Uninstall Protocol (remove)

The protocol Archon agents and the CLI run when you decide to remove Archon from a project. Destructive, but reversible-by-default — your governance ledgers are preserved unless you explicitly choose otherwise.

Agents fetch the executable instruction file at https://aaep.site/uninstall.md. This page is the human-readable view of what the agent will do.

When this protocol applies

The user says (no URL needed once the wake rule is loaded):

• "uninstall archon"
• "remove archon"
• "I want to stop using archon"
• "hi archon, uninstall yourself"

The agent treats this as a destructive operation: every step asks for explicit consent.

Three choices for your ledgers

The first decision the agent presents:

Mode	What happens to runtime ledgers	Default?
P Preserve in place	Stay under .archon/; the framework files around them are removed	✓ default
A Archive	Move to .archon-history-<ISO>/, then remove from .archon/
D Delete	Wiped permanently — requires typing the literal word DELETE

runtime_ledger_paths covers both files (drift.md, debt.md, …) and directories (drift/, debt/, runs/, dashboard/heartbeats/, …).

The default (Preserve) means a future re-install resumes from your existing governance history — install + the same ledgers = picking up where you left off.

The 8 steps

1. Confirm intent and ledger mode

Explain the three choices. Wait for explicit P / A / D selection.

If user picks D, require them to type DELETE exactly. Anything else aborts.

2. Fetch the manifest

GET https://aaep.site/manifest.json

To know exactly which paths Archon owns. Files outside the manifest will never be touched.

3. Build the removal set

For every canonical file present in the project, classify:

• REMOVE if not in runtime_ledger_paths.
• LEDGER if it is — handled per ledger mode in step 4.

4. Handle ledgers per choice

Mode	Action
Preserve	No changes to ledger files/dirs. They stay in place.
Archive	mkdir .archon-history-<ISO>/ → move every ledger path into it → remove the original from .archon/.
Delete	Remove every ledger path entirely.

5. Remove framework files

Print the full removal list. Ask one final confirmation. Then remove.

6. Final cleanup

Prune empty Archon-owned directories (.archon/, <binding-root>/commands/, etc.) that resulted from the removal. Never touch sibling directories with non-Archon content — for example, <binding-root>/rules/ may still contain user rules that don't start with archon.

7. Log the uninstall

Write .archon-uninstall-<ISO>.log to the project root with:

• Timestamp.
• Manifest version.
• Ledger mode chosen.
• Full list of removed paths.
• Archive location (if Archive mode).

This log lives outside .archon/ so it survives even Delete mode.

8. Summarise

Print a concise summary:

• ✓ N files removed.
• 📁 Ledgers: preserved / archived to <path> / deleted.
• 🪵 Log written to .archon-uninstall-<ISO>.log.
• 💡 To reinstall later: ask your agent "read aaep.site/skill.md and install archon" (the wake rule was removed by uninstall, so the URL bootstrap is needed again), or npx @archon/cli@latest install --force if you have Node ≥ 18. Your ledgers will resume if Preserved or Archived.

Safety guarantees

• Default mode is Preserve — destructive choices require explicit opt-in.
• Delete mode requires typing DELETE literally. No one-click disasters.
• Files not in the canonical manifest are never touched. The agent refuses to delete anything it can't prove Archon owns.
• The uninstall log is written outside .archon/ so you have a record even after a Delete-mode uninstall.

CLI equivalent (optional, requires Node ≥ 18)

# preserve ledgers (default)
npx @archon/cli@latest uninstall

# archive ledgers to .archon-history-<ISO>/
npx @archon/cli@latest uninstall --archive-ledgers

# DESTRUCTIVE — wipes ledgers, requires DELETE confirmation
npx @archon/cli@latest uninstall --delete-ledgers

# preview what would happen, write nothing
npx @archon/cli@latest uninstall --dry-run

The CLI itself requires Node ≥ 18. If you don't have Node, ask your agent "uninstall archon" — the conversational path performs the identical 8-step protocol.

Reinstalling after uninstall

If you preserved or archived ledgers, a future re-install will restore them.

Without Node (any-platform agent path):

# in your AI coding chat panel:
read aaep.site/skill.md and install archon (force)

The URL is required again because uninstall removed the wake rule from your binding directory; without archon-wake.mdc (or its platform equivalent) in context, your agent has no concept of "Archon" until it fetches the protocol.

With Node ≥ 18 (CLI path):

# preserved: ledgers are still in .archon/, just re-install framework around them
npx @archon/cli@latest install --force

# archived: move them back first, then install
mv .archon-history-<ISO>/* .archon/
npx @archon/cli@latest install --force

--force tells install to skip the "already installed" refuse-check and re-fetch the framework files.

Raw agent file

https://aaep.site/uninstall.md

What's next

• Going somewhere else? Take your .archon-history-<ISO>/ archive with you — it's just markdown, readable in any editor.
• Coming back? See Install.
• The full lifecycle this command sits in: Complete Lifecycle.