Layered Design

NikCLI employs a sophisticated layered architecture that promotes separation of concerns, modularity, and maintainability. This document provides an in-depth analysis of each architectural layer, their responsibilities, and interaction patterns.

Architectural Layers Overview

The system is organized into six primary layers, each with distinct responsibilities:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Layer 1: Presentation Layer (CLI/UI)                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Layer 2: Orchestration Layer                                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Layer 3: Agent Layer                                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Layer 4: Service Layer                                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Layer 5: Infrastructure Layer                                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Layer 6: Data Layer                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Layer 1: Presentation Layer

Responsibilities

The presentation layer handles all user interactions and output rendering.

Components

Terminal Interface (`/src/cli/nik-cli.ts`)

Core Functions:

Command-line argument parsing
Interactive chat interface
Real-time streaming output
User input handling
Vim mode support
Paste detection and handling

Key Features:

// Main CLI entry point
class NikCLI {
  private streamOrchestrator: StreamingOrchestrator;
  private rl: readline.Interface;
  private inputBuffer: string[];

  async start(): Promise<void> {
    // Initialize UI components
    await this.setupReadline();
    await this.setupStreamingOutput();

    // Start main loop
    await this.mainLoop();
  }

  private async handleUserInput(input: string): Promise<void> {
    // Queue input for processing
    inputQueue.enqueue(input);

    // Trigger orchestrator
    await this.streamOrchestrator.processMessage(input);
  }
}

Advanced CLI UI (`/src/cli/ui/advanced-cli-ui.ts`)

Capabilities:

Colored, formatted output
Progress indicators (spinners, progress bars, dots)
Tables and structured data display
Syntax highlighting
Interactive prompts
Status panels

Output Formatting:

class AdvancedUI {
  logInfo(message: string): void;
  logSuccess(message: string): void;
  logWarning(message: string): void;
  logError(message: string): void;

  // Structured output
  displayTable(data: any[]): void;
  displayTree(structure: TreeNode): void;
  displayCode(code: string, language: string): void;

  // Interactive elements
  showSpinner(message: string): SpinnerHandle;
  showProgress(total: number): ProgressHandle;
  prompt(question: string, options: PromptOptions): Promise<string>;
}

Terminal Output Manager (`/src/cli/ui/terminal-output-manager.ts`)

Responsibilities:

Stream management
Panel-based layout
Real-time updates
Buffer management
Terminal capability detection

Panel System:

interface Panel {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  position: 'top' | 'bottom' | 'left' | 'right';
  width?: number;
  height?: number;
  content: string[];
  maxLines?: number;
}

class TerminalOutputManager {
  private panels: Map<string, Panel>;

  createPanel(config: PanelConfig): string;
  updatePanel(id: string, content: string[]): void;
  removePanel(id: string): void;
  renderAllPanels(): void;
}

Diff Manager (`/src/cli/ui/diff-manager.ts`)

Features:

Side-by-side diffs
Unified diffs
Syntax-highlighted diffs
Interactive approval
Batch operations

Diff Display:

class DiffManager {
  async showDiff(
    original: string,
    modified: string,
    filePath: string
  ): Promise<void> {
    const diff = this.computeDiff(original, modified);
    const formatted = this.formatDiff(diff, filePath);

    // Display with syntax highlighting
    advancedUI.displayCode(formatted, 'diff');
  }

  async requestApproval(diff: DiffResult): Promise<boolean> {
    return await advancedUI.prompt(
      'Apply these changes?',
      { type: 'confirm' }
    );
  }
}

Web Dashboard (Optional) (`/web`)

Features:

Real-time agent status
Job queue visualization
Metrics and analytics
GitHub integration
Subscription management

Layer Boundaries

Upward Communication: None (top layer) Downward Communication:

Sends commands to Orchestration Layer
Receives events from Event System
Subscribes to streaming updates

Layer 2: Orchestration Layer

Responsibilities

Coordinates system-wide operations and manages execution flow.

Components

Main Orchestrator (`/src/cli/main-orchestrator.ts`)

Lifecycle Management:

class MainOrchestrator {
  private serviceStates: Map<string, ServiceState>;
  private streamOrchestrator: StreamingOrchestrator;
  private vmOrchestrator: VMOrchestrator;

  async initialize(): Promise<void> {
    // Phase 1: Core services
    await this.initializeCoreServices();

    // Phase 2: Dependent services
    await this.initializeDependentServices();

    // Phase 3: Start orchestration
    await this.startOrchestration();
  }

  private async initializeCoreServices(): Promise<void> {
    const services = [
      { name: 'config', init: () => configManager.initialize() },
      { name: 'logging', init: () => logger.initialize() },
      { name: 'monitoring', init: () => monitoringSystem.initialize() }
    ];

    for (const service of services) {
      await this.initializeService(service);
    }
  }

  async gracefulShutdown(): Promise<void> {
    // Stop accepting new requests
    await this.stopAcceptingRequests();

    // Wait for active operations
    await this.waitForActiveOperations();

    // Cleanup resources
    await this.cleanup();
  }
}

Service State Tracking:

interface ServiceState {
  name: string;
  initialized: boolean;
  phase: 'core' | 'dependent' | 'all';
  dependencies: string[];
  error?: Error;
}

Streaming Orchestrator (`/src/cli/streaming-orchestrator.ts`)

Message Queue System:

interface StreamMessage {
  id: string;
  type: 'user' | 'system' | 'agent' | 'tool' | 'diff' | 'error' | 'vm';
  content: string;
  timestamp: Date;
  status: 'queued' | 'processing' | 'completed' | 'absorbed';
  metadata?: any;
  agentId?: string;
  progress?: number;
}

class StreamingOrchestratorImpl {
  private messageQueue: StreamMessage[] = [];
  private activeAgents: Map<string, any> = new Map();
  private processingMessage = false;

  async processMessage(content: string): Promise<void> {
    const message: StreamMessage = {
      id: randomUUID(),
      type: 'user',
      content,
      timestamp: new Date(),
      status: 'queued'
    };

    this.messageQueue.push(message);

    if (!this.processingMessage) {
      await this.processNextMessage();
    }
  }

  private async processNextMessage(): Promise<void> {
    if (this.messageQueue.length === 0) return;

    this.processingMessage = true;
    const message = this.messageQueue.shift()!;
    message.status = 'processing';

    try {
      // Execute through middleware chain
      const result = await middlewareManager.execute(
        'process_message',
        [message],
        this.context
      );

      // Route to appropriate agent
      await this.routeToAgent(message, result);

      message.status = 'completed';
    } catch (error) {
      message.status = 'error';
      await this.handleError(error, message);
    } finally {
      this.processingMessage = false;
      await this.processNextMessage();
    }
  }
}

Context Management:

interface StreamContext {
  workingDirectory: string;
  autonomous: boolean;
  planMode: boolean;
  autoAcceptEdits: boolean;
  vmMode: boolean;
  contextLeft: number;
  maxContext: number;
  adaptiveSupervision?: boolean;
  intelligentPrioritization?: boolean;
  cognitiveFiltering?: boolean;
}

Cognitive AI Pipeline:

class StreamingOrchestrator {
  private cognitiveEnabled: boolean = true;
  private adaptiveMetrics: Map<string, number> = new Map();

  private async applyCognitiveFiltering(
    input: string
  ): Promise<string> {
    if (!this.cognitiveEnabled) return input;

    // Apply intelligent filtering
    const filtered = await this.intelligentPrioritization(input);
    const optimized = await this.adaptiveSupervision(filtered);

    return optimized;
  }

  private async intelligentPrioritization(
    input: string
  ): Promise<string> {
    // Analyze input priority
    const priority = await this.analyzePriority(input);

    // Adjust processing based on priority
    if (priority === 'high') {
      return this.expediteProcessing(input);
    }

    return input;
  }
}

VM Orchestrator (`/src/cli/virtualized-agents/vm-orchestrator.ts`)

Container Management:

class VMOrchestrator {
  private containerManager: ContainerManager;
  private activeSessions: Map<string, VMSession> = new Map();

  async createVMAgent(config: VMConfig): Promise<string> {
    // Create isolated container
    const containerId = await this.containerManager.createContainer({
      image: config.image,
      resources: config.resources,
      network: config.networkMode
    });

    // Initialize agent in container
    const agentId = await this.initializeAgent(containerId, config);

    // Track session
    this.activeSessions.set(agentId, {
      containerId,
      agentId,
      created: new Date(),
      status: 'active'
    });

    return agentId;
  }

  async executeInVM(
    agentId: string,
    task: string
  ): Promise<AsyncGenerator<any>> {
    const session = this.activeSessions.get(agentId);
    if (!session) throw new Error('Session not found');

    // Execute in isolated environment
    return this.containerManager.execute(
      session.containerId,
      task
    );
  }
}

Layer Boundaries

Upward Communication:

Emits events to Presentation Layer
Streams real-time updates

Downward Communication:

Delegates to Agent Layer
Uses Service Layer for business logic
Coordinates multiple agents

Layer 3: Agent Layer

Responsibilities

Executes AI-driven tasks with domain-specific intelligence.

Components

Universal Agent

Multi-Purpose Execution:

class UniversalAgent {
  async execute(task: string, context: AgentContext): AsyncGenerator<any> {
    // Analyze task
    const analysis = await this.analyzeTask(task);

    // Generate plan
    const plan = await planningService.generatePlan(task, analysis);

    // Execute steps
    for (const step of plan.steps) {
      yield* this.executeStep(step, context);
    }
  }

  private async analyzeTask(task: string): Promise<TaskAnalysis> {
    return {
      complexity: this.assessComplexity(task),
      requiredTools: this.identifyTools(task),
      estimatedSteps: this.estimateSteps(task),
      riskLevel: this.assessRisk(task)
    };
  }
}

Specialized Agents

Domain Expertise:

// React Expert Agent
class ReactExpertAgent extends BaseAgent {
  private specialization = ['react', 'jsx', 'hooks', 'components'];

  async execute(task: string): AsyncGenerator<any> {
    // React-specific analysis
    const componentAnalysis = await this.analyzeComponents(task);

    // Apply React best practices
    const optimized = await this.applyBestPractices(componentAnalysis);

    // Generate React code
    yield* this.generateReactCode(optimized);
  }

  private async analyzeComponents(task: string): Promise<ComponentAnalysis> {
    // Use LSP for React analysis
    const diagnostics = await lspService.getDiagnostics('tsx');

    // Analyze component structure
    const structure = await this.analyzeStructure(task);

    return { diagnostics, structure };
  }
}

Agent Registration:

// Agent Service manages all agents
agentService.registerAgent({
  name: 'react-expert',
  description: 'React component development specialist',
  specialization: ['react', 'jsx', 'tsx', 'components'],
  maxConcurrency: 1,
  handler: async function* (task: string) {
    // Agent implementation
    yield* new ReactExpertAgent().execute(task);
  }
});

Virtualized Agents

Isolated Execution:

class VirtualizedAgent {
  private containerId: string;
  private executor: ContainerExecutor;

  async execute(task: string): AsyncGenerator<any> {
    // Execute in sandbox
    const result = await this.executor.run({
      container: this.containerId,
      command: task,
      timeout: 30000,
      resources: {
        memory: '512MB',
        cpu: '0.5'
      }
    });

    yield* result;
  }
}

Agent Communication Patterns

Agent-to-Agent Communication:

class AgentCoordinator {
  async coordinateAgents(
    agents: Agent[],
    task: string
  ): AsyncGenerator<any> {
    // Distribute subtasks
    const subtasks = await this.distributeWork(task, agents);

    // Execute in parallel
    const results = await Promise.all(
      subtasks.map((subtask, i) =>
        agents[i].execute(subtask)
      )
    );

    // Merge results
    yield* this.mergeResults(results);
  }
}

Layer Boundaries

Upward Communication:

Reports progress to Orchestration Layer
Requests resources and permissions

Downward Communication:

Uses Service Layer for operations
Invokes tools via Tool Service
Accesses context via Context Service

Layer 4: Service Layer

Responsibilities

Provides reusable business logic and coordinates complex operations.

Components

Agent Service (`/src/cli/services/agent-service.ts`)

Agent Lifecycle:

class AgentService {
  private agents: Map<string, AgentCapability>;
  private activeTasks: Map<string, AgentTask>;
  private taskQueue: AgentTask[];
  private maxConcurrentAgents = 3;

  async executeTask(
    agentType: string,
    task: string
  ): Promise<string> {
    // Create task
    const taskId = randomUUID();
    const agentTask: AgentTask = {
      id: taskId,
      agentType,
      task,
      status: 'pending',
      startTime: new Date()
    };

    // Queue or execute
    if (this.canExecuteNow()) {
      await this.execute(agentTask);
    } else {
      this.taskQueue.push(agentTask);
    }

    return taskId;
  }

  private async execute(task: AgentTask): Promise<void> {
    task.status = 'running';
    this.activeTasks.set(task.id, task);

    try {
      const agent = this.agents.get(task.agentType);
      if (!agent) throw new Error('Agent not found');

      // Execute through handler
      const result = agent.handler(task.task, {});

      // Process streaming results
      for await (const chunk of result) {
        task.progress = chunk.progress;
        this.emit('task:progress', task);
      }

      task.status = 'completed';
      task.endTime = new Date();
    } catch (error) {
      task.status = 'failed';
      task.error = error.message;
    } finally {
      this.activeTasks.delete(task.id);
      this.processQueue();
    }
  }
}

Planning Service (`/src/cli/services/planning-service.ts`)

Plan Generation:

class PlanningService {
  async generatePlan(
    task: string,
    context: PlanContext
  ): Promise<ExecutionPlan> {
    // Analyze task complexity
    const analysis = await this.analyzeTask(task);

    // Generate steps
    const steps = await this.decomposeTask(task, analysis);

    // Optimize execution order
    const optimized = this.optimizeSteps(steps);

    // Create plan
    return {
      id: randomUUID(),
      task,
      steps: optimized,
      estimatedDuration: this.estimateDuration(optimized),
      dependencies: this.mapDependencies(optimized)
    };
  }

  private async decomposeTask(
    task: string,
    analysis: TaskAnalysis
  ): Promise<PlanStep[]> {
    // Use AI to decompose
    const prompt = this.buildDecompositionPrompt(task, analysis);
    const response = await aiProvider.generate(prompt);

    // Parse steps
    return this.parseSteps(response);
  }
}

Memory Service (`/src/cli/services/memory-service.ts`)

Conversation Management:

class MemoryService {
  private conversationHistory: ConversationMessage[] = [];
  private semanticMemory: SemanticStore;
  private maxHistoryLength = 100;

  async addMessage(
    role: 'user' | 'assistant' | 'system',
    content: string
  ): Promise<void> {
    const message: ConversationMessage = {
      id: randomUUID(),
      role,
      content,
      timestamp: new Date()
    };

    // Add to history
    this.conversationHistory.push(message);

    // Prune if needed
    if (this.conversationHistory.length > this.maxHistoryLength) {
      this.conversationHistory.shift();
    }

    // Store in semantic memory
    await this.semanticMemory.store(message);
  }

  async searchMemory(query: string): Promise<ConversationMessage[]> {
    // Semantic search
    return await this.semanticMemory.search(query, { limit: 5 });
  }

  async getRelevantContext(
    query: string,
    maxTokens: number
  ): Promise<string> {
    // Get relevant messages
    const relevant = await this.searchMemory(query);

    // Format within token budget
    return this.formatContext(relevant, maxTokens);
  }
}

LSP Service (`/src/cli/services/lsp-service.ts`)

Language Intelligence:

class LSPService {
  private lspClients: Map<string, LSPClient> = new Map();

  async getDiagnostics(
    filePath: string
  ): Promise<Diagnostic[]> {
    const language = this.detectLanguage(filePath);
    const client = await this.getOrCreateClient(language);

    return await client.getDiagnostics(filePath);
  }

  async getCompletions(
    filePath: string,
    position: Position
  ): Promise<CompletionItem[]> {
    const language = this.detectLanguage(filePath);
    const client = await this.getOrCreateClient(language);

    return await client.getCompletions(filePath, position);
  }

  async getDefinition(
    filePath: string,
    position: Position
  ): Promise<Location[]> {
    const language = this.detectLanguage(filePath);
    const client = await this.getOrCreateClient(language);

    return await client.getDefinition(filePath, position);
  }
}

Tool Service (`/src/cli/services/tool-service.ts`)

Tool Orchestration:

class ToolService {
  private toolRegistry: ToolRegistry;
  private executionHistory: ToolExecution[] = [];

  async executeTool(
    toolName: string,
    args: any,
    requireApproval: boolean = false
  ): Promise<ToolExecutionResult> {
    const tool = this.toolRegistry.getTool(toolName);
    if (!tool) throw new Error(`Tool ${toolName} not found`);

    // Check approval
    if (requireApproval) {
      const approved = await this.requestApproval(tool, args);
      if (!approved) {
        return { success: false, error: 'User rejected operation' };
      }
    }

    // Execute
    const execution: ToolExecution = {
      id: randomUUID(),
      toolName,
      args,
      startTime: new Date(),
      status: 'running'
    };

    this.executionHistory.push(execution);

    try {
      const result = await tool.execute(args);
      execution.status = 'completed';
      execution.result = result;
      execution.endTime = new Date();

      return result;
    } catch (error) {
      execution.status = 'failed';
      execution.error = error;
      execution.endTime = new Date();

      throw error;
    }
  }
}

Layer Boundaries

Upward Communication:

Provides APIs to Agent Layer
Emits service-level events

Downward Communication:

Uses Infrastructure Layer for providers
Accesses Data Layer for persistence

Layer 5: Infrastructure Layer

Responsibilities

Provides foundational services and integrations.

Components

AI Provider System

Model Routing:

class ModelProvider {
  private providers: Map<string, AIProvider> = new Map();
  private routingConfig: RoutingConfig;

  async generateCompletion(
    prompt: string,
    options?: GenerationOptions
  ): Promise<Completion> {
    // Route to appropriate model
    const provider = await this.selectProvider(prompt, options);

    // Generate with retry
    return await this.withRetry(() =>
      provider.generateCompletion(prompt, options)
    );
  }

  private async selectProvider(
    prompt: string,
    options?: GenerationOptions
  ): Promise<AIProvider> {
    if (options?.model) {
      return this.getProviderForModel(options.model);
    }

    // Intelligent routing
    const complexity = await this.assessComplexity(prompt);

    if (complexity === 'high') {
      return this.providers.get('anthropic'); // Claude
    } else if (complexity === 'medium') {
      return this.providers.get('openai'); // GPT-4
    } else {
      return this.providers.get('openai'); // GPT-3.5
    }
  }
}

Context & RAG System

Workspace Indexing:

class WorkspaceContext {
  private vectorStore: ChromaDB;
  private fileIndex: Map<string, FileMetadata>;

  async indexWorkspace(directory: string): Promise<void> {
    // Scan files
    const files = await this.scanFiles(directory);

    // Generate embeddings
    for (const file of files) {
      const content = await fs.readFile(file, 'utf-8');
      const chunks = this.chunkContent(content);

      for (const chunk of chunks) {
        const embedding = await this.generateEmbedding(chunk);
        await this.vectorStore.add({
          id: `${file}:${chunk.start}`,
          embedding,
          metadata: {
            file,
            start: chunk.start,
            end: chunk.end
          }
        });
      }
    }
  }

  async search(query: string, limit: number = 10): Promise<SearchResult[]> {
    const queryEmbedding = await this.generateEmbedding(query);
    const results = await this.vectorStore.search(queryEmbedding, limit);

    return results;
  }
}

Event System

Event Bus:

class EventBus {
  private subscribers: Map<string, EventHandler[]> = new Map();

  subscribe(event: string, handler: EventHandler): () => void {
    if (!this.subscribers.has(event)) {
      this.subscribers.set(event, []);
    }

    this.subscribers.get(event)!.push(handler);

    // Return unsubscribe function
    return () => {
      const handlers = this.subscribers.get(event);
      if (handlers) {
        const index = handlers.indexOf(handler);
        if (index > -1) handlers.splice(index, 1);
      }
    };
  }

  async emit(event: string, data: any): Promise<void> {
    const handlers = this.subscribers.get(event) || [];

    await Promise.all(
      handlers.map(handler => handler(data))
    );
  }
}

Monitoring System

Telemetry:

class OpenTelemetryProvider {
  private tracer: Tracer;
  private meter: Meter;

  startSpan(name: string, options?: SpanOptions): Span {
    return this.tracer.startSpan(name, options);
  }

  recordMetric(name: string, value: number, labels?: Record<string, string>): void {
    const counter = this.meter.createCounter(name);
    counter.add(value, labels);
  }

  async trace<T>(
    name: string,
    fn: () => Promise<T>
  ): Promise<T> {
    const span = this.startSpan(name);

    try {
      const result = await fn();
      span.setStatus({ code: SpanStatusCode.OK });
      return result;
    } catch (error) {
      span.setStatus({
        code: SpanStatusCode.ERROR,
        message: error.message
      });
      throw error;
    } finally {
      span.end();
    }
  }
}

Layer Boundaries

Upward Communication:

Provides APIs to Service Layer
Emits infrastructure events

Downward Communication:

Uses Data Layer for persistence
Makes external API calls

Layer 6: Data Layer

Responsibilities

Handles data persistence and retrieval.

Components

Configuration Storage

Config Manager:

class ConfigManager {
  private config: ConfigType;
  private configPath: string;
  private watchers: FSWatcher[] = [];

  async load(): Promise<void> {
    // Load from multiple sources
    const defaultConfig = this.getDefaultConfig();
    const userConfig = await this.loadUserConfig();
    const projectConfig = await this.loadProjectConfig();
    const envConfig = this.loadEnvConfig();

    // Merge configurations
    this.config = this.mergeConfigs([
      defaultConfig,
      userConfig,
      projectConfig,
      envConfig
    ]);

    // Validate
    this.validate();

    // Watch for changes
    this.watchConfig();
  }

  async save(): Promise<void> {
    await fs.writeFile(
      this.configPath,
      yaml.stringify(this.config),
      'utf-8'
    );
  }
}

State Persistence

Snapshot Service:

class SnapshotService {
  async saveSnapshot(state: SystemState): Promise<string> {
    const snapshotId = randomUUID();
    const snapshot = {
      id: snapshotId,
      timestamp: new Date(),
      state
    };

    await fs.writeFile(
      this.getSnapshotPath(snapshotId),
      JSON.stringify(snapshot),
      'utf-8'
    );

    return snapshotId;
  }

  async loadSnapshot(snapshotId: string): Promise<SystemState> {
    const data = await fs.readFile(
      this.getSnapshotPath(snapshotId),
      'utf-8'
    );

    const snapshot = JSON.parse(data);
    return snapshot.state;
  }
}

Cache Storage

Multi-Tier Cache:

class CacheManager {
  private memoryCache: Map<string, CacheEntry> = new Map();
  private redisCache: Redis;
  private diskCache: DiskCache;

  async get(key: string): Promise<any> {
    // L1: Memory cache
    if (this.memoryCache.has(key)) {
      return this.memoryCache.get(key)!.value;
    }

    // L2: Redis cache
    const redisValue = await this.redisCache.get(key);
    if (redisValue) {
      this.memoryCache.set(key, {
        value: redisValue,
        expiry: Date.now() + 60000
      });
      return redisValue;
    }

    // L3: Disk cache
    const diskValue = await this.diskCache.get(key);
    if (diskValue) {
      await this.redisCache.set(key, diskValue, 'EX', 3600);
      return diskValue;
    }

    return null;
  }

  async set(
    key: string,
    value: any,
    ttl: number = 3600
  ): Promise<void> {
    // Write to all tiers
    this.memoryCache.set(key, {
      value,
      expiry: Date.now() + ttl * 1000
    });

    await this.redisCache.set(key, value, 'EX', ttl);
    await this.diskCache.set(key, value);
  }
}

Layer Boundaries

Upward Communication:

Provides data APIs to Infrastructure Layer
None (bottom layer)

Downward Communication:

File system operations
Database connections
External storage APIs

Cross-Cutting Concerns

Middleware Pipeline

The middleware system operates across all layers:

// Request flows through middleware at each layer
class MiddlewareChain {
  async execute(
    operation: string,
    args: any[],
    context: any
  ): Promise<any> {
    // Validation middleware
    await validationMiddleware.execute(args);

    // Logging middleware
    await loggingMiddleware.execute(operation, args);

    // Performance middleware
    const start = Date.now();

    // Execute operation
    const result = await this.executeOperation(operation, args, context);

    // Audit middleware
    await auditMiddleware.execute(operation, result);

    // Metrics middleware
    await metricsMiddleware.execute(operation, Date.now() - start);

    return result;
  }
}

Error Propagation

Errors flow upward through layers:

Data Layer Error
    ↓
Infrastructure Layer (wrap, add context)
    ↓
Service Layer (categorize, add metadata)
    ↓
Agent Layer (recover or escalate)
    ↓
Orchestration Layer (log, decide action)
    ↓
Presentation Layer (format, display)

Event Flow

Events can flow both up and down:

User Input Event (up)
    ↑
Presentation Layer
    ↑
Orchestration Layer (broadcast)
    ↓           ↓           ↓
Agent Layer  Service Layer  Infrastructure Layer

Design Patterns

Dependency Injection

// Services injected into components
class Agent {
  constructor(
    private toolService: ToolService,
    private memoryService: MemoryService,
    private lspService: LSPService
  ) {}
}

Factory Pattern

// Agent factory
class AgentFactory {
  createAgent(type: string, config: AgentConfig): Agent {
    switch (type) {
      case 'universal':
        return new UniversalAgent(config);
      case 'react-expert':
        return new ReactExpertAgent(config);
      default:
        throw new Error('Unknown agent type');
    }
  }
}

Strategy Pattern

// Different routing strategies
interface RoutingStrategy {
  selectProvider(prompt: string): AIProvider;
}

class ConservativeRouting implements RoutingStrategy {
  selectProvider(prompt: string): AIProvider {
    return mostReliableProvider;
  }
}

class AggressiveRouting implements RoutingStrategy {
  selectProvider(prompt: string): AIProvider {
    return cheapestProvider;
  }
}

Observer Pattern

// Event-driven architecture
class Observable {
  private observers: Observer[] = [];

  subscribe(observer: Observer): void {
    this.observers.push(observer);
  }

  notify(event: Event): void {
    for (const observer of this.observers) {
      observer.update(event);
    }
  }
}

Conclusion

NikCLI’s layered architecture provides:

Clear separation of concerns
Testability at each layer
Flexibility to swap implementations
Scalability through horizontal and vertical scaling
Maintainability with well-defined boundaries

Each layer has specific responsibilities and communicates through well-defined interfaces, making the system robust and extensible.

Getting Started

CLI Reference

Agent System

Planning System

Context & RAG

Architecture

Troubleshooting

Documentation Index

​Layered Design

​Architectural Layers Overview

​Layer 1: Presentation Layer

​Responsibilities

​Components

​Terminal Interface (/src/cli/nik-cli.ts)

​Advanced CLI UI (/src/cli/ui/advanced-cli-ui.ts)

​Terminal Output Manager (/src/cli/ui/terminal-output-manager.ts)

​Diff Manager (/src/cli/ui/diff-manager.ts)

​Web Dashboard (Optional) (/web)

​Layer Boundaries

​Layer 2: Orchestration Layer

​Responsibilities

​Components

​Main Orchestrator (/src/cli/main-orchestrator.ts)

​Streaming Orchestrator (/src/cli/streaming-orchestrator.ts)

​VM Orchestrator (/src/cli/virtualized-agents/vm-orchestrator.ts)

​Layer Boundaries

​Layer 3: Agent Layer

​Responsibilities

​Components

​Universal Agent

​Specialized Agents

​Virtualized Agents

​Agent Communication Patterns

​Layer Boundaries

​Layer 4: Service Layer

​Responsibilities

​Components

​Agent Service (/src/cli/services/agent-service.ts)

​Planning Service (/src/cli/services/planning-service.ts)

​Memory Service (/src/cli/services/memory-service.ts)

​LSP Service (/src/cli/services/lsp-service.ts)

​Tool Service (/src/cli/services/tool-service.ts)

​Layer Boundaries

​Layer 5: Infrastructure Layer

​Responsibilities

​Components

​AI Provider System

​Context & RAG System

​Event System

​Monitoring System

​Layer Boundaries

​Layer 6: Data Layer

​Responsibilities

​Components

​Configuration Storage

​State Persistence

​Cache Storage

​Layer Boundaries

​Cross-Cutting Concerns

​Middleware Pipeline

​Error Propagation

​Event Flow

​Design Patterns

​Dependency Injection

​Factory Pattern

​Strategy Pattern

​Observer Pattern

​Conclusion

​Related Documentation

Layered Design

Architectural Layers Overview

Layer 1: Presentation Layer

Responsibilities

Components

Terminal Interface (`/src/cli/nik-cli.ts`)

Advanced CLI UI (`/src/cli/ui/advanced-cli-ui.ts`)

Terminal Output Manager (`/src/cli/ui/terminal-output-manager.ts`)

Diff Manager (`/src/cli/ui/diff-manager.ts`)

Web Dashboard (Optional) (`/web`)

Layer Boundaries

Layer 2: Orchestration Layer

Responsibilities

Components

Main Orchestrator (`/src/cli/main-orchestrator.ts`)

Streaming Orchestrator (`/src/cli/streaming-orchestrator.ts`)

VM Orchestrator (`/src/cli/virtualized-agents/vm-orchestrator.ts`)

Layer Boundaries

Layer 3: Agent Layer

Responsibilities

Components

Universal Agent

Specialized Agents

Virtualized Agents

Agent Communication Patterns

Layer Boundaries

Layer 4: Service Layer

Responsibilities

Components

Agent Service (`/src/cli/services/agent-service.ts`)

Planning Service (`/src/cli/services/planning-service.ts`)

Memory Service (`/src/cli/services/memory-service.ts`)

LSP Service (`/src/cli/services/lsp-service.ts`)

Tool Service (`/src/cli/services/tool-service.ts`)

Layer Boundaries

Layer 5: Infrastructure Layer

Responsibilities

Components

AI Provider System

Context & RAG System

Event System

Monitoring System

Layer Boundaries

Layer 6: Data Layer

Responsibilities

Components

Configuration Storage

State Persistence

Cache Storage

Layer Boundaries

Cross-Cutting Concerns

Middleware Pipeline

Error Propagation

Event Flow

Design Patterns

Dependency Injection

Factory Pattern

Strategy Pattern

Observer Pattern

Conclusion

Related Documentation