DocForge2/docs/USER_MANUAL.md

DocForge user manual

DocForge turns project-owned documentation and source projections into a validated graph that people and AI agents can search, inspect, visualize, and change through reviewable proposals. Canonical project files remain authoritative. The SQLite graph, previews, rendered manuals, and viewer processes are derived and can be rebuilt.

DocForge 1.0.0 is the first stable product release. It includes the project-scoped graph, CLI and MCP query surfaces, hash-approved proposal application, generic and project-owned adapters, declared rendering, and the Nodes/Flow/Web visualization model documented below.

Later incremental-compiler capabilities are additive. A Release 1 adapter with only load_projection() remains valid and follows the same complete-rebuild path. No existing project descriptor, canonical document, changeset, or adapter must be rewritten. Source-scoped caching and lazy logic projections activate only for adapters that explicitly implement the optional incremental methods while retaining the full loader as a fallback.

Features

• Project-bound Markdown and TOML documentation graphs with stable node IDs.
• Deterministic validation for metadata, relationships, dependency cycles, paths, and limits.
• Disposable SQLite indexing with lexical search, filters, backlinks, dependencies, and impact.
• Bounded context profiles for AI agents, including source paths and content hashes.
• Isolated, optimistic changesets with create, update, move, delete, validation, diffs, and previews.
• Relationship-only changeset operations that do not rewrite node content.
• Hash-bound canonical application through both CLI and an explicitly enabled MCP tool.
• Opt-in incremental adapter extraction with reverse-dependency invalidation.
• Lazy function-scoped logic projections that do not densify the primary graph.
• Declared HTML render views. Arbitrary templates, render commands, and output paths are rejected.
• Separate versioned manual and portable graph plans, immutable packages, detached built-in renderers, and validated receipts.
• Content-addressed portable Nodes/Flow/Web artifacts with receipt-only status and repair.
• Independent manual, portable-graph, and live-viewer policy.
• A loopback-only graph browser with Nodes, semantic Flow, and convergence Web views, relationship keys, source inspection, branch-aware node hiding, panel resizing, zooming, and managed idle shutdown.
• A generic Markdown/TOML adapter plus contracts for deterministic project-owned adapters.
• A public adapter SDK, optional Python/JavaScript/TypeScript/C++ reference integrations, and one fixed read-only reference MCP binding.

DocForge does not run shell commands from documentation, mutate Git, build an application, deploy, publish, choose a project globally, or cross project boundaries.

Mental model

One .docforge/project.toml binds DocForge to one project root. The descriptor declares canonical content roots, authority files, derived paths, proposal writers, relationship types, limits, context profiles, and optional render views.

Canonical files own facts:

canonical Markdown/TOML or adapter sources
    ↓ validate
disposable SQLite graph
    ├── query / compile context
    ├── ManualRenderPlanV1 → detached manual renderer → declared manual
    ├── GraphViewPlanV1 → detached graph renderer → portable Nodes/Flow/Web artifact
    └── pinned index → managed live Nodes/Flow/Web/Logic viewer
    ↓
people and agents
    ↓ propose
isolated changeset + preview
    ↓ exact hash approval
canonical apply
    ↓
reindexed graph + declared renders

An apply operation is deliberately narrower than a general file editor. It accepts one validated changeset ID and the exact SHA-256 changeset hash that was reviewed. It rejects stale canonical sources, changed proposals, overlapping proposals, unauthorized families or operations, unsafe paths, symlink escapes, and projections that do not round-trip through the project loader.

The generic adapter can serialize its Markdown and TOML nodes directly. A custom adapter must provide its own canonical applier because only that project knows how a graph node maps back to its source format.

Setup

Requirements

• Python 3.12 or newer.
• uv for the development environment.
• Node.js and npm for browser asset validation and strict Pyright checking.

Clone and verify DocForge:

git clone forgejo@repo.andraxion.net:administrator/DocForge2.git /absolute/path/DocForge2
cd /absolute/path/DocForge2
uv sync --group dev
npm ci

npx pyright
npm run lint:web
uv run ruff check src tests tools
uv run ruff format --check src tests tools
uv run pytest -q

Use the executables under /absolute/path/DocForge/.venv/bin/ when DocForge is not installed into the active shell environment.

For an installed distribution, choose only the language extras the project needs:

python -m pip install docforge
python -m pip install 'docforge[javascript]'
python -m pip install 'docforge[typescript]'
python -m pip install 'docforge[cpp]'

The base wheel contains the Python reference adapter and no Tree-sitter distribution. JavaScript, TypeScript, and C++ require their matching optional extras. docforge[languages] installs all three optional frontend groups.

Configure a reference source project

Reference adapters are a narrow alternative to the generic documentation descriptor. Create .docforge/reference-adapter.toml:

schema_version = 1
project_id = "my-python-project"
title = "My Python Project"
language = "python"
source_roots = ["src"]

Start the fixed read-only server:

python -I -m docforge.reference_mcp \
  --project-root /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --capability-mode read

For C++, set language = "cpp" and add a project-relative compilation_database = "compile_commands.json". The database is inert bounded inventory; the reference adapter does not execute its commands or compiler.

The reference integrations publish syntax and local static relationships only. They do not claim resolved calls, types, inheritance, macro behavior, compiler include semantics, runtime behavior, or semantic ownership. See reference adapters for exact evidence and limitations.

Assess and onboard an unconfigured project

Run a read-only assessment before writing configuration:

docforge --project-root /absolute/path/MyProject onboard

The result reports detected languages, build evidence, likely documentation, existing configuration, and capability status. Detection does not claim that a language frontend exists. Limit the assessment with one or more --language options when needed.

Create, index, and render a generic starter manual explicitly:

docforge --project-root /absolute/path/MyProject onboard \
  --language rust \
  --scaffold \
  --project-id my-project \
  --title "My Project"

Scaffolding refuses to replace existing target files. It leaves source-graph status at adapter_required until a project integration implements and proves the adapter contract. See Project onboarding for the complete language-neutral checklist. Use the Language Adapter Authoring Guide when implementing that frontend. It covers stable identities, overlapping compiler evidence, deterministic ownership, normalization, incremental equivalence, failure recovery, and the required proof matrix.

Configure a generic project

Create /absolute/path/MyProject/.docforge/project.toml:

schema_version = 1
project_id = "my-project"
title = "My Project"
adapter = "generic"

[sources]
content_roots = ["Docs/Manual"]
authority_files = []

[derived]
cache_root = ".docforge/cache"
index = ".docforge/cache/index.sqlite3"

[changesets]
root = ".docforge/changesets"

[[changesets.writers]]
id = "project-editor"
families = ["architecture", "system", "operations", "roadmap"]
operations = ["create", "update", "move", "delete"]

[render]
template_root = "Docs/Templates"
preview_root = ".docforge/previews"

[[render.views]]
id = "manual"
renderer = "generic_html"
template = "manual.html"
output = "Docs/Rendered/Manual.html"
title = "My Project Manual"
families = ["architecture", "system", "operations", "roadmap"]

[graph_render]
output_root = ".docforge/portable-graph"

[[graph_render.views]]
id = "architecture"
renderer = "portable_graph_html"
output = "architecture.html"
title = "Architecture"
root = "architecture.overview"
initial_mode = "web"
depth = 3
max_nodes = 250
max_edges = 1000
max_work = 100000
families = ["architecture", "system"]
relations = ["depends_on", "owns", "calls", "reads", "writes", "tested_by", "relates_to"]
authorities = []
statuses = ["current", "active", "verified"]
tags = []
include_logic = false

[graph]
allowed_relations = ["depends_on", "owns", "calls", "reads", "writes", "tested_by", "relates_to"]

[limits]
max_source_bytes = 500000
max_nodes = 10000
max_query_chars = 500
max_results = 100
max_traversal_depth = 6
max_context_tokens = 12000
max_changesets = 100
max_changeset_operations = 100
max_changeset_bytes = 1000000

[[profiles]]
id = "development"
families = ["architecture", "system", "operations", "roadmap"]
statuses = ["current", "active", "verified"]
required_nodes = ["architecture.overview"]
token_budget = 8000
dependency_depth = 3

Every path is resolved against the explicit project root. Canonical content, derived cache, and changeset roots must not overlap.

Add a Markdown node

Create Docs/Manual/architecture-overview.md:

+++
schema_version = 1
id = "architecture.overview"
title = "Architecture overview"
family = "architecture"
authority = "authoritative"
status = "current"
tags = ["architecture", "ownership"]
summary = "Defines the top-level systems and ownership boundaries."
depends_on = ["system.persistence"]
+++

# Architecture overview

Describe the project’s systems, authorities, persistence owners, runtime flow, failure behavior,
tests, and operational entry points.

Each Markdown file contains one node. A TOML source may contain multiple [[nodes]] records. TOML nodes need stable source_anchor values when proposals may create or move records within the file. Every relationship target must exist.

Build the graph

PROJECT=/absolute/path/MyProject
DOCFORGE=/absolute/path/DocForge/.venv/bin/docforge

"$DOCFORGE" --project-root "$PROJECT" validate
"$DOCFORGE" --project-root "$PROJECT" reindex
"$DOCFORGE" --project-root "$PROJECT" context development

reindex builds the SQLite graph and immediately checks its identity. Run it after canonical documentation or adapter sources change.

Install the viewer manager

Install the native per-user supervisor once:

docforge-viewer-manager install-user-service

Linux uses systemd --user, macOS uses a LaunchAgent, and Windows uses Task Scheduler. If the virtual environment moves, reinstall the service so it points at the current Python interpreter.

For a temporary foreground manager:

docforge-viewer-manager serve

Open a project graph without Codex:

docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" visualize
docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" visualize --node architecture.overview
docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" visualize --query persistence

The command opens the default browser. Add --no-open when a script only needs the returned JSON URL. Use visualization-status and visualization-stop to inspect or stop the project viewer.

Status separates the worker lifecycle from snapshot freshness. A worker may remain running while snapshot_state is stale; it will not be reused by the next visualize call. freshness.index checks the exact pinned index publication with file identity only. freshness.source compares the cheap project generation when the project can prove one. Unavailable proof is unknown, never silently current. Status does not load project content, open SQLite, rebuild the index, or renew browser activity.

The freshness protocol requires viewer manager version 2. After upgrading an already running installation, rerun docforge-viewer-manager install-user-service or restart the foreground manager before requesting status.

Visualization usage

• Left-click a node for its compact descriptor.
• Right-click a node for the full inspector.
• Use Open source to read the node’s project-confined source at its anchor.
• Use Explore neighborhood to make a node the new focus.
• Use the mouse wheel or viewport buttons to zoom. Drag the canvas to pan. Press Space to center the selected node.

Nodes: bounded neighborhood

Nodes answers: “What is immediately related to this thing?”

DocForge starts at the focus and traverses every stored incoming and outgoing relationship up to the selected depth and fixed edge limit. The graph preserves the relationships exactly as the index stores them. It does not reinterpret direction or exclude contextual relationships.

The focus appears at the center. Every other card is categorized by the relationship that explains its contribution to the focus: Structure, Behavior, Dependency, Execution, Data, Evidence, Context, or Related. This is the broadest view and is useful for inspecting raw adapter output, discovering nearby nodes, and choosing a better focus. It can also be the noisiest view because containment, documentation, dependencies, calls, imports, and other relationship types may all appear together.

In Nodes, Hide node removes that node and its incident edges from the presentation. It does not remove other nodes merely because they become disconnected.

Flow: semantic paths into the focus

Flow answers: “What origins and prerequisites lead to this thing?”

Flow builds bounded semantic paths whose destination is the focus. Structural and execution relationships already aimed at the consumer keep their stored direction. Prerequisite-style relationships are reversed for presentation so arrows consistently point toward the thing being explained:

• defined_in, inherits, and imports become definition, base-class, and imported-module contributions.
• depends_on and reads become dependency and data-source contributions.
• tested_by becomes a test path into the exercised node.

For example, a method can appear as:

tests package → test module → test class → test method

The displayed reversal is a visualization rule only. It does not mutate the canonical relationship or derived index. Context-only relationships such as documents, governs, and relates_to are omitted so Flow remains a focused origin-to-destination explanation.

Web: convergence and makeup

Web answers: “What makes up this thing, and what paths converge on it?”

Web starts with the same semantic contributor direction as Flow, then includes contextual relationships that Flow intentionally omits. It can show callers, containers, imports, dependencies, evidence, documentation context, and other contributors converging on the focus. It also presents direct relationships owned by the focus as adjacent contributor branches, including supported calls, contains, defines, dispatches_to, implemented_by, launches, writes, and activates relationships.

This makes classes and methods useful graph nodes rather than labels attached to a file. A class can show its containing module, base class, callers, tests, and methods. A method can show the package and class path that contains it alongside imported helpers, dependencies, callers, and evidence. Every displayed path is oriented toward the focused node.

Adjacent traversal is deliberately bounded. After DocForge includes a direct member or execution dependency owned by the focus, it continues toward that branch rather than fanning back out through unrelated siblings. Depth and edge limits provide a second guard against an unbounded web.

Logic: possible control paths

Logic answers: “What decisions and actions can occur inside this function or method?”

Logic appears when the focused node owns a function-scoped LogicProjection. It loads that projection on demand instead of adding statements and conditions to the primary architecture graph. The view presents:

• Entry and Exit terminals.
• Decision cards for if, elif, compound booleans, loop conditions, match cases, and assertions.
• Action cards for executable statement blocks and calls.
• Control cards for loops, break, and continue.
• Convergence cards where alternate paths rejoin, including decision, case, loop-exit, and exception convergence.
• Terminal cards for returns and raised exceptions.

Edges use explicit labels and independent colors for TRUE, FALSE, NEXT, CASE, LOOP, EXCEPTION, RETURN, RAISE, BREAK, and CONTINUE. Long predicates wrap on the card. The full expression and source anchor remain available through inspection and source navigation.

The built-in analyzers cover Python, JavaScript, and C++. Python uses the standard-library AST. JavaScript and C++ use pinned Tree-sitter grammars behind the same language-neutral LogicProjection contract. Tree-sitter handles concrete syntax; DocForge keeps a thin language-specific control-flow profile for constructs such as conditions, loops, cases, exceptions, returns, and short-circuit operators. Adding a language therefore requires a grammar and a semantic profile, not a new visualization or database design.

Logic is static analysis. It shows paths the indexed source permits, not the branch that ran for a particular request or the runtime value of a boolean. Dynamic dispatch, reflection, generated behavior, and values returned by other processes may require runtime tracing to resolve.

Finding the right node

The left panel combines independent filters rather than forcing users to scan the complete node list:

• Text searches indexed titles, summaries, and content.
• Family selects the project-defined family.
• Node type selects callables or an exact indexed kind such as function, method, class, route, test, module, or document.
• Language selects an indexed language tag such as Python, JavaScript, or C++.
• Capability selects nodes with source navigation or an available Logic projection.

Quick presets select common combinations for Logic-ready nodes, Python callables, tests, routes, and documentation. Filters compose, so JavaScript plus Logic available lists only JavaScript functions that can open Logic. Result cards show the readable leaf name, kind, language, path, and source anchor. Full identities remain in the tooltip and inspector.

Selecting any canvas node highlights its directly connected nodes and the exact edges between them. Other nodes and edges remain visible at reduced opacity. This local trace works in Nodes, Flow, Web, and Logic without changing the root or querying a different graph.

Reading graph cards

The canvas presents nodes as compact semantic cards rather than anonymous circles:

• Focus identifies the node being explained.
• Structure identifies packages, modules, classes, methods, definitions, and other containment paths that establish where the focus exists.
• Behavior identifies base classes, derived classes, and implementation relationships.
• Dependency identifies imported modules and required services or helpers.
• Execution identifies callers, dispatchers, launchers, activators, and focus-owned execution branches.
• Data identifies values or resources read and written.
• Evidence identifies tests, verification, governing rules, and documentation.
• Context identifies descriptive relationships that do not imply execution or ownership.
• Related is the deterministic fallback for adapter-specific relationships that do not fit a built-in category.

The colored rail, category badge, edge style, and relationship label provide separate visual cues. Color is not the only signal. Cards also display the node kind, such as Test class or Test method.

Canvas cards use the readable leaf name. For example, tests.test_settings.SettingsTests.test_default_settings_load appears as test_default_settings_load, while tests.test_settings appears as test_settings. Long leaf names wrap at identifier boundaries instead of being truncated. The complete qualified title and stable node ID remain available in the pointer tooltip, compact descriptor, and full inspector, so the shorter canvas label never changes identity or loses information.

Hiding nodes and pruning ancestors

Hidden nodes are browser presentation state. Hiding never changes canonical files, the derived index, or future graph queries. The focus cannot be hidden; focus another node first.

• In Nodes, hiding removes only the selected node and its incident edges.
• In Flow and Web, hiding removes the selected node, then prunes every upstream ancestor whose only remaining route to the focus passed through it.
• In Logic, hiding removes the selected control-flow step and inserts an omitted bridge between its visible predecessors and successors. This preserves the readable path without pretending the hidden code disappeared from the indexed source.
• Descendant nodes between the hidden node and the focus remain visible.
• Ancestors with another valid path to the focus remain visible through that alternate path.
• The status line reports how many nodes were hidden or isolated.
• Restore hidden clears the hidden-node set and rebuilds the complete current view.

This behavior lets a user cut away a noisy or irrelevant branch without losing the useful downstream chain that explains how the remaining nodes reach the focus.

Source navigation depends on adapter evidence. Numeric anchors, line-style anchors such as L120, TOML node-N anchors, heading slugs, and searchable text anchors are recognized. If a custom adapter supplies only a path or a vague symbol, the source viewer opens the file and falls back to the closest match or first line.

CLI usage

Every command emits deterministic JSON:

docforge --project-root /absolute/path/MyProject <command>

The sections below group common workflows. The implementation-derived list of all 28 current commands, exact invocations, 36 generic MCP tools, arguments, and input-schema hashes is the generated command reference.

Project and index commands

info
validate
build
reindex
sync
check
validate-index

• info reports the project binding and index health.
• validate validates current canonical sources without requiring an index.
• build rebuilds the disposable index.
• reindex rebuilds and checks the index in one operation.
• sync checks the index and rebuilds it only when it is missing, stale, or invalid.
• check and validate-index verify that the existing index matches current sources.

Query commands

show NODE_ID
search QUERY [--limit N]
filter [--family X] [--authority X] [--status X] [--tag X] [--limit N]
backlinks NODE_ID [--relation RELATION] [--limit N]
dependencies NODE_ID [--depth N] [--limit N]
impact NODE_ID [--depth N] [--limit N]
context PROFILE [--budget N] [--limit N] [--cursor OPAQUE]
generation-diff [--limit N] [--cursor OPAQUE]

generation-diff returns the latest verified primary-graph transition. It is not a history query. Current results carry a version-1 page, a receipt_header bound to the complete stored receipt by stored_receipt_hash, and one top-level pagination cursor. Missing, unsafe, stale, corrupt, or unprovable disposable evidence is reported as a non-repairing receipt status. The command never builds or repairs the index.

Render and proposal commands

render-status [VIEW_ID] [--deep]
render VIEW_ID
graph-plan VIEW_ID
graph-render VIEW_ID
graph-render-status [VIEW_ID]
preview CHANGESET_ID VIEW_ID
apply CHANGESET_ID --changeset-hash SHA256 --applier WRITER_ID

graph-plan validates and returns one declared GraphViewPlanV1 without publishing. A portable view must select exactly one stable root or metadata-only lexical query. It may use only Nodes, Flow, or Web as initial_mode; portable version 1 excludes function-scoped Logic.

graph-render explicitly publishes the declared static artifact, content-addressed renderer evidence, and generation/view manifest. graph-render-status verifies only bounded committed evidence and never plans or renders. Portable publication is a local CLI action.

The CLI apply command supports the generic adapter. It verifies that the configured writer owns the changeset, applies the exact reviewed hash, rebuilds the index, checks it, and regenerates every declared manual render when manual policy is auto. It does not publish portable graphs, commit, or push the result.

Viewer commands

visualize [--node NODE_ID | --query QUERY] [--depth N] [--no-open]
visualization-status
visualization-stop

Client configuration and doctor

Preview one deterministic standalone client fragment:

docforge configure codex --project /absolute/path/MyProject
docforge configure claude --project /absolute/path/MyProject
docforge configure openclaw --project /absolute/path/MyProject

Preview is the default. Add --output /absolute/path/fragment to create a new private fragment in an existing real directory. Publication is create-only. DocForge accepts an identical existing private single-link file as unchanged, but it never merges, replaces, broadens permissions, or follows a symlink. Descriptor, parent, and target identities are revalidated across the publication commit.

The generated command uses the exact current Python interpreter with isolated module startup. Generation first proves that this interpreter can import docforge.mcp_server. The result binds the project root, effective policy, arguments, artifact bytes, and all hashes. It copies no ambient environment values.

Select authority explicitly:

docforge configure codex \
  --project /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --capability-mode proposal \
  --proposal-writer project-editor

docforge configure codex \
  --project /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --capability-mode application \
  --proposal-writer project-editor \
  --canonical-applier project-editor

Read mode is the default. Proposal and application modes fail closed unless the descriptor declares the named writer, and application requires the same writer/applier identity. Add --no-ast to preserve the no-AST binding. Generic CLI generation refuses project-owned adapters because it cannot safely reconstruct their composition.

A custom adapter owner supplies the already constructed project and immutable launcher through the Python API:

from docforge.adapter_launcher import AdapterLauncherV1
from docforge.client_config import generate_adapter_client_configuration

launcher = AdapterLauncherV1.for_project(
    project,
    module="my_project_docforge",
)
fragment = generate_adapter_client_configuration(
    project,
    launcher,
    "codex",
    capability_mode="read",
)

The top-level module must be installed for the exact isolated Python environment and resolve to a regular file inside the project root. The fixed docforge.reference_mcp module is the only trusted dotted exception. Generation probes resolution without importing the custom module, binds current source availability and policy, and emits no arbitrary command, arguments, working directory, or environment.

Select projection behavior independently:

docforge configure codex \
  --project /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --manual-render-policy explicit \
  --portable-graph-policy disabled \
  --live-viewer-policy on-demand

The generated version-1 configuration result carries an additive version-2 projection_policy, its hash, projection availability, and the exact descriptor hash. Omitted default selectors are validated against that descriptor rather than trusted as self-reported output.

Inspect one configured client binding:

docforge doctor --client codex --project /absolute/path/MyProject
docforge doctor --client codex \
  --project /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --config /absolute/path/config.toml \
  --server-name my-project-docforge

Doctor returns healthy, degraded, or unhealthy with exit codes 0, 1, or 2. Its fixed version-1 inventory checks project and descriptor binding, the client driver and entry, executable and arguments, project root, effective policy, no-AST state, timeouts, environment-key names, tool-filter representation, and stat-only index presence.

Doctor is intentionally not a connection test. It never loads canonical sources, opens SQLite, starts MCP, executes the configured command, synchronizes, builds, renders, starts a viewer, or writes configuration. Claude timeout representation and client filtering that cannot be proved locally remain explicit warnings.

Independent projection behavior

Manual and portable graph renderers consume immutable, path-free packages. A package binds one generation-pinned plan, inert assets, fixed component versions, a built-in renderer identity, and an exact artifact inventory. The detached child cannot select nodes, open the project or index, choose a publication path, execute project code, or mutate canonical facts.

Child startup is fixed to isolated Python, a private module entrypoint, a trusted working directory, and a sanitized environment. One request and response use canonical newline-terminated JSON. The request, response, receipt, execution time, and disk-spooled stdout are bounded. Actual artifact transfer is capped at 20,000,000 bytes even when the descriptor retains a larger max_render_bytes compatibility value.

Manual fragment records are disposable semantic cache entries. On a cold miss, DocForge performs a trusted full detached render, extracts candidate page fragments, and compares fragment-assisted output byte-for-byte before publishing records. On a warm hit, the worker recomputes each expected page fragment before accepting cached bytes. Corrupt, forged, stale, individually oversized, or aggregate-oversized records fall back to the full oracle. Fragment reuse is currently a correctness and recovery boundary, not a promised speedup.

Projection policy version 2 is:

manual:         auto | explicit | disabled
portable_graph: explicit | disabled
live_viewer:    on-demand | disabled

For ordinary CLI commands, place the corresponding global flag before the subcommand:

docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" --manual-render-policy disabled render manual
docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" --portable-graph-policy disabled graph-plan architecture
docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" --live-viewer-policy disabled visualize

An active operation blocked by policy returns projection_policy_forbids_operation before hidden work. Manual and portable receipt-only status remain available. Viewer status and explicit stop remain available when viewer start is disabled.

A non-disabled projection also requires its declared configuration or runtime. Manual explicit requires manual render configuration. Manual auto additionally requires canonical application in the current operation or server capability. Portable graph explicit requires portable graph render configuration, and live viewer on-demand requires its runtime. An unavailable selection returns projection_policy_unavailable before work begins. In particular, ordinary CLI render operations cannot select manual auto; use explicit, or let a configured canonical apply operation own automatic regeneration.

MCP usage

Run one MCP server per project with absolute paths:

docforge-mcp \
  --project-root /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --proposal-writer project-editor

Omit --proposal-writer when the MCP client should not create or append proposals.

For .docforge/reference-adapter.toml, use the fixed docforge.reference_mcp command shown in setup. It exposes exactly the 21 read tools and never registers proposal or application tools.

Select the session's declared surface explicitly when useful:

docforge-mcp \
  --project-root /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --capability-mode read \
  --manual-render-policy explicit \
  --portable-graph-policy explicit \
  --live-viewer-policy on-demand

Supported modes are read, proposal, application, and operator. Existing startup defaults remain compatible. Capability mode describes the registered surface; bootstrap separately reports whether a configured writer or applier actually grants mutation access. Application mode refuses startup without a canonical applier. Operator mode is reserved and currently adds no tools.

Add --diagnostics when profiling a development or benchmark session. Each MCP response then includes bounded stage timings and compiler-work counters. The same flag is available on docforge. Diagnostics are disabled by default, record no project content or paths, and never displace a primary MCP result that already needs the configured output budget.

To expose canonical application, add a separate explicit startup gate:

docforge-mcp \
  --project-root /absolute/path/MyProject \
  --proposal-writer project-editor \
  --canonical-applier project-editor

Without --canonical-applier, docforge_apply_changeset is not registered. The flag is an identity, not a command. The changeset creator, configured writer, and canonical applier must agree.

Call docforge_bootstrap first. Its version-1 session_contract contains the fixed binding, current graph generation, effective policy, actual capabilities, render policies, prohibitions, and a recommended first operation. The result also carries the independently composed version-2 projection_policy and hash. Workflow guidance does not recommend registration or application when those startup capabilities are unavailable.

Example MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "my-project-docforge": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/DocForge/.venv/bin/docforge-mcp",
      "args": [
        "--project-root",
        "/absolute/path/MyProject",
        "--proposal-writer",
        "project-editor",
        "--canonical-applier",
        "project-editor"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Read tools

• docforge_bootstrap
• docforge_sync
• docforge_project_info
• docforge_get_contract
• docforge_get_node
• docforge_get_logic
• docforge_search
• docforge_filter_nodes
• docforge_backlinks
• docforge_dependencies
• docforge_impact
• docforge_get_context
• docforge_get_task_context
• docforge_validate_project
• docforge_render_status
• docforge_graph_plan
• docforge_graph_render_status
• docforge_visualize
• docforge_visualization_status
• docforge_stop_visualization
• docforge_get_generation_diff

MCP graph plan and status are read-only. MCP does not expose portable graph publication; use the explicit local graph-render CLI command.

Proposal tools

• docforge_create_changeset
• docforge_register_changes
• docforge_list_changesets
• docforge_get_changeset
• docforge_rebase_changeset
• docforge_abandon_changeset
• docforge_propose_node_create
• docforge_propose_node_update
• docforge_propose_node_move
• docforge_propose_relationship_update
• docforge_propose_node_delete
• docforge_validate_changeset
• docforge_get_changeset_diff
• docforge_preview_changeset

Application tool

• docforge_apply_changeset

The application call requires changeset_id and expected_changeset_hash. Always retrieve and inspect the final diff after the last proposal mutation. Apply that exact hash. A proposal mutation creates a new hash, so an earlier approval cannot silently apply later content.

Use docforge_get_task_context when an agent needs one bounded task-shaped intake instead of a named profile. Choose task_kind from change, implementation, failure, ownership, test, operation, or release. Supply focus_node_id when the stable node is known. Without it, DocForge performs a bounded lexical focus search and refuses a tied best match instead of silently choosing one.

The returned version-1 capsule includes:

• The exact project, adapter, source generation, effective policy, request, and retrieval-plan hashes.
• Ordered focus and related evidence with source paths, content hashes, graph paths, and all qualifying relationship reasons observed during the bounded traversal.
• Explicit evidence gaps and omissions, including whether a check completed.
• Provenance limitations for facts that the current graph does not carry, such as extractor identity, observation time, and source provenance for relationships.

Project descriptors still own the valid relation vocabulary. The planner recognizes a fixed alias map for structure, implementation, dependency, execution, data, evidence, and context. Any other valid project relation is returned unchanged as unclassified; it is never assigned guessed task semantics.

A relationship inside relationship_path describes the direction traveled from the preceding node. A relationship inside relationship_reasons describes direction from the evidence item itself. This keeps stored source and target identity exact while making each evidence explanation locally readable.

Task context never exceeds 1,000 evidence items, 100,000 examined candidate edges, or 10,000 task query characters, even when a project configures broader general limits. An edge-work or unclassified-relation ceiling appears as an explicit omission rather than an unbounded response.

Use docforge_get_generation_diff after synchronization or a completed implementation slice to inspect the one latest verified primary-graph transition. The version-1 receipt reports exact added, removed, and changed node counts plus added and removed edge counts. Retained node details identify changed fields and before/after hashes and source paths. Edge details retain the exact raw relation triple. The receipt stores no source text, rendered content, Logic identities, or historical sequence.

The first successful publication is an explicit baseline and does not claim every current node was added. A corrupt, foreign, unsafe, or unavailable predecessor produces an unavailable comparison rather than fabricated removals. A same-generation reindex preserves the latest meaningful transition. Each later real transition atomically replaces the single disposable receipt.

Generation-diff reads use only the bounded receipt, stable file identities, and an adapter's cheap source-generation proof. They do not open SQLite, load a complete adapter projection, parse source, synchronize, build, or repair. Legacy adapters without cheap identity report unknown. Missing, corrupt, foreign, oversized, or concurrently changed receipts report an explicit receipt state and do not trigger hidden recovery.

Recommended release-candidate sequence:

1. Call docforge_bootstrap. It synchronizes derived state and reports the exact fixed binding.
2. Read only the relevant canonical context, implementation, configuration, tests, and release rules.
3. Record the expected documentation impact in the working plan. Do not create or apply a changeset yet.
4. Implement and run focused checks iteratively. Canonical documentation remains read-only during this loop.
5. Freeze one release candidate after implementation stops changing.
6. Run the complete project gate, deployment preflight, candidate deployment, live checks, data integrity checks, and release-identity checks.
7. If candidate validation fails, return to implementation. Do not document the failed candidate.
8. Call docforge_sync once after the candidate is green.
9. Call docforge_register_changes once with the complete operation list for every affected canonical node.
10. Inspect the structured diff and every required preview.
11. Obtain human approval for the final changeset hash when required by the client workflow.
12. Call docforge_apply_changeset with that exact hash.
13. Run documentation-only validation and render checks.
14. Call docforge_bootstrap to verify the new canonical and derived identity.
15. Commit, tag, and publish the final revision containing both the verified implementation and canonical documentation.

This cadence separates documentation intake from documentation publication. It avoids repeatedly rewriting the manual around intermediate implementation states. One second documentation write is allowed only for a narrow evidence correction that could not exist before deployment. If a late check exposes an implementation defect, abandon or rebase the pending proposal and return to the implementation loop.

The older create-and-append tools remain supported for interactive proposal construction. docforge_register_changes avoids intermediate empty changesets and caller-managed hash chaining. For update, move, and delete operations it captures the synchronized current node hash when expected_content_hash is omitted.

MCP mutations are preflighted against the configured response limit. Small mutations keep their full response. Large successful mutations return a compact or minimum version-1 receipt with mutation_committed = true and the exact current changeset hash. A preflight size failure has mutation_committed = false; it is safe to correct the request or policy before retrying. A committed mutation is never reported as result_too_large.

Active changeset listing includes draft and ready proposals. Stale work remains available through an explicit status="stale" query for rebase decisions. Applied and abandoned proposals are terminal history, remain available by status or history request, and no longer block new proposals against the same canonical base.

Context and changeset reads use version-1 continuation receipts when their evidence exceeds one page. Follow pagination.next_cursor with the same tool and semantic arguments until pagination.has_more is false. Page size may change between calls. Treat the cursor as opaque. It is bound to the project, adapter, source generation, query, exact changeset hash, and collection identity. stale_cursor means evidence changed between pages; discard prior pages and restart the read instead of mixing generations.

docforge_get_context paginates one ordered evidence stream: selected entries followed by explicit omissions. An entry too large for one MCP response is represented by a bounded omission carrying its node ID and detail hash, and the cursor advances. docforge_list_changesets, docforge_get_changeset, docforge_validate_changeset, and docforge_get_changeset_diff accept the same optional limit and cursor fields. Small results keep their familiar fields. Large inspection pages may use hash summaries. A large diff may return result_mode = "canonical_json_chunk"; concatenate the chunks in order and verify payload_hash before decoding the reconstructed operations and changes object.

docforge_get_task_context uses the same opaque continuation discipline over capsule evidence followed by capsule omissions. Keep the semantic task arguments unchanged while paging. Page size may change. Every page retains the same plan, collection, and capsule hashes. A stale_cursor means that the generation, policy, plan, or collection changed; discard earlier pages and restart.

docforge_get_generation_diff paginates only the details retained in the latest bounded receipt. Its summary counts and full collection hash still cover permanently truncated details. The cursor binds the exact receipt, target generation, retained and full collection hashes, receipt state, and effective policy. A replacement receipt returns stale_cursor; restart from its first page.

Canonical application records its terminal receipt immediately after the project-owned serializer verifies the new canonical state. A later index or render refresh failure is reported as degraded derived state with remediation, not as permission to apply the same canonical change again.

Every successful declared render publishes a bounded version-1 receipt below the disposable cache. Normal render-status compares cheap source-generation, view-configuration, template-file, and output-file identities. It does not parse canonical nodes, prepare Markdown, construct HTML, or hash the complete output. Missing or corrupt receipts are unverified; changed sources, templates, or outputs are stale. Use render-status --deep only when explicitly requesting the side-effect-free full-render equivalence oracle.

Use docforge_propose_relationship_update when the intended change is only an edge addition or removal. It uses the same underlying validated update contract, but rejects empty relationship lists and makes it explicit that node content will remain unchanged.

Custom adapters may expose the application tool only when they supply a project-owned CanonicalApplier. Core DocForge will not guess how adapter nodes map back to canonical sources.

Incremental adapter compilation

Release 1 complete-projection adapters remain supported. Adapters with large source trees can implement the optional source-scoped manifest and extraction contract. DocForge then fingerprints sources, reuses unchanged facts, reparses changed sources and their reverse dependents, validates a complete candidate graph, and publishes the index atomically.

DocForge detects this capability structurally. An adapter without both load_manifest() and extract_source() remains on the Release 1 path. Its behavior and query results are unchanged, but it does not receive incremental performance until it opts in.

Build results report cache hits, reparsed sources, invalidated sources, deleted sources, and total sources. A full projection remains the fallback and equivalence oracle.

Manual proposals remain separate from compilation. Applying an approved changeset updates canonical sources first. Incremental compilation then notices those changed source fingerprints; it never treats an unapplied proposal as canonical.

Function-scoped LogicProjection data is cached alongside its owning source but remains separate from the primary Nodes, Flow, and Web graph. The Logic tab and docforge_get_logic load one function or method on demand without adding every condition and basic block to ordinary graph traversal.

See Incremental Adapter Indexing for the complete contract, cache invalidation rules, manual-application lifecycle, and lazy Logic boundary.

Preserving an older non-AST adapter

Use --no-ast on the MCP binding when the project owner wants the existing adapter preserved without AST, Tree-sitter, compiler-AST, or function-Logic upgrades:

docforge-mcp --project-root /absolute/project --no-ast

For a project-owned server, pass no_ast=True to create_project_server() or create_read_only_server(). Bootstrap and contract responses then expose mode=preserve-no-ast. The Logic tool is blocked, and DocForge refuses to publish nonempty Logic projections.

This policy does not disable the Release 1 load_projection() path. It also permits incremental fingerprinting and caching when those mechanisms do not add AST analysis. The adapter can therefore benefit from current synchronization, proposals, application, rendering, and graph tools without a source-analysis rewrite.

The binding rejects a pre-existing index containing Logic before reads or live visualization. A configured canonical application service also refreshes through the same no-AST index policy. DocForge does not inspect arbitrary adapter source to prove which parsing library it uses, so repository permissions and project instructions remain responsible for adapter implementation changes outside this process boundary.

Troubleshooting

optional_dependency_missing

Install the exact extra named in the error into the same Python environment that starts DocForge:

python -m pip install 'docforge[javascript]'
python -m pip install 'docforge[typescript]'
python -m pip install 'docforge[cpp]'

Do not install every frontend merely to suppress the check. A missing optional parser is a closed, actionable capability error and does not affect base generic or Python reference operation.

adapter_launcher_unavailable or invalid_adapter_launcher

Use one installed top-level Python module whose resolved regular-file origin is inside the project root, or use the fixed docforge.reference_mcp binding. Arbitrary dotted modules, packages, stdlib modules, missing modules, commands, argument strings, working directories, and environment injection are rejected. Test the exact generated fragment rather than editing its command by hand.

See agent integration and the security model.

adapter_restart_required

The project-local adapter code, its declared descriptor, or another implementation file changed after the project-bound MCP process started. DocForge rejects every further operation before synchronization because the live Python objects still represent the prior implementation.

Restart the MCP server or start a fresh client session. Do not stage files merely to change the adapter's source manifest, and do not attempt in-process module reloading. The error includes bounded added, changed, and deleted path evidence to identify the changed implementation boundary.

stale_index or visualization_stale

Normal MCP operations automatically repair a missing, stale, or invalid disposable index under a project lock. docforge_sync can be called explicitly to inspect whether synchronization was a no-op or rebuild. The CLI equivalent is:

docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" sync
docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" visualize

An existing graph browser intentionally stays pinned to its original index identity. Reopen it after synchronization or reindexing.

Every complete index build also writes a disposable whole-file SHA-256 attestation. A new MCP process verifies the unchanged database against that receipt instead of reconstructing every graph row. Missing or mismatched receipts fall back to complete verification and are recreated only after the full check succeeds.

visualization_manager_unavailable

The per-user manager is not installed, is stopped, or points to an old virtual environment.

docforge-viewer-manager install-user-service

For diagnosis, run docforge-viewer-manager serve in a terminal and retry docforge visualize.

The browser did not open

The command still returns the loopback URL as JSON. Open that URL manually. Desktop-less sessions should use --no-open. Confirm a local browser is registered as the default URL handler.

docforge_apply_changeset is missing

The MCP server was started without --canonical-applier, or a custom adapter did not supply a canonical applier. Restart the MCP server with the explicit gate after deciding that canonical application is appropriate for that project.

canonical_application_disabled

The CLI/MCP process has no matching configured applier identity. Confirm the ID exists under [[changesets.writers]], owns the changeset, and is passed exactly to --applier or --canonical-applier.

changeset_conflict

The changeset changed after the caller read it. Retrieve the changeset and diff again. Review the new hash rather than retrying with the old approval.

base_conflict, content_conflict, or proposal_conflict

• base_conflict: canonical sources changed after changeset creation.
• content_conflict: a target node no longer has the expected content hash.
• proposal_conflict: another active proposal from the same base touches the same node or source.

Do not force apply. Call docforge_rebase_changeset with the exact current changeset hash. DocForge will rebind it only when every touched fact is unchanged and the proposal still validates. A content or relationship conflict remains fail-closed and requires a newly reviewed proposal.

application_mismatch

The written sources did not reproduce the validated projection. DocForge rolls the generic canonical files back. For a custom adapter, fix its serializer or node-to-source mapping before retrying.

path_escape, unsafe_template, or missing source

DocForge rejects absolute paths, parent traversal, symlink escapes, overlapping canonical and derived roots, unsafe render outputs, and source files outside the project root. Fix the descriptor or adapter projection. Do not weaken confinement to make the error disappear.

Source opens at the wrong place

The source path comes from the node. The anchor comes from the generic source or custom adapter. Improve the adapter’s source_anchor to a line, stable heading, TOML node-N anchor, or distinctive symbol. DocForge can open the file safely, but it cannot infer a perfect code location from ambiguous adapter evidence.

Full inspector content does not fit

DocForge 1.0 uses a fixed header and footer with a scrollable inspector body. If an older page is still open, stop and reopen the visualization so it loads the current graph-browser@17 template.

Render output is stale

docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" render-status
docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" render VIEW_ID

Successful canonical apply regenerates declared manual views only when manual policy is auto. A manual canonical edit requires reindexing and explicit rendering. Portable graph publication always remains a separate explicit CLI action.

Portable graph publication has separate status and policy:

docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" graph-render-status
docforge --project-root "$PROJECT" graph-render architecture

projection_policy_forbids_operation

The process was deliberately started with the relevant manual, portable-graph, or live-viewer operation disabled. Restart with an allowed selector after confirming that the integration should receive that capability. Status and explicit stop operations remain available as described above.

projection_policy_unavailable

The selected non-disabled projection has no matching project configuration or runtime. Add the declared manual or portable graph render configuration, or make the live viewer runtime available, before selecting that mode. Manual auto also requires an operation or MCP server with canonical application enabled. Use manual explicit for a standalone CLI render.

Descriptor changed after startup

Long-lived CLI/MCP bindings fail closed if .docforge/project.toml changes underneath them. Restart the process so it binds the new descriptor deliberately.

Development and verification

Run the complete release gate from the DocForge repository:

make gate

Use make benchmark for the historical Milestone 0 baseline, make benchmark-m1 for the counter-gated warm-operation benchmark, make benchmark-m2 for agent workflow gates, and make benchmark-m3-full for the ten-sample 1,000-node projection, worker, fragment, status, equivalence, response-size, and memory gates. make benchmark-m4-full runs the 1,002-node adapter and recovery benchmark. make adoption-m4 performs the offline fresh-wheel proof. make command-reference-check rejects command-reference drift, and make docs-check validates the maintained documentation graph. make accessibility runs the generated manual, portable graph, and live viewer axe and keyboard flows.

Project-specific vocabulary, extraction rules, and serialization belong in the project adapter. Generic core behavior must remain deterministic, project-bound, and recoverable.