Archetypes

An archetype defines two things: what the compiler generates and what toolchain is needed to build it. Choosing an archetype means choosing a deployment target. The same agent.acl manifest can target different archetypes to produce different kinds of artifacts.

The archetype is declared in the build block:

build {
  archetype = "standalone"
}

standalone

The standalone archetype produces a single, self-contained binary. The binary embeds all tool code, skill content, and runtime configuration. Deployment means copying the binary and setting environment variables; there are no other runtime dependencies.

Building it requires the Rust toolchain (cargo), which you can install at rustup.rs. The output is a compiled binary at artifacts/build/<agent_name>.

The standalone binary includes a CLI with a run command for single-shot execution and a serve command for starting the HTTP server (when http_server is defined in the manifest). It reads configuration from environment variables at startup and requires a database connection for session and checkpoint persistence.

Cross-compilation

The standalone archetype can cross-compile to other platforms. Specify the target platform in the build block:

build {
  archetype = "standalone"
  os        = "linux"
  arch      = "aarch64"
}

os accepts "linux", "mac_os", or "windows", and arch accepts "x86_64" or "aarch64". Both must be specified together. If neither is specified, the binary is compiled for the host platform. The full build block reference is on the build reference page.

Future archetypes

The archetype system is designed to be extended. Future archetypes will target different deployment models without requiring changes to how you write your manifest or your tools.

When a new archetype is available, you switch to it by changing the archetype field and ensuring you have the required toolchain installed.

Where to go next

• The compilation pipeline: how an archetype turns the manifest into an artifact.
• Deploy a standalone binary: run the standalone artifact in production.
• build reference: every field of the build block, including cross-compilation.