Archify

Turn a codebase or system description into a polished, interactive system map — directly in chat.

Archify is a Node.js rendering and validation system for Cursor, Claude Code, Codex CLI, and OpenCode. Agents produce typed JSON IR; Archify deterministically compiles it into HTML/SVG.

• Open it and present — five diagram types, four presets, dark/light themes, built-in brand marks, and finite motion
• Review architecture changes before merge — compare two validated snapshots as Before / Delta / After, with exact added, removed, changed, moved, and rerouted facts
• Every interaction stays grounded — search nodes, optionally open revision-verified source, trace upstream/downstream authored reach and exact routes, compare roles, and play guided stories without inventing topology
• One file, ready to trust and share — typed JSON IR and deterministic checks produce self-contained HTML plus PNG, SVG, WebM, and 1200×630 share cards

Current development version: v2.17.0-dev.1. See Changelog.

Project page · Scenario guide · Proof Lab

npx skills add tt-a1i/archify -g

Using Cursor? Open the agent-aware quick start for exact global and project commands.

No repository is required: describe the system in any agent chat.

❤️ Sponsors

Want to sponsor Archify? Contact us by email.

See Archify in action

These are generated Archify artifacts, not product mockups. Click a frame to open its live, shareable state.

Guided story	Route probe	Semantic lens
Play one finite named chapter.	Inspect the shortest authored directed path.	Compare real traffic between semantic roles.

The Proof Lab contains all 11 checked-in scenarios, their JSON sources, named views, and validation receipts.

A real repository, mapped from source

Archify traced mco-org/mco at 9f1a1cf and produced this checked map. Open it ↗ · trace reach ↗ · typed source

Preview

Same diagram, two themes, one click to switch:

Dark	Light

The Export menu copies PNG to the clipboard and downloads static or motion formats:

Use Copy Share Card when you want a canonical 1200×630 image for a README, release, or social post.

After tracing a route, Export → Route Share Card downloads that authored path as a 1200×630 PNG with the full diagram retained for context.

After tracing authored Upstream or Downstream reach, Export → Reach Share Card captures that exact reading without claiming runtime impact.

Open examples/web-app.html locally to try the complete viewer.

Quick start

1. Install

npx skills add tt-a1i/archify -g

For an explicit, non-interactive Cursor install:

npx -y skills add tt-a1i/archify --skill archify --agent cursor --global --copy --yes

To try without installing:

npx skills use tt-a1i/archify@archify --agent codex

DSH community opt-in: dsh plugin --profile web add @tt-a1i/archify-dsh@0.1.0

The agent switcher covers cursor, codex, claude-code, and opencode. For Raven's manual ZIP install, extract archify.zip into ~/.raven/workspace/skills; it yields ~/.raven/workspace/skills/archify. Raven is not a switcher target.

Archify may GET the fixed stable manifest solely to show an optional reminder; it never downloads or installs updates. Successful checks wait about 72 hours (±20%); active use retries failures after 6, then 24 hours. The server sees normal HTTP metadata (IP and time), but receives no version, Agent, project data, prompts, account/device ID, or ETag. You decide whether and when to update. Set ARCHIFY_UPDATE_CHECK_DISABLED=1 to disable networking and reminder-state writes.

2. Start from a description — no repository required

Use Archify to draw: Browser -> API -> Redis cache -> PostgreSQL fallback.

For source evidence, open a repository and ask:

Analyze this repository, then use archify to create a high-level runtime architecture diagram.
Show 8–12 core components, one primary path, external dependencies, and trust boundaries.
Put supporting detail in cards instead of adding more edges.

3. Refine in chat

Continue with focused requests such as add Redis, move auth to the left, or highlight the rollback path. Archify keeps the typed source available for targeted iteration.

Choose the right diagram

Architecture's optional deployment-ownership profile fails closed when authored owners, region placement, private database scope, or named crossings are missing; it is never implicit and does not inspect live infrastructure. See the checked deployment proof.

For design or PR review, Architecture Delta compares validated Before / Delta / After snapshots with a machine receipt. Select an authored change or play one finite, viewer-only Review; it infers no impact, risk, or merge safety.

node archify/bin/archify.mjs compare architecture base.json head.json architecture-delta.html --json

Not sure which one fits? Use the interactive scenario guide, or ask the zero-dependency CLI:

node archify/bin/archify.mjs guide "Show an API request with Redis cache miss"
node archify/bin/archify.mjs guide "Map Kafka topics, consumer groups, replay, and DLQ" --json

Workflow keeps the happy path clear across lanes:

Sequence explains one interaction over time:

Data Flow makes movement and sensitivity boundaries explicit:

Lifecycle separates progress, waits, retries, and terminal outcomes:

Architecture examples: web-app · Archify pipeline · grid placement · desktop agent

Why Archify

• Layout judgment over generic auto-layout — the agent chooses hierarchy, spacing, routes, and emphasis; shared automatic endpoints spread deterministically instead of piling arrows on one midpoint.
• Typed JSON IR — every renderer-backed mode has a schema and reproducible source.
• Atomic validation before delivery — schema, layout, HTML/SVG, route, and label-to-route clearance checks must all pass before a showcase artifact replaces the last known good output.
• Failures come with a repair receipt — validate --json and deliver --json return stable rule codes, the exact subject, measured evidence, and only supported repair controls instead of a Node stack or an unstructured retry guess.
• Last-good live preview — an optional desktop loop watches one JSON file, refreshes only after the latest candidate passes every gate, and keeps the previous verified diagram visible when a save is incomplete or invalid.
• Truthful interaction — focus, upstream/downstream reach, exact routes, role comparison, and stories reuse authored nodes and relationships instead of inventing topology or claiming runtime impact.
• Source evidence, only when requested — Evidence-backed Architecture nodes mark themselves SRC n and open Git-verified files and line ranges pinned to one public commit; ordinary artifacts stay source-free.
• Portable by default — the result is one HTML file; exports remain full-diagram and free of temporary viewer state.

Archify is not a general-purpose drawing editor or a Mermaid theme. It turns technical intent into a communication artifact.

How it works

Useful repository commands:

cd archify
node bin/archify.mjs doctor
node bin/archify.mjs demo /tmp/archify-demo
node bin/archify.mjs guide "Show CI/CD checks, approval, deploy, and rollback"
node bin/archify.mjs validate workflow examples/agent-tool-call.workflow.json --quality showcase --json
node bin/archify.mjs preview workflow examples/agent-tool-call.workflow.json /tmp/workflow.html --quality showcase
node bin/archify.mjs deliver workflow examples/agent-tool-call.workflow.json /tmp/workflow.html --quality showcase --open --json

preview is an explicit loopback-only desktop mode: it watches one JSON file on a random 127.0.0.1 port, keeps the last verified output through failures, stops with Ctrl-C, and adds no generated-HTML runtime. Use --no-open for tests or manual URL opening.

deliver --open is an opt-in one-shot handoff after commit. Opener failure preserves success; JSON remains on stdout and the absolute fallback path goes to stderr.

On failure, validate --json and deliver --json emit one JSON object. Apply only each diagnostics[] subject's supportedFixes, within the Skill's two correction rounds; visual review remains separate.

Settings:

{
  "meta": {
    "locale": "en",
    "animation": "trace",
    "visual_preset": "signal-flow"
  }
}

meta.locale=en|zh-CN localizes page title, Legend, states/errors, a11y, HTML/SVG lang—never authored content. Otherwise omit; preserve requested-language copy; disclose English fallback. Static omits animation; classic defaults.

Explore and share the output

Stable links can restore #focus=<id>, #focus=<id>&reach=upstream|downstream, #relation=<id>, #route=<source>~<target>, #lens=<kind>~<kind>, and #view=<view-id>. Reader-driven motion is finite, respects prefers-reduced-motion, and never enters canonical exports.

The complete generation and viewer contract lives in archify/SKILL.md.

Installation options

Reference and scope

• Schema reference · Skill · Examples · Agent cookbook
• Changelog
• Roadmap
• Generated Proof Lab

Automatic Mermaid parsing, general-purpose auto-layout, hosted sharing, and WYSIWYG editing are intentionally outside the current scope.

License

MIT — free to use, modify, and distribute.

Contributing

Issues, pull requests, and real-world diagrams are welcome. Start with the contribution guide, use the reproducible bug form for failures, or submit a validated diagram through the community showcase form. · LINUX DO

Star History