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: v2.16.0-dev.0.

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

Then ask your agent: Use archify to map this repository's runtime architecture.

❤️ Sponsors

See Archify in action

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

Three real generated artifacts. Signal Flow · Blueprint · Classic

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.

Preview

Same diagram, two themes, one click to switch.

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.

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

2. Ask for one bounded view

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

For a production deployment review, Architecture can optionally enable the deployment-ownership engineering profile. It fails closed when owners, single-region placement, private database scope, or named boundary crossings are missing. It is never enabled silently and validates authored facts—not live infrastructure.

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.

How it works

Explore and share the output

Installation options

License

MIT — free to use, modify, and distribute.

Contributing

Issues, pull requests, and real-world diagrams are welcome.