archify

# Archify Skill

Create professional technical diagrams as self-contained HTML files with inline SVG, a theme toggle, and a built-in image/SVG export menu.

Every diagram ships with a **dark/light theme toggle** (persists in `localStorage`, respects `prefers-color-scheme`), an **export menu** (copy PNG to clipboard; download PNG/JPEG/WebP rasterized natively at up to 4× resolution; download a **dual-theme SVG** that follows the embedding host's `prefers-color-scheme` — ideal for GitHub READMEs), and a **CSS-variable color system** that keeps both themes consistent.

## Setup (one-time, renderer modes only)

The four typed renderers validate JSON against schemas via `ajv`. From this skill's folder:

```bash
npm install
```

Without it the renderers still run — they print a warning and skip schema validation, keeping their own layout checks. The **generated HTML never has dependencies**; only the renderers do.

If you have no shell access at all (e.g. the skill was added as project knowledge), fall back to architecture mode for every request: hand-place SVG into `assets/template.html` following the Design System below, and run the self-review checklist before delivering.

## Choosing a Diagram Type

| Type | Use for | How |
|------|---------|-----|
| `architecture` | System components, cloud resources, services, security boundaries, infrastructure | `renderers/architecture/render-architecture.mjs` + JSON (or hand-place SVG when renderers can't run) |
| `workflow` | Technical flows, approval gates, tool calls, runbooks, CI/CD, incident response | `renderers/workflow/render-workflow.mjs` + JSON |
| `sequence` | API call chains, request lifecycles, cache fallback, async traces, return paths | `renderers/sequence/render-sequence.mjs` + JSON |
| `dataflow` | Pipelines, ETL/ELT, PII isolation, lineage, warehouse sync, consumers | `renderers/dataflow/render-dataflow.mjs` + JSON |
| `lifecycle` | State machines, status transitions, wait states, retries, terminal states | `renderers/lifecycle/render-lifecycle.mjs` + JSON |

Trigger phrases: "architecture/system/cloud diagram" → `architecture` (unless clearly process-oriented). "workflow/flow/process/runbook/approval/CI-CD/incident" → `workflow`. "sequence/interaction/call chain/who calls whom" → `sequence`. "data flow/pipeline/ETL/lineage/PII/governance" → `dataflow`. "state/status/lifecycle/state machine/retry/terminal" → `lifecycle`.

## Mermaid as an Input Dialect

When the user pastes Mermaid code, do NOT try to render or parse it mechanically — read it for structure and **lay out from scratch** in the matching archify mode:

| Mermaid | Archify mode | Mapping |
|---------|--------------|---------|
| `flowchart` / `graph` | `workflow` (or `architecture` if it's a component map) | `subgraph` → lane or region boundary; node shape `{}` (diamond) → decision/security node; `-->` labels → edge labels (use sparingly); `classDef`/`style` → nearest semantic type |
| `sequenceDiagram` | `sequence` | `participant` → participants (pick semantic `type` from the name); `->>` → message, `-->>` → `return` variant; `Note` → message `note`; `rect` blocks → segments |
| `stateDiagram` | `lifecycle` | states → states (pick `start`/`active`/`waiting`/`success`/`failure` from names); `[*]` start/end → `start` type / `terminal` lane; transition labels → event-like labels |

Drop Mermaid styling; keep only the topology and meaning. You choose grouping, lane order, and what deserves emphasis — that judgment is the product.

## Renderer Modes (workflow / sequence / dataflow / lifecycle)

All four modes follow the same loop:

1. **Read first**: the schema (`schemas/<type>.schema.json`) and the complete worked example (`examples/*.{workflow,sequence,dataflow,lifecycle}.json`) — copy its patterns instead of guessing field shapes.
2. Write `<name>.<type>.json`.
3. Render: `node renderers/<type>/render-<type>.mjs <input>.json <output>.html` (paths relative to this skill's folder).
4. If it fails, the error names the JSON path or the fix (thresholds, valid ranges, which knob to change). Fix the JSON and re-run; never edit the renderer.

Schema violations exit non-zero with path-prefixed messages like `/nodes/3 (id/label: "router") must NOT have additional properties`. The renderers additionally fail fast on layout problems: node/state overlap (including cross-lane), labels colliding with nodes or other labels, labels wider than their node, out-of-range columns/rows, too-short edges, and legends outside the viewBox. CJK text is measured at double width automatically.

### Workflow

```json
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "diagram_type": "workflow",
  "meta": { "title": "Release Workflow", "subtitle": "PR to production", "output": "release.html" },
  "lanes": [ { "id": "dev", "label": "Developer" }, { "id": "ci", "label": "CI" } ],
  "nodes": [
    { "id": "pr", "lane": "dev", "col": 0, "type": "frontend", "label": "Open PR", "sublabel": "feature branch" },
    { "id": "build", "lane": "ci", "col": 1, "type": "backend", "label": "Build", "sublabel": "lint + test", "tag": "blocking" }
  ],
  "edges": [
    { "from": "pr", "to": "build", "label": "webhook", "variant": "emphasis", "fromSide": "bottom", "toSide": "top", "route": "drop" }
  ],
  "cards": []
}
```

**Layout budget**: 6 columns (`col` 0–5) at fixed x positions `[88, 220, 300, 430, 500, 625]` — columns 1↔2 and 3↔4 are only 70–80px apart, so default-width (92px) nodes in those adjacent columns of the same lane overlap; skip a column or shrink `width`. Lane content width is 640px. Omit `meta.viewBox` — the renderer sizes height to the lane count automatically. Edge routes: `straight`, `drop` (bend between lanes; `bias` 0–1 picks where), `outside-right`, `return-left`, `bottom-channel`, `up-channel`, or explicit `via` points. Keep adjacent-step edges unlabeled; reserve labels for cross-lane transitions, approvals, async writes, and returns.

### Sequence

```json
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "diagram_type": "sequence",
  "meta"