Archify is an MIT-licensed agent skill and Node.js rendering and validation system that turns a codebase or a written system description into a polished, interactive, self-contained HTML system map, and it is built for developers and platform teams working inside coding agents such as Cursor, Claude Code, Codex CLI, and OpenCode.

What it is

Archify is a JavaScript rendering and validation system distributed as an agent skill. Inside a supported coding agent, the agent produces a typed JSON intermediate representation of a system, and Archify deterministically compiles that IR into HTML and SVG rather than leaving the drawing to the model. The output covers five diagram types — architecture, workflow, sequence, data-flow, and lifecycle — with four presets, dark and light themes, built-in brand marks, and finite motion. A generated artifact is a single self-contained HTML file, and the same pipeline produces PNG, SVG, WebM, and 1200×630 share cards for sharing or embedding.

The concrete problem it solves is that architecture diagrams drift from the code they describe. Hand-maintained drawings go stale, and plain text-to-diagram tools render whatever the model asserts without checking it, so a diagram can show topology that does not exist. Archify holds the line at the intermediate representation: the IR is typed, the compilation is deterministic, and the checks run against validated snapshots. That makes it possible to review an architecture change before merge by comparing two validated snapshots as Before, Delta, and After, with exact added, removed, changed, moved, and rerouted facts. It is positioned as an alternative to Mermaid-style diagram-as-code rendering, replacing static generated pictures with verifiable, interactive artifacts.

Key capabilities

• Five diagram types: architecture, workflow, sequence, data-flow, and lifecycle.
• Typed JSON IR that Archify deterministically compiles into HTML and SVG, so rendering is not left to model guesswork.
• Snapshot comparison across two validated IR states, reported as Before / Delta / After with added, removed, changed, moved, and rerouted facts.
• Export paths to PNG, SVG, WebM, and 1200×630 share cards alongside the self-contained HTML.
• Interactive inspection: search nodes, trace upstream and downstream authored reach along exact routes, compare roles, and play guided stories.
• Revision-verified source opening, so a node can be tied back to a specific source revision.
• Four presets, dark and light themes, built-in brand marks, and finite motion for presentation.

Who uses it and how

• Engineering teams working inside Cursor, Claude Code, Codex CLI, or OpenCode who want diagrams produced during normal agent chat rather than in a separate tool.
• Reviewers running architecture change checks before merge, comparing a proposed snapshot against the current validated one to see exactly what moved.
• Users with no repository at hand, who describe a system in prose in any agent chat and still get a generated map, since no repository is required.
• Teams evaluating output against the Proof Lab, which holds 11 checked-in scenarios with their JSON sources, named views, and validation receipts.
• Teams mapping real codebases at a pinned revision, as with the public mco-org/mco repository traced at 9f1a1cf.

Getting started

Install the skill with npx skills add tt-a1i/archify -g. Cursor users can follow the agent-aware quick start on the project page for exact global and project commands, and no repository is needed to begin.

How it compares

The topic list places Archify as a Mermaid alternative, and the distinction is in what gets trusted. Mermaid renders text into a static diagram, whereas Archify compiles a typed JSON IR through deterministic checks and emits artifacts that can be diffed, traced, and revision-verified. No list of paid products replaced by this project is provided in the facts, so no licence, hosting, or cost comparison is made here.

When to use it — and when not to

Archify runs as a Node.js skill inside an agent, so there is no separate server, database, or object store to operate, but the workflow assumes the team already works inside a supported coding agent; teams without one get little from it. The README lists the current development version as v2.17.0-dev.1, so the project is on a pre-release line and interfaces may churn. The repository also carries 134 open issues, which is worth weighing before making it a fixed part of a release pipeline.

npx skills add tt-a1i/archify -g

npx skills add tt-a1i/archify -g

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

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

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

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.