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

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

Steps

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

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

Started (UTC)	Manifest	Runner	Result	Duration	Notes	Record
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.

{
  "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"
    }
  ]
}