Circular Dependency Detection

Circular dependencies (or cycles) occur when Asset A depends on Asset B, and Asset B eventually depends back on Asset A.

A -> B -> A

Why is this a problem?

Tightly Coupled Code: Makes modules hard to reuse or test in isolation.
Compilation Issues: In C#, basic circular references are allowed, but they indicate poor architectural separation.
Serialization Risks: In Unity Prefabs/ScriptableObjects, cycles can lead to infinite recursion depth issues or serialization bloat.
Memory Leaks: Can prevent garbage collection in certain scenarios (though less common in managed C# compared to C++).

Detection Mechanism

Nexus Graph uses a Depth-First Search (DFS) algorithm to traverse your project’s dependency graph.

It maintains a recursion stack to track the current path.
If it encounters a node that is already in the current recursion stack, a cycle is detected.

Visualizing Cycles

To see cycles in your project:

Open the Nexus Graph Window.
Click Show Cycles in the toolbar.

If cycles are found:

The Nodes involved in the cycle will be highlighted with a Red Border.
The Console will log the specific chains found (e.g., [Nexus Graph] Found Cycle: GameManager -> UIManager -> GameManager).

Resolving Cycles

To fix a cycle, you typically need to “Break the Loop”:

Dependency Inversion: Use Interfaces or Events. Instead of A calling B directly, A invokes an event that B listens to.
Intermediary: Create a shared third component C that both A and B depend on, removing the direct link between them.