Archon CLI

Status: v0.1.0 preview (placeholder package name @archon/cli — the final name on npm is not yet decided).

This is a thin, in-repo CLI that packages the three operations Archon adopters care about: init, doctor, and export. It currently runs from a checkout of the Archon source repo (the Distilgent host project); self-contained distribution via npm create archon / npx is the next milestone.

Install (local dev)

# From the Archon repo root
npm link ./tools/archon-cli
# You now have `archon` on PATH
archon --version

Or run without linking:

node tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs --help

Commands

archon init <target-dir>

Scaffolds a new Archon-governed project.

archon init ../my-new-project --platform=cursor
archon init ../claude-project --platform=claude-code --overwrite
archon init ./demo --dry-run    # show the plan, no files written

Output includes the six .archon/ state files (manifest/drift/debt/memos/decisions + soul), the platform-scoped .cursor/ or .claude/ tree (commands · agents · rules · skills), portable helpers (scripts/archon-check.py, scripts/archon-run-state.mjs, ...), bundled reference docs, and a post-init banner reminding the adopter which manifest sections to fill before the first /archon run.

archon doctor [project-dir]

Audits an Archon-governed project across three layers:

• L1 Structural — required files exist (soul.md, manifest.md, drift.md, debt.md, memos.md, decisions.md, VERSION, platform directory).
• L2 Contract — delegates to scripts/archon-check.py (the portable governance-contract guard). Pass --python=<path> to pick a specific interpreter.
• L3 Hints — cheap readability signals: remaining template placeholders, missing Validation Command, empty sections.

Exit code is 0 when all checks pass, 1 when any L1 or L2 failure is detected. Warnings alone do not fail the command.

archon doctor .
archon doctor ../my-project --python=python3

archon export <output-dir>

Emits a standalone Archon kit (same behavior as npm run archon:export inside the source repo). Useful when you want a ready-to-copy kit rather than scaffolding directly into a project.

archon export ./archon-kit-v0.1.0 --platform=cursor --overwrite
archon export ./archon-claude --platform=claude-code

Shared flags

• --platform=<cursor|claude-code> — which platform's command/agent/rule/skill layout to materialize (default: cursor).
• --overwrite — allow replacing an existing target directory.
• --dry-run — print the plan without writing files (supported by init and export).
• --source=<path> — pin the Archon source repo location (otherwise walks up from cwd looking for .archon/VERSION + scripts/export-archon-core.mjs).
• --help, -h — show usage.
• --version, -v — print CLI version.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success (or dry-run plan printed)
1	Invalid arguments, missing source repo, export/doctor failure

Versioning

The CLI's own version (from tools/archon-cli/package.json) is reported by archon --version. The version of the governance kit itself (the material that init and export land) is read from .archon/VERSION at runtime and printed in every command's banner.

Not yet supported

• Self-contained npm distribution (the CLI still needs access to the docs/archon/templates/ and scripts/ in the Archon source repo). Planned for v0.2.0.
• Interactive prompts (everything is flag-driven today for CI compatibility).
• Custom-named sub-agents or lens curation during init.