Rules DSL

Define architectural rules in rules.pacta.yml.

Rule Structure

rule:
  id: rule-id
  name: Rule Name
  description: What this rule enforces
  severity: error | warning | info
  target: dependency
  when:
    all:
      - condition1
      - condition2
  action: forbid | allow | require
  message: Violation message
  suggestion: How to fix

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	Unique rule identifier
name	string	Yes	Human-readable name
description	string	No	Detailed description
severity	string	Yes	error, warning, or info
target	string	Yes	What to evaluate (e.g., dependency)
when	object	Yes	Conditions for the rule
action	string	Yes	forbid, allow, or require
message	string	No	Message shown on violation (auto-generated if omitted)
suggestion	string	No	Remediation guidance

Conditions

Layer Conditions

from.layer == domain    # Source is domain layer
to.layer == infra       # Target is infra layer

Combining Conditions

# All conditions must match
when:
  all:
    - from.layer == domain
    - to.layer == infra

# Any condition can match
when:
  any:
    - to.layer == domain
    - to.layer == application

Example: Clean Architecture Rules

# Domain cannot depend on Infrastructure
rule:
  id: no_domain_to_infra
  name: Domain must not depend on Infrastructure
  description: |
    The domain layer contains pure business logic and should not
    depend on technical implementation details.
  severity: error
  target: dependency
  when:
    all:
      - from.layer == domain
      - to.layer == infra
  action: forbid
  message: Domain layer must not depend on Infrastructure layer
  suggestion: Use dependency injection and define interfaces in the domain layer

# Domain cannot depend on Application
rule:
  id: no_domain_to_application
  name: Domain must not depend on Application
  severity: error
  target: dependency
  when:
    all:
      - from.layer == domain
      - to.layer == application
  action: forbid
  message: Domain layer must not depend on Application layer
  suggestion: Move shared logic to the domain layer

# Domain cannot depend on UI
rule:
  id: no_domain_to_ui
  name: Domain must not depend on UI
  severity: error
  target: dependency
  when:
    all:
      - from.layer == domain
      - to.layer == ui
  action: forbid
  message: Domain layer must not depend on UI layer
  suggestion: Keep domain models free from presentation concerns

# UI should not directly access Infrastructure
rule:
  id: no_ui_to_infra
  name: UI should not directly access Infrastructure
  severity: warning
  target: dependency
  when:
    all:
      - from.layer == ui
      - to.layer == infra
  action: forbid
  message: UI layer should not directly depend on Infrastructure layer
  suggestion: Access infrastructure through application services instead