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manifold Constraint-first development framework overview. USE WHEN learning about Manifold or checking available commands. Individual commands are separate skills - use /manifold:m0-init, /manifold:m1-constrain, etc. directly.
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name manifold description Constraint-first development framework overview. USE WHEN learning about Manifold or checking available commands. Individual commands are separate skills - use /manifold:m0-init, /manifold:m1-constrain, etc. directly.
Manifold
Constraint-first development framework that makes ALL constraints visible BEFORE implementation.
Individual command files are the authoritative source. This overview is for orientation only.
Quick Start
Each command is a separate skill. Use them directly:
/manifold:m0-init my-feature # Initialize manifold
/manifold:m1-constrain my-feature # Discover constraints
/manifold:m2-tension my-feature # Surface conflicts
/manifold:m3-anchor my-feature # Backward reasoning
/manifold:m4-generate my-feature # Create all artifacts
/manifold:m5-verify my-feature # Validate constraints
/manifold:m6-integrate my-feature # Wire artifacts together
/manifold:m-status # Show current state
/manifold:m-quick my-feature # Light mode (simple changes)
/manifold:parallel "task1" "task2" # Parallel execution
Available Skills:
/manifold:m0-init - Initialize a constraint manifold (JSON+Markdown hybrid)/manifold:m1-constrain - Interview-driven constraint discovery (5 categories + GAP checklists)/manifold:m2-tension - Surface and resolve conflicts (--auto-deps for dependency detection, TRIZ classification)/manifold:m3-anchor - Backward reasoning from outcome (recursive backward chaining, binding constraint)/manifold:m4-generate - Generate all artifacts (code, tests, docs, runbooks, alerts, dashboards)/manifold:m5-verify - Verify constraints coverage (--actions for gap automation,
--levels
/manifold:m6-integrate - Wire artifacts together (--check-only, --auto-wire)
/manifold:m-status - Show current state (--history for iteration tracking)
/manifold:m-quick - Light mode for simple changes (3-phase workflow)
/manifold:parallel - Execute tasks in parallel using git worktrees
/manifold:m-solve - Generate parallel execution plan from constraint network
Commands
/manifold:m0-init Initialize a constraint manifold for a feature.
Usage: /manifold:m0-init <feature-name> [--outcome="<desired outcome>"] [--domain=software|non-software]
Creates TWO files: .manifold/<feature>.json (structure) + .manifold/<feature>.md (content)
JSON: IDs, types, phases only. NO text content.
Markdown: outcome, constraint statements, rationale
Schema version 3 (v3 features: evidence, constraint_graph, iterations)
/manifold:m0-init payment-retry --outcome="95% retry success for transient failures"
/manifold:m1-constrain Interview-driven constraint discovery across 5 categories.
Usage: /manifold:m1-constrain <feature-name> [--category=<category>]
Business (B1, B2...) - Revenue, compliance, stakeholdersTechnical (T1, T2...) - Performance, integration, dataUser Experience (U1, U2...) - Response times, errors, accessibilitySecurity (S1, S2...) - Data protection, auth, auditOperational (O1, O2...) - Monitoring, SLAs, incidents
INVARIANT - Must NEVER be violated (highest priority)BOUNDARY - Hard limits (medium priority)GOAL - Should be optimized (lowest priority) Features: GAP checklists (6 mandatory checks), pre-mortem pass, constraint quality scoring, draft required truths seeding, constraint genealogy tagging.
/manifold:m1-constrain payment-retry
Discovered:
- B1: No duplicate payments (INVARIANT)
- B2: 95% success rate (GOAL)
- B3: Retry window ≤ 72 hours (BOUNDARY)
/manifold:m2-tension Surface and resolve constraint conflicts.
Usage: /manifold:m2-tension <feature-name> [--resolve] [--auto-deps]
trade_off - Competing constraints requiring balanceresource_tension - Resource limits constraining optionshidden_dependency - Non-obvious relationships Features: TRIZ contradiction classification, directional constraint propagation, constructive relaxation suggestions, failure cascade analysis (GAP-06), blocking dependency export for m3.
/manifold:m2-tension payment-retry
TENSION DETECTED:
- TN1: T1 "API response < 200ms" vs B1 "No duplicates" (idempotency adds ~50ms)
- Resolution: Cache recent transaction IDs
/manifold:m3-anchor Backward reasoning from desired outcome.
Usage: /manifold:m3-anchor <feature-name> [--outcome="<statement>"] [--depth=N]
Start with desired outcome
Ask: "What must be TRUE?"
Derive required conditions (recursive backward chaining up to depth 4)
Identify binding constraint (Theory of Constraints)
Generate solution space with reversibility tagging
/manifold:m3-anchor payment-retry --outcome="95% retry success"
BINDING CONSTRAINT: RT-1 (error classification)
For 95% success, what MUST be true?
- RT-1: Can distinguish transient from permanent failures
- RT-2: Retries are idempotent
- RT-3: Sufficient retry budget
SOLUTION SPACE:
A. Client-side exponential backoff (TWO_WAY)
B. Server-side queue with workflow engine (REVERSIBLE_WITH_COST)
C. Hybrid approach (TWO_WAY) ← Recommended
/manifold:m4-generate Generate ALL artifacts simultaneously from the constraint manifold.
Usage: /manifold:m4-generate <feature-name> [--option=<A|B|C>] [--prd] [--stories]
Code - Implementation with constraint traceability (// Satisfies: B1)Tests - Derived from constraints, not codeDocs - Design decisions with constraint rationaleRunbooks - Operational procedures for failure modesDashboards - Monitoring for goals and invariantsAlerts - Notifications for constraint violationsPRD (--prd) - Product Requirements Document from constraintsStories (--stories) - User stories with acceptance criteria Why all at once? Traditional: Code → Tests → Docs → Ops (often forgotten). Manifold: All artifacts derive from the SAME source.
/manifold:m4-generate payment-retry --option=C
Generated:
- lib/retry/PaymentRetryClient.ts Satisfies: RT-1, RT-3
- lib/retry/IdempotencyService.ts Satisfies: B1, RT-2
- tests/retry/PaymentRetryClient.test.ts Validates: B1, B2, T1
- docs/payment-retry/README.md
- ops/runbooks/payment-retry-failure.md
- ops/dashboards/payment-retry.json
- ops/alerts/payment-retry.yaml
/manifold:m5-verify Verify ALL artifacts against ALL constraints.
Usage: /manifold:m5-verify <feature-name> [--strict] [--actions] [--levels] [--verify-evidence] [--run-tests] [--execute]
--actions - Generate actionable fix commands for gaps--levels - Show satisfaction levels (DOCUMENTED → IMPLEMENTED → TESTED → VERIFIED)--verify-evidence - Check evidence items against disk--run-tests - Execute test_passes evidence--execute - Run all verifiable evidence (file_exists, content_match, test_passes) Constraint Code Test Docs Ops Status B1: No duplicates ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ SATISFIED T1: <200ms ✓ ◐ ✓ ✓ PARTIAL
/manifold:m6-integrate Wire generated artifacts together.
Usage: /manifold:m6-integrate <feature-name> [--check-only] [--auto-wire]
Identifies integration points (imports, feature flags, config) and produces actionable checklists.
/manifold:m-status Show current Manifold state and next recommended action.
Usage: /manifold:m-status [<feature-name>] [--history] [--diff]
/manifold:m-quick Light mode for simple changes that don't need full constraint analysis.
Usage: /manifold:m-quick <feature-name> --outcome="<description>"
3-phase workflow: Constrain (3 constraints) → Generate → Verify. Use for bug fixes, small features, quick iterations.
Storage All data stored in .manifold/ using JSON+Markdown hybrid format (schema v3):
.manifold/
├── <feature>.json # Structure (IDs, types, phases) — machine-readable
├── <feature>.md # Content (statements, rationale) — human-readable
└── <feature>.verify.json # Verification results
Why two files? JSON has NO text fields — this eliminates statement vs description confusion. IDs and types live in JSON; all prose lives in Markdown. Linking is by ID: JSON "id": "B1" maps to Markdown heading #### B1: Title.
Legacy YAML format (.yaml files) is supported for existing manifolds only. New manifolds MUST use JSON+Markdown. Use manifold migrate <feature> to convert.
Native CLI Fast commands (<100ms, no AI required):
manifold status [feature]
manifold validate [feature]
manifold verify [feature]
manifold drift [feature]
manifold solve [feature]
manifold show [feature]
manifold migrate [feature]
Philosophy Manifold treats development as constraint satisfaction , not feature building:
All constraints exist simultaneously — business, technical, UX, security, operationalSurface conflicts early — find tensions before they become bugsReason backward — from outcome to requirements, not spec to implementationSingle source of truth — all artifacts derive from the constraint manifold 