Detect dependency cycles before merge.

See how dependency cycles fits local review, which evidence Code Radar produces, where coverage ends, and how trusted findings move into CI.

radar scan . --quick

What dependency cycles means here.

The dependency cycles rule identifies review patterns that can create exploitable behavior or hide material maintenance risk, then returns the affected location, severity, confidence, and remediation context.

Evidence to inspect

Use “Detect dependency cycles before merge.” as the scope for this decision: verify the input, finding detail, workflow handoff, and product boundary before you install or buy.

CriterionEvidence to inspectBoundary
Input scopeSelected files, configuration, scan mode, and enabled rules.Only included paths and configured checks are evaluated.
Finding detailFile, line, rule ID, severity, explanation, and repair direction.Illustrative output is not a result from your repository.
Workflow handoffLocal result, report format, agent context, and optional CI signal.Enable exports or CI only when the workflow needs them.
Decision fitUse the same criteria on a real repository before choosing a plan or tool.No universal winner or guaranteed outcome is claimed.

Check this risk locally

Coverage and concrete signals

Detect circular module relationships that make change impact harder to reason about.

  • Audience: Developers and reviewers deciding how to handle dependency cycles findings before merge.
  • Evidence to inspect before you trust the result.: List the cycle's modules and imports, identify the shared contract that can break it, and verify the dependency graph after the change.
  • Boundary: Some cycles are intentional at framework boundaries; document the ownership and test initialization order before extracting a shared module.
  • Rule ID: RADAR-HEALTH-CYCLE

Risky pattern / Safer pattern

dependency cycles: A useful result must be explainable to a developer and portable to the next review surface. Inspect the concrete evidence below before changing team policy.

Risky patternSafer pattern
auth -> billing -> authauth -> shared-contracts <- billing

From local signal to shared gate.

dependency cycles: Use the smallest workflow that proves value. Each later step should reuse evidence the team already understands. List the cycle's modules and imports, identify the shared contract that can break it, and verify the dependency graph after the change.

StepCommand or actionDecision
1Run a quick local scanIs the signal useful?
2Inspect and repair findingsIs the fix specific and reproducible?
3Export portable evidenceDoes the reviewer need SARIF, JSON, or HTML?
4Promote the trusted threshold to CIWhich severity should block a pull request?
radar scan . --quick
radar scan . --format sarif --fail-on high

Primary sources

Validate the workflow on your own code.

Apply this page’s evidence to one real repository. For “Detect dependency cycles before merge.”, confirm which finding is produced, whether the proposed next step is reproducible, and where local scanning, reports, agents, or CI should stop or expand.