Why You Need AI Code Validation

AI coding assistants are powerful, but they don't understand your project's architecture.

Real Problems Developers Face

❌ AI violates layer boundaries

Your AI assistant imports database.ts directly into your UI component, bypassing your service layer.

Example:

// src/components/UserProfile.tsx
import { db } from '../../infrastructure/database'; // ❌ VIOLATION

// Should use:
import { UserService } from '../../services/user-service'; // ✅ CORRECT

❌ AI duplicates logic across modules

The AI recreates authentication logic in 3 different places instead of using your existing AuthService.

❌ AI modifies protected code

The AI "helpfully" refactors your critical payment processing logic without understanding the implications.

Example:

// src/payments/stripe.ts
// #protected-start
export async function processPayment(amount: number) {
  // Critical payment logic - DO NOT MODIFY
  // This has been audited and tested
}
// #protected-end

❌ AI adds banned dependencies

The AI suggests moment.js when your team has standardized on date-fns.

Why Existing Tools Aren't Enough

• ESLint: Catches syntax and style issues, not architectural violations
• TypeScript: Enforces types, not module boundaries
• Tests: Validate behavior, not structure
• Code Review: Happens too late, after AI has already written the code

Intent Guard validates BEFORE the code reaches your codebase.

The Cost of Architectural Violations

Technical Debt

• Circular dependencies make refactoring impossible
• Tight coupling prevents testing
• Mixed concerns create maintenance nightmares

Security Risks

• UI code accessing database directly bypasses security layers
• Protected authentication logic gets modified
• Secrets leak into wrong modules

Team Productivity

• Code reviews become battles about architecture
• New developers don't understand the "rules"
• AI assistants keep making the same mistakes

How Intent Guard Solves This

1. Preventive Validation

Catches violations before they enter your codebase, not during code review.

2. AI-Native Design

Designed specifically for AI-generated code. The AI can query rules and self-correct.

3. Just-In-Time Context

AI assistants can ask "What can this file import?" before generating code.

npx intent-guard rules-for src/domain/user.ts
# Returns: { "canImportFrom": [], "isProtected": false }

4. Self-Correcting Loop

AI generates code → Intent Guard validates → AI sees errors → AI fixes → Repeat until ✅

5. Architectural Memory

Tracks your architecture health over time. Detects drift automatically.

# First run
✅ No violations found!

# Later...
🚨 ARCHITECTURAL DRIFT DETECTED
Errors increased from 0 to 3

Real-World Impact

Before Intent Guard

• 🔴 AI imports database in React components
• 🔴 Protected payment logic gets refactored
• 🔴 Deprecated packages keep appearing
• 🔴 Architecture rules exist only in documentation

After Intent Guard

• ✅ Layer boundaries enforced automatically
• ✅ Critical code protected from modification
• ✅ Banned dependencies blocked
• ✅ Architecture rules are executable code

Who Benefits Most

Teams Using AI Assistants

If your team uses Cursor, Copilot, or Windsurf, Intent Guard prevents AI from breaking your architecture.

Projects with Clear Architecture

Clean Architecture, Hexagonal Architecture, Layered Architecture - Intent Guard enforces your chosen pattern.

Growing Codebases

As your project grows, manual architecture enforcement becomes impossible. Intent Guard scales with you.

Regulated Industries

FinTech, HealthTech, and other regulated industries need to protect critical code. Intent Guard provides automated enforcement.