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CLI Reference

Rejean McCormick edited this page Oct 12, 2026 · 1 revision

CLI Reference

Run python arketype.py from the repository root. The CLI ships with the complete Arketype archive and delegates workspace initialization and checks to the bundled Authoring Kit.

Command Purpose Example
list List archetypes python arketype.py list
list --family Filter by one source family python arketype.py list --family Structures
search TERM Search names, descriptions and use cases python arketype.py search "nature"
show SLUG Print one archetype python arketype.py show taxonomie-classification
profiles List situated profiles python arketype.py profiles
profile SLUG Inspect one situated profile python arketype.py profile suivi-employe
recipes List design-only compositions python arketype.py recipes
recipe ID Print one composition recipe python arketype.py recipe taxonomie-nature
create Initialize an empty workspace See below
compose Initialize with a conceptual composition plan See below
validate Validate Arketype catalogue metadata python arketype.py validate
validate --check-kit Also check each local template with the Kit python arketype.py validate --check-kit
build-html Regenerate the offline visual catalogue python arketype.py build-html

create and compose

Both accept --type, --slug, --title, --parent, optional --recipe, repeatable --with and --dry-run. For compose, a --recipe or at least one --with is required. If --recipe is supplied, the primary archetype may be inferred; any explicit --type must match its primary archetype.

python arketype.py create   --type etat-systemes   --slug workstation-state   --title "Workstation State"   --parent .
python arketype.py compose   --recipe suivi-employe   --slug employee-case-design   --title "Employee Case Design"   --parent .   --dry-run

The --slug accepts lowercase ASCII letters, digits and internal hyphens, up to 80 characters. The parent folder must already exist and the destination must not. The command exits with an error instead of overwriting.

build-html output

By default, HTML is written to catalogue/index.html. You can direct output elsewhere:

python arketype.py build-html --output ./preview/catalogue.html

The output is a static projection of the current JSON inventories; it does not change a Kristal canon.

Error handling

  • If a recipe cannot be found, inspect python arketype.py recipes.
  • If an archetype cannot be found, inspect python arketype.py list.
  • If a destination already exists, choose a new slug or location.
  • If the Authoring Kit rejects a workspace, investigate the reported check error; do not bypass validation.

See also: Getting Started · Validation and Testing

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