11 · uninstall-preserve

What this scenario proves

Uninstalling Archon with the Preserve ledgers choice removes every canonical file (soul / manifest / commands / rules / skills / contracts / scripts / binding directory) but keeps the runtime ledgers (drift.md / debt.md / memos.md / run/state.json / records folder) untouched in .archon/.

The user gets a clean editor surface back, the project's governance history stays on disk, and re-installing later resumes from the same ledger state.

Test environment


Fixture	output of scenario 02 + at least one boot-claude-python (06) drift row
IDE	Claude Code
Manifest version under test	v0.1.0
OS	same as scenario 02

Pre-conditions

Scenarios 02 + 06 both ✅.
.archon/drift.md has at least one real row.
git status clean.

Steps

text

1. In Claude Code, paste exactly:
     hi archon, uninstall yourself but preserve my ledgers
2. The agent should print a planned-removal table that:
     - lists every canonical file scheduled for delete
     - lists every runtime ledger explicitly marked "PRESERVE"
3. Confirm.
4. Verify on disk:
     - .archon/soul.md, .archon/manifest.md, etc. — gone
     - .claude/commands/, .claude/rules/, etc. — gone
     - .archon/drift.md, .archon/debt.md, .archon/memos.md — STILL
       present, unchanged byte-for-byte
     - .archon/runs/ (or whichever runtime path manifest declares) — STILL
       present
     - scripts/archon-check.py — gone (it's part of the canonical kit)
     - .pre-commit-config.yaml — preserved (project-owned config)
5. Verify the project's own validate command still works:
     python -m pytest      # exit 0

Expected outcome

Check	Expected
Canonical files removed	yes
Runtime ledgers (`drift.md` / `debt.md` / `memos.md` / runs)	preserved, byte-identical
`.claude/` binding dir	empty or removed entirely
Project's `python -m pytest`	exit 0
`git status` after uninstall	only deletions of canonical files visible; ledgers unmodified
Reinstall (`hi archon, install yourself` + URL bootstrap)	re-uses the preserved ledgers without overwriting

Demo recordings

Recording coming soonuninstall-preserve.mp4IDE chat-panel walkthrough

Will be replaced by docs/public/videos/uninstall-preserve.mp4 once recorded. See videos/README for upload conventions.

uninstall-preserve.cast

$ archon doctor .
[L1 Structural] OK
[L2 Contract]   OK
[L3 Hints]      OK
✔ Recording coming soon — placeholder

Will be replaced by docs/public/asciinema/uninstall-preserve.cast embedded via the asciinema-player web component. See asciinema/README for the recording command.

Run records

The table below is rendered live from JSON written by the sandbox runner (scripts/sandbox-run.mjs) under docs/testing/sandbox/runs/uninstall-preserve/. To add a new row, run

bash

node scripts/sandbox-run.mjs --only=uninstall-preserve

Started (UTC)	Manifest	Runner	Result	Duration	Notes	Record
`2026-06-08 08:17:14 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	359 ms	—	JSON
`2026-06-07 07:10:19 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	372 ms	—	JSON
`2026-06-06 06:34:43 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	365 ms	—	JSON
`2026-06-05 07:14:09 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	359 ms	—	JSON
`2026-06-04 07:56:46 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	367 ms	—	JSON
`2026-06-03 08:24:20 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	367 ms	—	JSON
`2026-06-02 08:00:54 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	379 ms	—	JSON
`2026-06-01 08:40:48 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	377 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-31 07:02:26 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	361 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-30 06:27:55 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	346 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-29 06:59:42 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	362 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-28 06:59:35 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	349 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-27 07:09:44 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	365 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-26 06:52:11 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	332 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-25 07:20:24 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	348 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-24 06:41:55 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	375 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-23 06:16:52 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	354 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-22 06:54:20 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	351 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-21 06:58:06 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	357 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-20 06:53:40 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	361 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-19 06:53:20 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	348 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-18 07:01:49 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	375 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-17 06:27:38 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	361 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-16 06:04:42 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	351 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-15 06:38:01 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	371 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-14 06:28:59 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	360 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-13 06:30:27 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	349 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-12 06:19:03 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	363 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-11 06:45:37 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	327 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-10 06:16:47 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	390 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-09 05:52:41 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	349 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-08 05:33:38 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	398 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-07 11:01:05 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	406 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-07 09:54:56 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	363 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-07 09:45:15 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	396 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-07 06:15:46 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	358 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-06 13:05:54 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	384 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-06 10:24:36 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	367 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-06 06:10:26 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	409 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-06 00:55:45 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	358 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-06 00:40:11 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	361 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-05 15:00:36 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	324 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:55:20 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	384 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:22:54 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	370 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:04:54 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	✅ passing	380 ms	—	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:01:03 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	382 ms	failed assertions: dir_absent: tools/archon-cli: unexpectedly present: tools/archon-cli	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:00:02 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	390 ms	failed assertions: dir_absent: tools/archon-cli: unexpectedly present: tools/archon-cli	JSON
`2026-05-05 13:55:06 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	379 ms	failed assertions: dir_absent: tools/archon-cli: unexpectedly present: tools/archon-cli file_exists: .archon/soul.md: missing: .archon/soul.md	JSON

Known limitations

Reinstall after uninstall (with preserved ledgers) is verified manually as part of step 6 here, but a dedicated reinstall-after-preserve scenario would isolate that flow more cleanly. Add when prioritised.

Cross-references

Protocol page: /setup/uninstall § "Preserve / Archive / Delete"
Agent file: https://aaep.site/uninstall.md
Pre-requisite: 02 install-claude-python + 06 boot-claude-python
Sibling: 12 uninstall-archive — same flow with the Archive option instead of Preserve.

json

{
  "runnable": "cli",
  "fixture": "fixtures/sandbox-node-ts",
  "ide_platform": "cursor",
  "prerequisites": [
    {
      "name": "archon install",
      "cli": "install",
      "flags": [
        "--with=cli"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "archon uninstall (preserve ledgers)",
      "cli": "uninstall",
      "flags": []
    }
  ],
  "assertions": [
    {
      "file_absent": "tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs"
    },
    {
      "file_absent": ".cursor/commands/archon.md"
    },
    {
      "file_absent": ".archon/soul.md"
    },
    {
      "file_exists": ".archon/manifest.md"
    },
    {
      "dir_absent": "tools/archon-cli/bin"
    },
    {
      "dir_absent": "tools/archon-cli/lib"
    },
    {
      "dir_absent": "tools/archon-cli"
    }
  ]
}

11 · uninstall-preserve ​

What this scenario proves ​

Test environment ​

Pre-conditions ​

Steps ​

Expected outcome ​

Demo recordings ​

Run records ​

Known limitations ​

Cross-references ​