clean_arch_lint

Analyzer plugin for Flutter Clean Architecture. It inspects import directives (AST) and reports layer violations in the IDE and via dart analyze / flutter analyze.

A single MultiAnalysisRule covers every layer, so the analyzer walks each file once.

Objective

Keep this structure honest:

lib/
 ├─ core/
 ├─ domain/
 ├─ data/
 ├─ presentation/
 └─ screens/

lib/src/{layer}/ is also detected. No extra configuration.

Layers

domain

Innermost layer. Other layers may import domain; domain imports only itself (plus Dart SDK). Flutter, dart:ui, and third-party packages are reported.

Contains: entities, usecases, contracts.

core

Shared application code. Must not import screens or presentation.

Contains: entities, usecases, contracts, business rules.

data

Infrastructure. Must not import screens or presentation.

Contains: datasources, models / DTOs, mappers, repository implementations.

presentation

UI that is not a screen entrypoint. Must not import data.

Contains: widgets, pages, bloc / cubit, viewmodels.

screens

Screen-level UI. Must not import data.

Contains: screens / routes that compose presentation and domain.

Diagnostics

All of them are WARNING lint rules. Analyzer plugins disable lints until you turn them on.

Code Blocks
no_data_dependencies presentation or screens importing data; also data/core importing those UI layers
no_screens_dependencies data or core importing screens or presentation
domain_only_depends_on_itself domain importing anything outside domain

core_no_flutter, core_no_data_or_presentation, data_no_presentation, presentation_no_data, and domain_only no longer exist as separate rules.

Installation

Requires Dart SDK >= 3.13 (Flutter 3.38+). This is an analysis_server_plugin, not custom_lint.

1) Enable the plugin

Published:

plugins:
  clean_arch_lint:
    version: ^1.3.0
    diagnostics:
      no_data_dependencies: true
      domain_only_depends_on_itself: true
      no_screens_dependencies: true

Local path (see example/analysis_options.yaml):

plugins:
  clean_arch_lint:
    path: ../clean_arch_lint
    diagnostics:
      no_data_dependencies: true
      domain_only_depends_on_itself: true
      no_screens_dependencies: true

Restart the Dart Analysis Server after changing the plugins section.

2) Run analysis

dart analyze
# or
flutter analyze

Diagnostics also appear in VS Code / Android Studio while you type.

Configuration

Raise severity

plugins:
  clean_arch_lint:
    version: ^1.3.0
    diagnostics:
      no_data_dependencies: error
      domain_only_depends_on_itself: error
      no_screens_dependencies: error

Suppress one line or a file

// ignore: clean_arch_lint/no_data_dependencies
import 'package:my_app/data/models/product_model.dart';

// ignore_for_file: clean_arch_lint/domain_only_depends_on_itself

Examples

Allowed:

import 'package:my_app/domain/entities/product.dart';
import 'package:my_app/core/entities/product.dart';

Forbidden (presentation → data):

import 'package:my_app/data/models/product_model.dart'; // no_data_dependencies

Forbidden (domain → Flutter):

import 'package:flutter/material.dart'; // domain_only_depends_on_itself

Dependency flow

Layer Must not import
domain anything outside domain (except Dart SDK)
core screens, presentation
data screens, presentation
presentation data
screens data

What this plugin does not do

  • Does not generate code
  • Does not auto-fix imports
  • Does not replace code review

Stack

  • Dart SDK >= 3.13
  • analysis_server_plugin
  • analyzer
  • path

No custom_lint, build_runner, or source_gen.

Libraries

clean_arch_lint
Analyzer plugin that enforces Flutter Clean Architecture layer boundaries.
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