patterns documentation

Find, evaluate, install, enforce, author, and publish reusable software-architecture guidance.

patterns packages software-architecture decisions as versioned knowledge bundles. A bundle gives humans and coding agents the same map: where code belongs, which dependencies are allowed, how the architecture grows, and why those choices were made.

Patterns guide code; they do not generate it

Installing a pattern adds documentation and deterministic boundary rules under .patterns/. It never scaffolds, rewrites, or deletes your application source.

Start using patterns

Install the CLI, find a pattern, and add it to a project.

Choose the right pattern

Start from the problem you need to solve, not an architecture label.

Understand the model

Learn how a pattern differs from a template, starter, or framework.

Publish your own

Turn a recurring architectural decision into a shareable bundle.

The two workflows

Use an existing pattern

find → evaluate → add → build with the guidance → check

Search happens on patterns.directory. Installation happens directly from Git. Your repository remains the place where the selected guidance is applied and enforced.

Author a pattern

init → write and generalize → validate → version in Git → publish the ref

Publishing registers searchable metadata. The pattern files stay in Git and remain the source of truth.

What a bundle contains

Every bundle starts with patterns.yaml, a compact identity and index. The rest is progressively disclosed:

structure/ explains responsibilities and dependency flow.
rules/ states constraints that should remain true.
recipes/ shows how to make common changes without eroding the architecture.
adrs/ records important decisions and trade-offs.
boundaries in the manifest can be checked deterministically by the CLI.

The manifest is small enough for an agent to read first. It then opens only the document relevant to the current task.