An architecture documentation pipeline with structured requirements elicitation. Write in Markdown, run make all, get professional PDF, HTML, and DOCX — with cover page, table of contents, Mermaid diagrams, cross-references, and bibliography. Works with or without AI.
Daedalus guides you from blank proposal to finished document through two phases: requirements gathering (ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018) and architecture elicitation (arc42 default template, with C4 Model diagrams). Interactive bash scripts walk you through each section at the terminal; Claude Code commands provide AI-assisted enrichment for teams that use it.
Built on Pandoc, XeLaTeX, pandoc-ext/diagram + @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli, and pandoc-crossref. The pipeline is framework-agnostic — arc42 is the current default, with additional templates planned.
Daedalus is the spec artifact layer of a Verified Spec-Driven Development (VSDD) workflow — upstream of any implementation pipeline:
raw material Daedalus spec artifact downstream
(notes, briefs, (this repo) (arc42 document implementation
stakeholder ───→ elicitation ───→ + ADRs + verification
conversations) + assembly + quality scenarios) (out of scope)
The arc42 document Daedalus produces is the formal specification — Section 1 is the behavioural contract, Section 9 (ADRs) is the decision record, Section 10 is the provable properties catalogue. Once the spec converges (see phase gates), it's intended to drive whatever downstream pipeline you have for code, configuration, and verification work.
You can also use Daedalus standalone as a documentation pipeline — most users will. The
VSDD framing matters when you want the spec to act as a contract that downstream agents
(or humans) consume, not just a deliverable. See docs/mem-2-vsdd-reference.md
for the methodology in full.
No local install required — pull the pre-built image from GitHub Container Registry and build the example document:
git clone https://github.com/adamdaw/daedalus.git
cd daedalus
make docker-pull-run # → project.pdf, project.html, project.docxTo build your own proposal:
make init NAME=my-proposal
make gather-requirements PROPOSAL=my-proposal # interactive, no AI required
make gather-brief PROPOSAL=my-proposal
make all PROPOSAL=my-proposalFor local installs, AI-assisted elicitation, and the full command surface, see the documentation below.
| Guide | Covers |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | Dependencies, install, build commands, testing, Docker, devcontainer, pre-commit, CI/CD, project structure |
| Authoring | Elicitation workflow (AI + non-AI), managing proposals, content files, Mermaid diagrams, cross-references, customisation |
| Standards & Practices | Full reference for every standard the pipeline implements (arc42, C4, ISO 25010, ISO 29148, OpenSSF, SLSA, and more) |
| Troubleshooting | Common errors and their fixes (mmdc, pandoc-crossref, xelatex, Mermaid rendering) |
| Pipeline Decisions | Every significant implementation decision with rationale and authoritative reference |
| Roadmap | Planned framework, standard, and tooling additions |
| Contributing | Setup, workflow, PR process, release |
| Security | Coordinated vulnerability disclosure policy |
For the underlying methodology (Verified Software Design Document — Daedalus produces the spec artifact layer):
docs/mem-1-project-context.md— authority hierarchy, agent roles, phase gatesdocs/mem-2-vsdd-reference.md— pipeline, convergence signal, anti-patternsdocs/mem-3-pipeline-standards.md— section standards, diagram conventionsdocs/mem-4-process-lessons.md— build and documentation lessons
Daedalus follows recognised industry standards throughout. Highlights:
- Document & architecture: arc42, C4 Model, ADR, ISO/IEC 25010, ISO/IEC/IEEE 29148:2018
- Supply chain: OpenSSF Scorecard, SLSA provenance, SHA-pinned Actions, Trivy + CodeQL scanning
- Process: Conventional Commits, Semantic Versioning, pre-commit framework
See docs/standards.md for the full table with rationale and references for each.
Daedalus is designed to be framework-agnostic — arc42 is the current default, not a permanent commitment. Planned additions span documentation frameworks (TOGAF, 4+1 View, ISO 42010), requirements standards (BABOK, Volere), prioritisation methods (WSJF, Kano, RICE), diagram engines (PlantUML, GraphViz, D2), and output formats (web via MkDocs, AsciiDoc input).
See docs/ENHANCEMENTS.md for the full roadmap and
open issues for tracked work.