08 · update-cli-without-cli

What this scenario proves

The --without={module} flag (and its agent-prompt equivalent) actually removes an optional module on update — including deleting the on-disk files of that module, not merely flagging it as "skipped going forward".

This is the regression test for the most common user request:

"I installed Archon with the cli module last week, but our CI image can't have Node. Can I drop just the CLI without uninstalling Archon entirely?"

Yes. This scenario proves it.

Test environment


Fixture	output of scenario 01 (cli module installed)
IDE	Cursor
OS	same as scenario 01
Archon source	`https://aaep.site/manifest.json`
Manifest version under test	v0.1.0 (no version bump needed)

Pre-conditions

Scenario 01 ✅, with cli module included (default).
tools/archon-cli/ exists on disk.
git status clean.

Steps

text

1. In Cursor, paste exactly:
     hi archon, update yourself but without the cli module
2. Or equivalently via CLI:
     npx @archon/cli@latest update --without=cli --yes
3. The agent / CLI prints a planned-changes table that should include:
     - REMOVE  tools/archon-cli/...        (every cli file)
     - KEEP    .archon/...                  (core unchanged)
     - KEEP    .cursor/...                  (binding unchanged)
4. Confirm.
5. Verify tools/archon-cli/ no longer exists.
6. Verify .archon/manifest.md or wherever opted-in modules are
   tracked reflects "cli: not installed".

Expected outcome

Check	Expected
`tools/archon-cli/` removed	yes
Other modules untouched	yes
`.archon/drift.md` rows	unchanged
`.archon/VERSION`	unchanged
Subsequent `archon sync` (scenario 09) reports cli as "not installed" — not as "0/N ok"	yes
`python3 scripts/archon-check.py --root .` exit code	0
`npm run validate` exit code	0

Demo recordings

Recording coming soonupdate-cli-without-cli.mp4IDE chat-panel walkthrough

Will be replaced by docs/public/videos/update-cli-without-cli.mp4 once recorded. See videos/README for upload conventions.

update-cli-without-cli.cast

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

Will be replaced by docs/public/asciinema/update-cli-without-cli.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/update-cli-without-cli/. To add a new row, run

bash

node scripts/sandbox-run.mjs --only=update-cli-without-cli

Started (UTC)	Manifest	Runner	Result	Duration	Notes	Record
`2026-05-06 10:24:37 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	345 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-06 06:10:26 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	349 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-06 00:55:45 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	345 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-06 00:40:11 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	353 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-05 15:00:36 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	298 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:55:20 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	354 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:22:55 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	351 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:04:55 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	339 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-05 14:00:02 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	329 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-05 13:59:14 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	348 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON
`2026-05-05 13:55:06 UTC`	`v0.1.0`	cli	❌ failing	346 ms	failed assertions: dir_exists: tools/archon-cli: missing dir: tools/archon-cli file_exists: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs: missing: tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs	JSON

Known limitations

Does not test re-adding the cli later via --with=cli. That is a separate scenario worth adding (update-add-cli-back) once the basic remove path is green.
Does not test removing a required module — that should fail loudly. A negative scenario update-without-required-fails is a good follow-up.

Cross-references

Protocol page: /setup/update § "Module selection (--with / --without)"
Manifest: /setup/manifest — required vs optional modules table
Pre-requisite: 01 install-cursor-node
Follow-up: any subsequent 09 sync-clean run should reflect cli as "not installed".

json

{
  "runnable": "cli",
  "fixture": "fixtures/sandbox-node-ts",
  "ide_platform": "cursor",
  "prerequisites": [
    {
      "name": "archon install (no cli)",
      "cli": "install",
      "flags": [
        "--without=cli"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "archon update with cli",
      "cli": "update",
      "flags": [
        "--with=cli"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "assertions": [
    {
      "dir_exists": "tools/archon-cli"
    },
    {
      "file_exists": "tools/archon-cli/bin/archon.mjs"
    }
  ]
}

08 · update-cli-without-cli ​

What this scenario proves ​

Test environment ​

Pre-conditions ​

Steps ​

Expected outcome ​

Demo recordings ​

Run records ​

Known limitations ​

Cross-references ​