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DocForge2/docs/USER_MANUAL.md

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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.

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.
  • Hash-bound canonical application through both CLI and an explicitly enabled MCP tool.
  • Declared HTML render views. Arbitrary templates, render commands, and output paths are rejected.
  • 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.

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 / visualize / compile context
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/DocForge.git /absolute/path/DocForge
cd /absolute/path/DocForge
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.

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]
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.

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. Outgoing nodes and their descendants form one visual role, while incoming or lateral nodes form another. 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.

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.
  • 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>

Project and index commands

info
validate
build
reindex
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.
  • 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]
dependencies NODE_ID [--depth N]
impact NODE_ID [--depth N]
context PROFILE [--budget N]

Render and proposal commands

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

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 render. It does not commit or push the result.

Viewer commands

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

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.

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.

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_project_info
  • docforge_get_contract
  • docforge_get_node
  • docforge_search
  • docforge_filter_nodes
  • docforge_backlinks
  • docforge_dependencies
  • docforge_impact
  • docforge_get_context
  • docforge_validate_project
  • docforge_render_status
  • docforge_visualize
  • docforge_visualization_status
  • docforge_stop_visualization

Proposal tools

  • docforge_create_changeset
  • docforge_list_changesets
  • docforge_get_changeset
  • docforge_propose_node_create
  • docforge_propose_node_update
  • docforge_propose_node_move
  • 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.

Recommended agent sequence:

  1. Read the contract and relevant nodes.
  2. Create a changeset.
  3. Add structured operations using the hash returned by each previous mutation.
  4. Validate the changeset.
  5. Inspect its structured diff and preview.
  6. Obtain human approval for the final changeset hash when required by the client workflow.
  7. Call docforge_apply_changeset with that exact hash.
  8. Report changed canonical files and derived refresh results.

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.

Troubleshooting

stale_index or visualization_stale

Canonical sources changed after the index or viewer snapshot was built.

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

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

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. Rebase the intended changes into a new changeset after inspecting current canonical content.

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 0.14 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@14 template.

Render output is stale

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

Successful canonical apply regenerates all declared views automatically. A manual canonical edit requires reindexing and rendering.

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:

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

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