monorepo

Activate When

• /godmode:monorepo, "monorepo", "workspace setup"
• "selective builds", "dependency graph", "boundaries"
• Multi-package project with slow CI or tangled deps

Workflow

1. Assessment

ls turbo.json nx.json lerna.json \
  pnpm-workspace.yaml 2>/dev/null
find . -name "package.json" -maxdepth 3 | wc -l

Packages: <N> | Languages: <list>
Build tool: <current|none>
Package manager: <npm|pnpm|yarn|bun>
CI time: <N min> full / <N min> affected
Boundary violations: <N> | Circular deps: <N>

2. Tool Selection

Turborepo: zero-config caching, simple. JS/TS.
  Learning: LOW.
Nx: rich plugins, codegen, dep graph UI.
  Enterprise, large. Learning: MEDIUM.
Lerna: publishing workflow, changelogs.
  npm package authors. Learning: LOW.
Bazel: language-agnostic, hermetic.
  Google-scale. Learning: HIGH.
Rush: strict dep management, phantom prevention.
  Learning: MEDIUM-HIGH.

IF multi-language: Bazel or Nx custom executors. IF prefer minimal config: Turborepo + pnpm. IF publishing npm packages: Lerna + pnpm.

3. Package Structure

<repo>/
  apps/       # Deployable applications
  packages/   # Shared libraries
  tools/      # Build tools, scripts
  package.json, turbo.json/nx.json

Naming: @<org>/<package>, lowercase kebab-case. Apps: "private": true. Packages: publishable.

4. Boundary Enforcement

• apps/ can import packages/ (ALLOWED)
• packages/ can import packages/ if declared
• apps/ CANNOT import other apps/ (BLOCKED)
• packages/ CANNOT import apps/ (BLOCKED)
• No circular dependencies (BLOCKED)

5. Selective Builds & Caching

npx turbo run build --filter=...[origin/main]
npx nx affected --target=build --base=origin/main

Remote caching: Turborepo (Vercel) or Nx Cloud. Impact: 15-min build -> 30 seconds with cache hit.

6. Dependency Graph Health

Visualize: turbo run build --graph or npx nx graph. Fix: circular deps -> extract shared package. Hub packages (>5 dependents) -> split. Orphan packages (0 dependents) -> remove. Deep chains (4+ levels) -> flatten.

7. Shared Configuration

Centralize in packages/config/: TypeScript base, ESLint, Prettier. All packages extend shared config.

Quality Targets

• Target: <30s affected-package detection
• Target: <120s incremental build for changed packages
• Target: >80% cache hit rate across CI runs

Hard Rules

1. NEVER monorepo without build orchestrator.
2. EVERY package: explicit dependencies, no phantom.
3. NEVER allow circular dependencies.
4. apps/ MUST NOT import other apps/.
5. ALWAYS commit lock file. --frozen-lockfile in CI.
6. EVERY PR: build/test affected packages only.
7. CENTRALIZE shared config in packages/config/.
8. NEVER hoist all deps to root.

TSV Logging

Append .godmode/monorepo-results.tsv:

timestamp	action	packages	boundary_violations	ci_time_min	status

Keep/Discard

KEEP if: build passes AND violations = 0
  AND circular deps = 0.
DISCARD if: build fails OR new violation
  OR new circular dep.

Stop Conditions

STOP when ALL of:
  - Orchestrator configured
  - Zero violations and circular deps
  - Remote caching enabled
  - Selective builds in CI
  - Affected-only CI < 3 min

Autonomous Operation

On failure: git reset --hard HEAD~1. Never pause.

Error Recovery

Failure	Action
Circular dep	Extract shared into new package
CI too slow	Verify selective builds, check cache
Boundary violation	Extract to packages/ library
New package fails	Verify workspace config, install