Archify Showcase Profile vs Standard Profile: Validation and Rendering Differences

Archify's Showcase Profile enforces strict rendering validation where layout violations trigger hard errors, while the Standard Profile treats identical geometry issues as warnings, allowing diagrams to render despite imperfections.

Archify, the open-source diagram-as-code framework in the tt-a1i/archify repository, uses a quality profile system defined in meta.quality_profile to control validation rigor. The system supports two distinct modes—standard and showcase—that determine whether overlapping routes or short segments block delivery or merely appear as artifacts in the receipt.

What Are Quality Profiles?

Quality profiles are enumerated values defined in the architecture schema that govern how the workflow renderer validates diagram geometry. According to archify/schemas/architecture.schema.json, the field accepts only two values:

"quality_profile": { "enum": ["standard", "showcase"] }

These profiles act as validation gates. Standard prioritizes iteration speed by allowing diagrams with minor layout issues to proceed, while Showcase enforces publication-grade standards where any geometric imperfection causes rendering failure.

Validation Behavior: Warnings vs Hard Errors

The fundamental difference between profiles lies in how the renderer treats validation findings.

Standard Profile Behavior

When meta.quality_profile is set to standard or omitted entirely, the renderer operates in lenient mode. Validation issues such as overlapping lanes, short route segments, or improper crossing angles generate warnings in the artifact receipt but do not prevent delivery. As implemented in the workflow renderer, diagrams containing these warnings still compile to HTML output, making this profile ideal for rapid prototyping.

Showcase Profile Behavior

Setting the profile to showcase activates strict validation. The same geometric conditions that generate warnings in Standard mode instead produce hard errors. The renderer requires 0 errors and 0 warnings across all nine artifact checks before accepting a diagram for showcase delivery. This zero-tolerance approach ensures that only polished, presentation-ready diagrams reach final output.

Layout and Composition Rules Compared

The profiles apply different thresholds to specific geometric constraints, as documented in archify/renderers/workflow/README.md.

Geometry Thresholds

Constraint	Standard Profile	Showcase Profile
Minimum route segment	Allowed with warning	Hard error if < 8px
Interior turn segment	Allowed with warning	Hard error if < 16px
Overlap tolerance	Permitted	Rejected if ≥ 8px
Proper-X crossing	Warning	Hard error (composition/proper-crossing)
Collinear corridors	Permitted unless warning	Rejected if overlap ≥ 8px

Composition Enforcement

Standard Profile allows collinear lane corridors and permits "proper-X" crossing rule violations to pass with warnings. Showcase Profile strictly enforces these composition rules: unrelated edge crossings must follow proper-X geometry, and any corridor overlap meeting the 8px threshold causes immediate rejection.

When to Use Each Profile

Use Standard Profile for exploratory diagrams, quick drafts, or dense architectural maps where visual density matters more than geometric perfection. The archify/SKILL.md file explicitly notes that Standard is appropriate when users request "dense standard maps."

Use Showcase Profile for production-ready, client-facing deliverables. The renderer treats this as the default preference for polished delivery unless explicitly overridden. Any diagram intended for publishing, executive presentations, or formal documentation should use this mode to ensure rigorous visual standards.

Configuring Profiles in Practice

JSON Configuration

Declare the profile in the diagram's metadata object:

// Standard profile for rapid iteration
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "diagram_type": "workflow",
  "meta": {
    "title": "Draft Architecture",
    "quality_profile": "standard"
  },
  "lanes": [],
  "nodes": [],
  "edges": []
}

// Showcase profile for production delivery
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "diagram_type": "workflow",
  "meta": {
    "title": "Production Architecture",
    "quality_profile": "showcase"
  },
  "lanes": [],
  "nodes": [],
  "edges": []
}

CLI Override

Override the profile when invoking the renderer from the command line, as shown in archify/renderers/workflow/README.md and archify/references/delivery-contract.md:

# Standard rendering (allows warnings)

node archify/renderers/workflow/render-workflow.mjs input.workflow.json output.html

# Showcase rendering (strict validation)

node archify/renderers/workflow/render-workflow.mjs input.workflow.json output.html --quality showcase

Summary

• Standard Profile treats layout issues as warnings, permitting delivery of diagrams with overlapping segments or short routes.
• Showcase Profile enforces hard errors for segments under 8px, interior turns under 16px, and any proper-X crossing violations.
• The schema definition in archify/schemas/architecture.schema.json restricts quality_profile to ["standard", "showcase"].
• Showcase requires zero validation findings across nine artifact checks, while Standard allows warnings to persist.
• Use Standard for drafts and Showcase for publication-grade diagrams, with CLI support via --quality showcase.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a Showcase Profile diagram has validation warnings?

The renderer rejects the diagram entirely and prevents HTML generation. Unlike Standard Profile, which delivers the artifact with a warning receipt, Showcase Profile requires 0 errors and 0 warnings before the workflow renderer will produce output.

Can I convert a Standard Profile diagram to Showcase Profile?

Yes, change the meta.quality_profile value from "standard" to "showcase" in your JSON definition. However, expect validation failures if the diagram contains segments under 8px, overlaps exceeding 8px, or improper crossing geometries that previously generated only warnings.

Where does Archify define the quality profile schema?

The enumeration is defined in archify/schemas/architecture.schema.json, which specifies "quality_profile": { "enum": ["standard", "showcase"] }. The validation logic implementing these rules resides in archify/renderers/workflow/README.md and corresponding renderer modules.

Which profile should I use for production diagrams?

Use Showcase Profile for any diagram intended for client delivery, executive presentations, or publication. According to archify/SKILL.md, you should "set meta.quality_profile to "showcase" unless the user explicitly requests a dense standard map," ensuring rigorous validation for polished output.

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