Archify Skill for Hermes Agent: Validated HTML Diagrams

Archify is an optional Hermes Agent skill that converts a small typed JSON spec into a self-contained HTML diagram you can pan, zoom, search, and export. It is aimed at engineers who need architecture, workflow, sequence, dataflow, or lifecycle diagrams that come with a validation receipt instead of a visual guess. If you already sketch systems in Mermaid or hand-draw boxes, Archify gives you a verifiable path from spec to deliverable.

What it does

You describe a system in a compact JSON structure, and Archify renders it as an explorable HTML file. The supported diagram types are architecture, workflow, sequence, dataflow, and lifecycle (state machine). The output includes dark and light themes, pan and zoom, search, relationship tracing, optional trace motion, and export to PNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG, or WebM.

Archify also accepts plain-language requirements or pasted Mermaid (flowchart, sequenceDiagram, stateDiagram). When the diagram must reflect real code, it can read repository evidence. Every candidate passes through a 9-check validate / deliver receipt, so the result is something you can verify rather than eyeball.

Before you start

You need Node.js 18+ on PATH. You can confirm the install with node bin/archify.mjs doctor. No npm install is needed inside the skill package.

Installing the skill pulls roughly 200 files (about 8 MB, mostly upstream tests and examples) from GitHub. The fetch is pinned to one tree SHA, recorded in the bundle metadata.

Upstream's update awareness step runs scripts/check-update.mjs, which reads a release manifest from GitHub and only prints a notice. It never downloads or installs anything. Skip it if outbound calls are unwanted.

Installing and verifying

Install the skill from the hub:

hermes skills install official/creative/archify

This pulls the current tree live from the upstream repository, quarantined and scanned like any hub install. The catalog directory holds only metadata, so the vendored copy cannot go stale.

After install, confirm the runtime is ready:

node bin/archify.mjs doctor

Working with diagram types

Archify covers five diagram types: architecture, workflow, sequence, dataflow, and lifecycle (state machine). Each starts from a small typed JSON spec. The renderer produces a self-contained HTML file with dark and light themes, pan and zoom, search, relationship tracing, and optional trace motion.

Converting Mermaid and plain language

You can paste Mermaid (flowchart, sequenceDiagram, stateDiagram) or write plain-language requirements, and Archify will work from that input. When the diagram must reflect real code, it can read repository evidence.

Validating and delivering

Every candidate goes through a 9-check validate / deliver receipt. This is the core difference from drawing tools: the output is verifiable rather than eyeballed.

Exporting

Archify exports to PNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG, and WebM. That covers static images for docs and slides, vector output for further editing, and video for animated traces.

When not to use it

The bundled architecture-diagram skill remains the zero-dependency fallback. It ports the same Cocoon AI lineage Archify grew out of. Prefer Archify when the user wants validated receipts, Mermaid conversion, sequence or lifecycle types, or export beyond a single HTML file. If none of those apply, the fallback is the lighter choice.

Limits and gotchas

Node.js 18+ is required on PATH. The install pulls about 200 files (roughly 8 MB), mostly upstream tests and examples, pinned to one tree SHA. The update awareness step only prints a notice and never downloads or installs anything; skip it if outbound calls are unwanted. The catalog entry is a stub maintained upstream, so the vendored copy cannot go stale.

What pairs with it

Related skills include architecture-diagram, excalidraw, and concept-diagrams. Use architecture-diagram as the zero-dependency fallback, excalidraw for hand-drawn style diagrams, and concept-diagrams for conceptual mapping.

Full documentation: https://github.com/tt-a1i/archify#readme