Custom Archetypes

Add domain expertise beyond the 7 built-ins: database specialist, compliance auditor, accessibility reviewer, etc.

When to Create

• A recurring review concern isn't covered by built-ins
• You need domain knowledge (GDPR, PCI-DSS, WCAG, SQL optimization)
• Same custom instructions used across multiple orchestrations

Definition Format

Create .archeflow/archetypes/<id>.md:

# <Name>

## Identity
**ID:** <lowercase-with-hyphens>
**Role:** <one sentence>
**Lens:** <the one question this archetype always asks>
**Model tier:** cheap | standard | premium

## Behavior
<System prompt: what to look for, how to evaluate, output format, decision criteria>

## Outputs
<Message types: Research, Proposal, Challenge, RiskAssessment, QualityReport, Implementation>

## Shadow
**Name:** <dysfunction name>
**Strength inverted:** <how core strength becomes destructive>
**Symptoms:** <3 observable behaviors>
**Correction:** <specific prompt to course-correct>

Composition

Combine two archetypes into a focused super-reviewer:

• Max 2 archetypes combined
• Combined shadow must address both source shadows
• Use when spawning both separately would waste tokens on overlapping context

Team Presets

Save team configs in .archeflow/teams/<name>.yaml:

name: backend
plan: [explorer, creator]
do: [maker]
check: [guardian, sage]
exit: all_approved
max_cycles: 2

Reference custom archetypes by ID in the check (or any phase) list.

Rules

1. One concern per archetype
2. Concrete shadow with observable symptoms
3. Right model tier: analytical = cheap, creative = standard, judgment = premium
4. Specific lens question focuses behavior
5. Compose before creating from scratch