Where to Find the Archify Authoring Contract: Complete File Path Guide

The Archify authoring contract is located at archify/references/authoring-contract.md in the tt-a1i/archify repository.

This contract is a Markdown reference that defines the rules, conventions, and invariants for authoring diagrams with Archify. If you're looking for the Archify authoring contract, this guide shows you exactly where to find it and how the codebase uses it.

Exact Location of the Archify Authoring Contract

The authoritative Archify authoring contract lives in the repository under the archify/references directory:

Path	Purpose
archify/references/authoring-contract.md	The canonical contract defining field enums, spacing math, geometry repair rules, and other authoring invariants

You can view it directly on GitHub at archify/references/authoring-contract.md.

How the Codebase Uses the Authoring Contract

The contract is not just documentation—it is actively consumed by multiple parts of the system.

CLI Verification with archify.mjs

The CLI entry point at archify/bin/archify.mjs consults the authoring contract during doctor runs to verify that authoring follows prescribed standards:

# Verify the contract is present and valid

node archify/bin/archify.mjs doctor

Expected output includes:

[ok] Progressive authoring references – all contracts found

Test Suite Validation

The test file archify/test/authoring-safety-contract.test.mjs validates the contract's content and ensures it loads correctly. This prevents drift between the contract specification and runtime behavior.

Referenced from Skill Definition and Cookbook

The main skill definition at archify/SKILL.md references the authoring contract for detailed rules. The user-facing docs/authoring-cookbook.md also directs authors to the contract for deeper guidance.

Loading the Authoring Contract Programmatically

If you need to read the contract in your own tooling, use this pattern:

// Load the authoring contract from the repository
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { join } from 'path';

const contractPath = join(__dirname, 'archify', 'references', 'authoring-contract.md');
const authoringContract = readFileSync(contractPath, 'utf8');

console.log('Authoring contract content (first 200 chars):');
console.log(authoringContract.slice(0, 200));

What the Contract Contains

The Archify authoring contract specifies:

• Field enums — Valid values for diagram properties
• Spacing math — Minimum distances and maximum overlaps
• Geometry repair rules — How to fix malformed diagrams
• Quality invariants — Constraints that must hold for valid authoring

The contract uses a structured format that tooling can parse. Here is an illustrative snippet of the data conventions it defines:

{
  "meta": {
    "locale": "en",
    "quality_profile": "standard"
  },
  "spacing": {
    "minPortDistance": 8,
    "maxPortOverlap": 0
  }
}

Related Files in the Archify Repository

File	Description	Link
archify/SKILL.md	Main skill file referencing the authoring contract	view on GitHub
docs/authoring-cookbook.md	User-facing cookbook for diagram authors	view on GitHub
archify/bin/archify.mjs	CLI entry point with doctor verification	view on GitHub
archify/test/authoring-safety-contract.test.mjs	Contract validation tests	view on GitHub

Summary

• The Archify authoring contract is at archify/references/authoring-contract.md
• It is consulted by the CLI (archify.mjs) and validated by the test suite
• Reference it from archify/SKILL.md and docs/authoring-cookbook.md for context
• Use the archify.mjs doctor command to verify contract presence

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Archify authoring contract?

The Archify authoring contract is a Markdown file that defines the rules, conventions, and invariants for authoring diagrams with Archify. It specifies field enums, spacing math, geometry repair rules, and quality standards that authors and tools must follow.

How do I verify the authoring contract is present?

Run node archify/bin/archify.mjs doctor from the repository root. The CLI checks for the contract and reports [ok] Progressive authoring references – all contracts found when validation passes.

Can I parse the authoring contract programmatically?

Yes. The contract at archify/references/authoring-contract.md follows a structured format. You can load it with standard file system methods and parse its JSON-like sections to extract field enums, spacing constraints, and other authoring rules.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}