Quick Start

Get architecture from code in 5 minutes.

You don't write .sruja files. Your AI does it for you. Here's how:

Step 1: Install the AI skill (1 minute)

This teaches your AI editor how to generate Sruja files. The skill will guide you to install the CLI when needed.

npx skills add https://github.com/sruja-ai/sruja --skill sruja-architecture

Supported editors: Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude, Continue.dev

Step 2: Generate your architecture file (2 minutes)

Open your AI editor and ask it to generate your architecture:

Use sruja-architecture skill. Analyze my codebase, generate a repo.sruja file, 
then run sruja lint and fix any errors until it passes.

What happens:

1. The skill runs sruja discover to understand your code structure (installs CLI if needed)
2. Asks you 2-3 questions if anything is unclear (e.g., "What's this service for?")
3. Generates a repo.sruja file with your architecture
4. Runs sruja lint to check for errors
5. Fixes any errors automatically

Result: You now have a repo.sruja file in your project root!

Step 3: Validate it (optional)

The skill already validated your file, but you can check manually:

sruja lint repo.sruja

If it says "✅ All checks passed", you're good!

If you see errors, just ask your AI: "Fix these errors."

What's Next?

You have architecture in code. Now what?

Generate diagrams for documentation:

sruja export mermaid repo.sruja > architecture.mmd
sruja export markdown repo.sruja > ARCHITECTURE.md

Keep it in sync:

When you change your code, run:

sruja drift -r .

This shows you what changed and if your architecture needs updating.

Learn more:

• Beginner path – 7 steps to go deeper
• System Design 101 – Learn patterns
• Examples – Real-world architectures

Quick Reference

Common Questions

"What if the command isn't found?"

The CLI isn't on your PATH. Try:

# Add to PATH
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

# Or restart your terminal

"My editor doesn't support skills."

You can still use Sruja manually:

• Run sruja discover to get JSON output
• Create repo.sruja by hand (see Language spec)
• Use sruja lint to validate

But AI makes it much easier—consider using Cursor or installing skills.sh.

"What's the difference between quickstart and discover?"

• quickstart – Quick overview, human-readable output (great for first look)
• discover – Detailed JSON output (used by AI for generation)

Option A – install script (downloads from GitHub Releases):

curl -fsSL https://sruja.ai/install.sh | bash

Option B – from Git (requires Rust):

cargo install sruja-cli --git https://github.com/sruja-ai/sruja

Option C – build from source:

git clone https://github.com/sruja-ai/sruja.git && cd sruja
make build

Ensure the sruja binary is on your PATH (install script uses ~/.local/bin by default).

Create a .sruja file

This is the minimal style (explicit kinds, no import). For the full Getting Started guide using stdlib imports, see Getting Started. Both styles are valid; use whichever you prefer.

person = kind "Person"
system = kind "System"
container = kind "Container"

User = person "User" {}
App = system "My App" {
  Web = container "Web Server" { technology "Node.js" }
}
User -> App.Web "visits"

Validate and export

sruja lint example.sruja
sruja export json example.sruja
sruja export markdown example.sruja

VS Code

Install the Sruja extension for syntax, diagnostics, and optional diagram preview in the editor.

Next: Beginner path builds on this in 7 steps (2–3 hours). For a longer "first architecture" walkthrough with a view and stdlib import, see Getting started (full).