
2. Interface-Simplification: Minimize cognitive load while maintaining functionality
3. Complexity-Allocation: Push complexity into modules, away from interfaces
4. Strategic-Investment: Enforce 10-20% time on long-term improvements
5. Implementation-Hiding: Generate well-commented code with maximum encapsulation

vs Other Methodologies

• SPARC: Context-first, rapid iteration, pattern-based
• DEPTH: Design-first, strategic thinking, principle-based
• Agile: Sprint-focused, adaptive, team-based

🔗 MCP Integration

DEPTH automatically integrates with:

• Frontend MCP: Pattern recommendations, best practices
• Backend MCP: Architecture guidance, system design
• Claude Flow Swarm: Parallel execution, coordination

Pre-configured MCP Endpoints

The installer comes pre-configured with working MCP endpoints:

Frontend: https://plwgqygbzreiogubsaui.supabase.co/functions/v1/frontend-mcp
Backend:  https://plwgqygbzreiogubsaui.supabase.co/functions/v1/backend-mcp

📊 Session Tracking

DEPTH automatically tracks:

• Quality Metrics: Module depth, interface complexity, strategic investment
• Phase Progress: Completion status, quality gate validation
• Decisions: Design choices and rationale documentation
• Reports: Comprehensive session summaries

🤝 Development

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/your-username/claude-flow-depth.git
cd claude-flow-depth
npm install
npm run build
npm link

Test Locally

npm run dev init test-project --yes

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🌟 Examples

Initialize Todo App with DEPTH

npx claude-flow-depth@alpha init todo-app-depth --yes
cd todo-app-depth
# Open in Claude Code
/depth orchestrator "Build todo application with CRUD operations"

Initialize E-commerce API

npx claude-flow-depth@alpha init ecommerce-api \
  --frontend-mcp https://your-project.supabase.co/functions/v1/frontend-mcp \
  --backend-mcp https://your-project.supabase.co/functions/v1/backend-mcp
cd ecommerce-api
/depth design-twice "Design product catalog API"

Built with ❤️ using the DEPTH Methodology
Ousterhout-first development for Claude Code