Archify : Honest Review
Architecture diagrams become unreliable when the code changes but the diagram does not. Archify approaches this problem by generating diagrams through your coding agent. The agent analyzes a repository, creates a typed JSON description of the system, and Archify validates and renders it as an interactive HTML/SVG diagram. I tested it on an unfamiliar repository to answer four practical questions:…
Archify is an agent skill for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and OpenCode. It analyzes a repository or system description and creates a typed JSON representation of the architecture. Archify then validates and renders this structure into an interactive HTML/SVG diagram. It supports five types of diagrams: Architecture, Workflow, Sequence, Data flow, and Lifecycle. While Archify can catch errors in the data and validate the diagram, it cannot guarantee complete accuracy. The user still needs to review the output.
To try Archify, Node.js 18 or newer is required. Install the skill globally using the command: npx skills add tt-a1i/archify -g. Open the project in a supported coding agent and use a scoped prompt to analyze the repository and generate a high-level runtime architecture diagram. Constraints such as focusing on 8-12 core components and including source evidence can help make the diagram more manageable and easier to understand.
Archify diagrams can be regenerated as needed when the architecture changes, making them more like a build artifact rather than a manually maintained drawing. Source evidence allows components to reference specific repository files and line ranges, which can help verify the accuracy of the diagram. However, it's important to remember that the agent still creates the JSON structure, and the user should still verify the important nodes and relationships against the code.
Guided views within Archify diagrams can focus the reader on existing nodes and relationships, making them useful for onboarding, design discussions, and explaining unfamiliar services during reviews. Additionally, Archify can compare two validated architecture snapshots and produce a Before, Delta, and After view, highlighting additions, removals, changes, movements, and rerouted relationships.
This comparison view can be useful for identifying changes in pull requests, but it does not determine runtime impact, operational risk, whether a change is safe, or if a pull request should be merged.
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