What is Archify?
Archify is an agent skill for Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor and OpenCode that has the agent write a typed JSON description of a diagram, validates it, and renders a self-contained interactive HTML file. It covers ten diagram types (architecture, workflow, sequence, data flow, lifecycle, ERD, class, tree, timeline and waterfall) plus one-page explainers that put the answer first and cite numbered sources.
The viewer lets readers focus a node, trace upstream or downstream relationships, highlight a route, switch themes and export PNG, WebP, JPG or share cards. When asked to read a repository, architecture nodes can link to files and line ranges pinned to a public commit. It installs by pointing the agent at an llms.txt file or through npx skills.
The repo, created in April 2026, has about 92,100 GitHub stars and is now Apache-2.0; earlier releases keep their original MIT grant. The latest release is v3.2.0 (19 October 2026).
Is Archify worth it?
Archify's real contribution is validation, not prettiness. Most agent diagram tools ask the model for Mermaid or SVG and hope; Archify has the agent author a typed JSON source, runs schema, layout, route and label-clearance checks, and only replaces the previous output when every gate passes. When a check fails, validate --json returns a rule code and the specific fixes allowed, so the agent corrects one thing instead of regenerating the whole picture. In principle that keeps later revisions steadier than regenerating free-form output each time.
The output is one HTML file with no runtime to install. A reader can trace everything downstream of one service, probe the path from web app to database, or compare backend and database roles, and the interactions only reuse relationships the author declared rather than inferring runtime impact. Repository mode is the useful twist for engineers: evidence-backed nodes open the exact files and line ranges at a pinned commit, so a reviewer can check the map against the code.
The weight sits around the edges. The project moved from MIT to Apache-2.0, ships fast (five releases between late September and mid-October 2026), and runs an optional update check that pings its own server about once a day unless you set ARCHIFY_UPDATE_CHECK_DISABLED=1; the README says it sends no project data. The sponsor section promotes several third-party API relay services offering Claude, OpenAI and Gemini access at a few per cent of official prices, which says nothing about Archify's code but is a strange neighbour for a developer tool and worth not clicking through.
Against a hand-written Mermaid file, Archify asks more of the agent and produces something far richer; against diagram-design or fireworks-tech-graph it is the more engineered option, with a validator and a viewer contract rather than a style guide. Mermaid parsing, auto-layout, hosted sharing and drag-and-drop editing are out of scope by design, so it complements a whiteboard rather than replacing one.
Where it earns its place
A staff engineer onboarding three new hires to a 40-service backend
Produce a source-backed runtime architecture map of the repo
Ask the agent to analyse the repository and draw 8 to 12 core components with Archify; evidence-backed nodes link to the files at a pinned commit, and the HTML goes in the onboarding doc. Free; the cost is a few agent turns of tokens.
An SRE writing an incident review
Show what happened and where the time went
Generate a timeline from log timestamps and a waterfall from trace spans, then share the single HTML file. The project warns that timings are only real when they come from your logs or traces.
A product manager reviewing an architecture change
See what a proposed design adds, removes and moves
The compare command renders an Architecture Delta between two JSON snapshots; reviewers step through the authored changes, though it infers no risk or merge safety.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Tell the agent to install Archify from its llms.txt, or run npx -y skills@latest add https://archify.si --skill archify --agent cursor --global --copy --yes. Node.js runs the bundled renderer and validator; the first diagram takes one prompt.
- Integrations
- Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenCode and Cursor with the full renderer; Claude.ai skills upload; community integrations for Hermes Agent and DeepSeek Harness. Exports PNG, WebP, JPG, share cards and print-to-PDF.
- Data and privacy
- Runs locally; the generated HTML is self-contained. An optional update check GETs a manifest from the project's server about every 24 hours with normal HTTP metadata only; ARCHIFY_UPDATE_CHECK_DISABLED=1 turns it off. Apache-2.0; no security advisories published.
- Cost at scale
- No paid edition. The cost is agent tokens per diagram and revision, plus whatever model plan your coding agent uses.
- Limits
- About 270 open issues; no Mermaid parsing, general auto-layout, hosted sharing or WYSIWYG editing; the agent gets two correction rounds per diagram before visual review.
What’s good
- Typed JSON source with schema, layout and route validation before delivery
- Ten diagram types plus explainer pages with cited sources
- Single-file interactive HTML; nothing to install to view
- Repository nodes link to files and lines at a pinned commit
What’s not
- Daily update check is on unless you disable it
- Relicensed from MIT to Apache-2.0; fast release cadence
- README sponsors include cut-price API relay services
- No WYSIWYG editing or Mermaid import
Best for
Engineers and tech leads who want their coding agent to produce architecture and flow diagrams that are checked, interactive and shareable as one file.
Archify alternatives
Archify: common questions
- Is Archify worth it?
- Diagrams that check themselves before they reach you, which is exactly what agent-drawn architecture pictures have lacked. We rate it 4.0 out of 5.
- How much does Archify cost?
- Free and open source (Apache-2.0; earlier releases MIT).
- What are the downsides of Archify?
- Daily update check is on unless you disable it; relicensed from MIT to Apache-2.0; fast release cadence; rEADME sponsors include cut-price API relay services; no WYSIWYG editing or Mermaid import.
- Who is Archify best for?
- Engineers and tech leads who want their coding agent to produce architecture and flow diagrams that are checked, interactive and shareable as one file.
- How much does Archify cost for a team or in production?
- No paid edition. The cost is agent tokens per diagram and revision, plus whatever model plan your coding agent uses.
- Is Archify safe for company data?
- Runs locally; the generated HTML is self-contained. An optional update check GETs a manifest from the project's server about every 24 hours with normal HTTP metadata only; ARCHIFY_UPDATE_CHECK_DISABLED=1 turns it off. Apache-2.0; no security advisories published.
- What are the best Archify alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are Diagram Design, fireworks-tech-graph and Anatomy.
Answers checked Oct 31, 2026.
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