Rivière Graph Extraction - Step by Step

Extract architecture flows from a codebase into a Rivière graph.

How to Use

Do not use plan mode. These steps require direct execution, not planning.

Run each step in a separate Claude session. Load the step file, review output, proceed.

# Step 1: Understand the codebase
"Execute /path/to/step-1-understand.md"

# Step 2: Define component patterns
"Execute /path/to/step-2-define-components.md"

# Step 3: Extract components
"Execute /path/to/step-3-extract.md"

# Step 4: Link components
"Execute /path/to/step-4-link.md"

# Step 5: Enrich with business rules
"Execute /path/to/step-5-enrich.md"

# Step 6: Validate and export
"Execute /path/to/step-6-validate.md"

CLI: npx @living-architecture/riviere-cli

Output Structure

.riviere/
├── config/
│   ├── metadata.md              # Project name, domains, reference files
│   ├── component-definitions.md # Extraction rules for each component type
│   ├── linking-rules.md         # Cross-domain linking patterns
│   └── extraction-scripts.md    # Scripts for complex extraction patterns
├── step-3-summary.md            # Working file (can delete after)
├── step-4-checklist.md          # Working file (can delete after)
├── step-5-checklist.md          # Working file (can delete after)
└── [project-name]-[commit].json # Generated graph

Git history tracks changes across runs.

Feedback and Improvement

If components are missing, reload the step with feedback:

"Execute /path/to/step-2-define-components.md

You missed domain operations in src/services/. Update the rules."

Then re-run step-3 to re-extract.

Config files improve over time. Each fix makes future extractions more accurate.

Why Separate Steps?

Each step runs in isolation — Claude cannot plan ahead or make assumptions. You control the pace and can correct mistakes between steps.

Fresh context window per step, or restart mid-step if needed.

Step Files

Step	Purpose
Step 1: Understand	Analyze codebase structure
Step 2: Define	Create extraction rules
Step 3: Extract	Add components to graph
Step 4: Link	Connect components
Step 5: Enrich	Add state changes and rules
Step 6: Validate	Check consistency