anchor

name	anchor
description	Create and manage anchor specs — cross-cutting constraints with optional external references

purlin:anchor

Create, sync, and manage anchor specs. Anchors define cross-cutting constraints that other features reference via > Requires:.

See references/formats/anchor_format.md for the full format.

Usage

purlin:anchor create <name>                    # Create a local anchor
purlin:anchor create <name> --source <url>     # Create with external reference
purlin:anchor add-figma <figma-url>            # Create from Figma design
purlin:anchor sync <name>                      # Pull latest from external source
purlin:anchor sync --check-only                # CI: exit non-zero if any anchor is stale

create

Create a new anchor spec in specs/_anchors/.

1. Ask the user what cross-cutting concern this anchor defines.
2. Extract rules from the user's description (same rule-writing process as purlin:spec).
3. Write the spec using the anchor format from references/formats/anchor_format.md.
4. If --source <url> is provided, add > Source: and > Pinned: metadata and read the external content to inform the rules.
5. Validate all references exist before committing.

Commit (mandatory)

After creating the anchor, commit immediately:

git add specs/_anchors/<name>.md
git commit -m "anchor(<name>): create cross-cutting constraint"

Do not batch with other changes. Drift detection and staleness checks depend on committed anchor state.

add-figma

Create an anchor from a Figma design URL. Read references/figma_extraction_criteria.md for the full extraction criteria.

1. Parse the Figma URL to get file key and node ID.
2. Call get_metadata MCP tool to get the file info.
3. Call get_design_context MCP tool to read the design.
4. Call get_screenshot MCP tool to capture the visual reference.
5. Save screenshot to specs/_anchors/screenshots/.
6. Check for responsive variants — if the design contains multiple frames at different widths (desktop, tablet, mobile), create one visual match rule per viewport and capture one screenshot per variant.
7. Check for annotations — look for spec frames, text nodes with behavioral descriptions, component descriptions, and Figma comments. List them in the anchor's "What it does" section as context, and note: "Behavioral requirements from annotations should be added to feature specs that require this anchor."
8. Create a thin anchor with:
   • > Source: pointing to the Figma URL
   • > Visual-Reference: figma://<fileKey>/<nodeId>
   • > Pinned: set to the file's lastModified timestamp
   • > Type: design
   • One visual match rule per viewport
   • One screenshot comparison proof (using the project's test framework) per rule, all tagged @e2e
9. For responsive designs: one rule + proof per viewport size.
10. For theme variants: one rule + proof per theme.
11. Commit per references/commit_conventions.md.

Do NOT extract granular CSS/typography/spacing rules. The LLM reads Figma directly during build for full visual fidelity.

sync

Compare > Pinned: value to the upstream source. Pull if different.

Git-sourced

1. Read > Source: to get repo URL and > Path: to get file path.
2. Read > Pinned: to get the current SHA.
3. Fetch the remote HEAD SHA: git ls-remote <repo> HEAD.
4. If SHAs differ: a. Fetch the new content and update the anchor file's external reference data. b. Update > Pinned: with the new SHA. c. If the anchor has local rules (rules not from the original sync), flag: "External reference changed. This anchor has N local rules — review for conflicts via purlin:drift." d. Commit per references/commit_conventions.md: anchor(<name>): sync from upstream (<new-sha>[:7])

Figma-sourced

1. Read > Source: to get the Figma URL.
2. Read > Pinned: to get the current timestamp.
3. Call get_metadata MCP tool with the Figma file key to get lastModified.
4. If timestamps differ: a. Call get_design_context to fetch the current design data. b. Update the anchor file with refreshed visual data. c. Update > Pinned: with the new timestamp. d. If > Visual-Reference: exists, call get_screenshot to recapture the reference screenshot. e. If local rules exist, flag for drift review. f. Commit.

Error handling

If any fetch command fails (auth error, network timeout, repo not found, Figma MCP error):

1. Report the exact error to the user.
2. Do NOT update > Pinned: or the anchor content.
3. Suggest: "Check your credentials and network, then retry purlin:anchor sync <name>."

If the fetched content is empty or unparseable:

1. Report the issue.
2. Do NOT overwrite the existing anchor content.
3. Suggest: "The upstream file may have been reformatted. Check the source."

--check-only

For CI pipelines without Claude Code:

1. For each anchor with > Source:, compare > Pinned: to the remote HEAD.
2. If any are stale, exit non-zero with a list of stale anchors.
3. If all are current, exit 0.

CI scripting example (without Claude Code):

# Check if anchor's external ref is stale
PINNED=$(grep '> Pinned:' specs/_anchors/api_contract.md | awk '{print $3}')
REMOTE=$(git ls-remote [e-mail]:acme/api-spec.git HEAD | cut -f1)
if [ "$PINNED" != "$REMOTE" ]; then echo "Anchor stale"; exit 1; fi