[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.
AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task: - Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. - Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. - Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. - Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path. - When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. - Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. - Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. - Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. - Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. - Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.
Evidence-Based Reasoning — Speculation is FORBIDDEN. Every claim needs proof. 1. Citefile:line, grep results, or framework docs for EVERY claim 2. Declare confidence: >80% act freely, 60-80% verify first, <60% DO NOT recommend 3. Cross-service validation required for architectural changes 4. "I don't have enough evidence" is valid and expected output BLOCKED until:- []Evidence file path (file:line)- []Grep search performed- []3+ similar patterns found- []Confidence level stated Forbidden without proof: "obviously", "I think", "should be", "probably", "this is because" If incomplete → output:"Insufficient evidence. Verified: [...]. Not verified: [...]."
docs/project-reference/domain-entities-reference.md— Domain entity catalog, relationships, cross-service sync (read when task involves business entities/models) (content auto-injected by hook — check for [Injected:...] header before reading)
Quick Summary
Goal: Design and implement cross-service communication, data sync, and service boundary patterns.
Workflow:
- Pre-Flight — Identify source/target services, data ownership, sync vs async
- Choose Pattern — Entity Event Bus (recommended), Direct API, never shared DB
- Implement — Producer + Consumer with dependency waiting and race condition handling
- Test — Verify create/update/delete flows, out-of-order messages, force sync
Key Rules:
- Never access another service's database directly
- Use
LastMessageSyncDatefor conflict resolution (only update if newer) - Consumers must wait for dependencies with
TryWaitUntilAsync - Messages defined in shared project (search for: shared message definitions, bus message classes)
Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).
MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION Plan ToDo Task to READ the following project-specific reference doc: - backend-patterns-reference.md — backend CQRS, entity event bus, message bus patterns If file not found, search for: cross-service message definitions, entity event producers, message bus consumers.Cross-Service Integration Workflow
When to Use This Skill
- Designing service-to-service communication
- Implementing data synchronization
- Analyzing service boundaries
- Troubleshooting cross-service issues
Pre-Flight Checklist
- Identify source and target services
- Determine data ownership
- Choose communication pattern (sync vs async)
- Map data transformation requirements
Service Boundaries
Note: Search for project-structure-reference.md or the project's service directories to discover the platform's service map, data ownership matrix, and shared infrastructure components.Communication Patterns
Pattern 1: Entity Event Bus (Recommended)
Use when: Source service owns data, target services need copies.
Source Service Target Service
┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐
│ Employee │──── Create ────▶ │ Repository │
│ Repository │ └────────────┘
└────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Auto-raise │
▼ ▼
┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐
│ Producer │── MsgBus ────▶ │ Consumer │
└────────────┘ └────────────┘⚠️ MUST ATTENTION READ: CLAUDE.md for Entity Event Bus Producer and Message Bus Consumer implementation patterns.
Pattern 2: Direct API Call
Use when: Real-time data needed, no local copy required.
// In Service A, calling Service B API
public class ServiceBApiClient
{
private readonly HttpClient _client;
public async Task<UserDto?> GetUserAsync(string userId)
{
var response = await _client.GetAsync($"/api/User/{userId}");
if (!response.IsSuccessStatusCode) return null;
return await response.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<UserDto>();
}
}Considerations:
- Add circuit breaker for resilience
- Cache responses when possible
- Handle service unavailability
Pattern 3: Shared Database View (Anti-Pattern!)
:x: DO NOT USE: Violates service boundaries
// WRONG - Direct cross-service database access
var accountsData = await accountsDbContext.Users.ToListAsync();Data Ownership Matrix
Note: Search for project-structure-reference.md or the project's documentation for the entity ownership matrix. Each entity should have exactly ONE owning service; consumers receive synced copies via message bus.Synchronization Patterns
Full Sync (Initial/Recovery)
// For initial data population or recovery
public class FullSyncJob : BackgroundJobExecutor // project background job base (see docs/project-reference/backend-patterns-reference.md)
{
public override async Task ProcessAsync(object? param)
{
// Fetch all from source
var allEmployees = await sourceApi.GetAllAsync();
// Upsert to local
foreach (var batch in allEmployees.Batch(100))
{
await localRepo.CreateOrUpdateManyAsync(
batch.Select(MapToLocal),
dismissSendEvent: true);
}
}
}Incremental Sync (Event-Driven)
// Normal operation via message bus
internal sealed class EmployeeSyncConsumer : MessageBusConsumer<EmployeeEventBusMessage> // project message bus base (see docs/project-reference/backend-patterns-reference.md)
{
public override async Task HandleLogicAsync(EmployeeEventBusMessage message, string routingKey)
{
// Check if newer than current (race condition prevention)
if (existing?.LastMessageSyncDate > message.CreatedUtcDate)
return;
// Apply change
await ApplyChange(message);
}
}Conflict Resolution
Use LastMessageSyncDate for ordering - only update if message is newer. See CLAUDE.md Message Bus Consumer pattern for full implementation.
Integration Checklist
Before Integration
- Define data ownership clearly
- Document which fields sync
- Plan for missing dependencies
- Define conflict resolution strategy
Implementation
- Message defined in shared project
- Producer filters appropriate events
- Consumer waits for dependencies
- Race condition handling implemented
- Soft delete handled
Testing
- Create event flows correctly
- Update event flows correctly
- Delete event flows correctly
- Out-of-order messages handled
- Missing dependency handled
- Force sync works
Troubleshooting
Message Not Arriving
# Check message broker queues (search for: queue management commands)
# Check producer is publishing
grep -r "HandleWhen" --include="*Producer.cs" -A 5
# Check consumer is registered
grep -r "AddConsumer" --include="*.cs"Data Mismatch
# Compare source and target counts
# In source service DB
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Employees WHERE IsActive = 1;
# In target service DB
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM SyncedEmployees;Stuck Messages
// Check for waiting dependencies
Logger.LogWarning("Waiting for Company {CompanyId}", companyId);
// Force reprocess
await messageBus.PublishAsync(message.With(m => m.IsForceSync = true));Anti-Patterns to AVOID
:x: Direct database access
// WRONG
await otherServiceDbContext.Table.ToListAsync();:x: Synchronous cross-service calls in transaction
// WRONG
using var transaction = await db.BeginTransactionAsync();
await externalService.NotifyAsync(); // If fails, transaction stuck
await transaction.CommitAsync();:x: No dependency waiting
// WRONG - FK violation if company not synced
await repo.CreateAsync(employee); // Employee.CompanyId references Company
// CORRECT
await Util.TaskRunner.TryWaitUntilAsync(() => companyRepo.AnyAsync(...));:x: Ignoring message order
// WRONG - older message overwrites newer
await repo.UpdateAsync(entity);
// CORRECT - check timestamp
if (existing.LastMessageSyncDate <= message.CreatedUtcDate)Verification Checklist
- Data ownership clearly defined
- Message bus pattern used (not direct DB)
- Dependencies waited for in consumers
- Race conditions handled with timestamps
- Soft delete synchronized properly
- Force sync mechanism available
- Monitoring/alerting in place
Related
arch-security-reviewapi-design
Closing Reminders
- MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using
TaskCreateBEFORE starting - MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
- MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite
file:lineevidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act) - MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION READ the following files before starting:
- MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite
file:lineevidence for every claim. Confidence >80% to act, <60% = do NOT recommend. - MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.
- MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.
[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.