v2.0.0 to v2.0.0

---

name: glyph

license: MIT

compatibility: "Claude Code 2.1.220+."

description: "Render an answer as ASCII art plus semantic emojis inline, right now, with no setup questions. Use for a fast visual take on status, comparisons, trade-offs, architecture, or any ad-hoc 'show me X visually' ask. For a full multi-artifact plan playground, use visualize-plan instead."

tags: [ascii, diagrams, visualization, box-drawing, terminal, quick]

version: 2.0.0

author: OrchestKit

user-invocable: true

disable-model-invocation: false

context: inherit

allowed-tools: [Read, Grep, Glob]

argument-hint: "[topic-to-render]"

complexity: low

persuasion-type: reference

effort: low

metadata:

category: document-asset-creation

---

# Glyph

Render the answer as ASCII art plus semantic emojis, inline, immediately. All output renders in a monospace terminal with no external tools.

**Core principle:** Encode information into structure, not decoration. Every diagram element should communicate something meaningful.

## Execution (run this, do not ask first)

The whole point is speed, so there is no setup phase.

**With no argument, the topic is the current conversation.** Measured over a real 13-prompt session: zero asks supplied a self-contained topic, and the one direct invocation passed nothing at all. `/ork:glyph` on its own means "render where we are right now" — the open work, the decision just reached, the state of the thing being discussed. Render that; do not ask what to draw.

Given a topic (or the conversation, when none is given):

1. **Render immediately.** Do NOT call `AskUserQuestion` to pick a format, do NOT call `TaskCreate`, do NOT spawn an `Agent`. Choose the form yourself from the topic shape and draw it. Asking first defeats the skill.

2. **Pick the form from the shape of the data**, using the pattern library below:

| Topic shape | Form |

|---|---|

| state / progress / health | status box + bar meters |

| A vs B, options, trade-offs | comparison table or side-by-side boxes |

| steps, pipeline, hand-offs | left-to-right flow with `──▶` |

| containment, layers, layout | nested boxes / tree |

| ranked list, scores, counts | table + bar meters |

| over time | sparkline or milestone track |

3. **Emit inline in the reply.** Never write a file unless the user asked for one. This is a chat answer, not an artifact.

4. **Use the 12-emoji semantic set and box-drawing vocabulary** defined in `rules/visual-style.md` (shipped with this skill). Semantic, never decorative: an emoji must mean something (✅ pass, ❌ fail, ⚠️ risk, 🔴 blocked).

**When NOT to use this skill:** if the deliverable is a multi-section HTML playground, a persisted plan artifact, or anything needing file output, use `visualize-plan` instead. Glyph is the cheap inline path; visualize-plan is the full pipeline.

## Box-Drawing Character Reference

This block intentionally shows multiple sets together as a key. Authors

should use ONE set per real diagram; the `single-set` lint rule enforces

this on production diagrams.

<!-- ascii-lint-disable: single-set,single-arrow-style,density-min -->

```

default: ┌─┐ │ └─┘ ├─┤ ┬ ┴ ┼

emphasis: ┏━┓ ┃ ┗━┛ ┣━┫ ┳ ┻ ╋

title: ╔═╗ ║ ╚═╝ ╠═╣ ╦ ╩ ╬

soft: ╭─╮ │ ╰─╯

portable: +-+ | +-+ +-+ + + +

Arrows: → ← ↑ ↓ ─> <─ ──> <──

Blocks: █ ▓ ░ ▏▎▍▌▋▊▉

Status: ● ○ ✓ ✗ ⚠ ◆ ◇ ▶ ▷ ↑↓→ ▓▒░ (closed-set vocab — see rules)

```

### Set Conventions (D8: intent-driven naming)

Tokens live in `tokens.json`. Names describe USE not APPEARANCE.

| Set | Characters | Use For |

|-----|-----------|---------|

| `default` `─│` | Normal boxes and connectors | Most diagrams |

| `emphasis` `━┃` | Headers, focus, draw the eye | Key components, outer frames |

| `title` `═║` | Document titles | §0-style banners only |

| `soft` `╭╮╰╯ ─│` | Status cards, ambient UI | Diff blocks |

| `portable` `+-\|` | NO_COLOR / CI / bare TTY | Fallback |

Rename codemod (D8): old `light/heavy/double/rounded/ascii-fallback` → new names above. Old names accepted with warning for one minor release.

### Status Glyph Vocabulary

Closed-set v1 of 11 semantic glyphs (`●○✓✗⚠◆◇▶▷ ↑↓→ ▓▒░`). Single source of truth — see `rules/status-glyph-vocabulary.md`. Add-a-glyph process in `CONTRIBUTING.md`.

## Diagram Patterns

### Architecture Diagrams

```

┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐

│ Frontend │─────>│ Backend │

│ React 19 │ │ FastAPI │

└──────────────┘ └───────┬──────┘

│

v

┌──────────────┐

│ PostgreSQL │

└──────────────┘

```

### File Trees with Annotations

```

src/

├── api/

│ ├── routes.py [M] +45 -12 !! high-traffic path

│ └── schemas.py [M] +20 -5

├── services/

│ └── billing.py [A] +180 ** new file

└── tests/

└── test_billing.py [A] +120 ** new file

Legend: [A]dd [M]odify [D]elete !! Risk ** New

```

### Progress Bars

```

[████████░░] 80% Complete

+ Design (2 days)

+ Backend (5 days)

~ Frontend (3 days)

- Testing (pending)

```

### Swimlane / Timeline Diagrams

```

Backend ===[Schema]======[API]===========================[Deploy]====>

| | ^

| +------blocks------+ |

| | |

Frontend ------[Wait]--------[Components]=======[Integration]=+

=== Active work --- Blocked/waiting | Dependency

```

### Blast Radius (Concentric Rings)

```

Ring 3: Tests (8 files)

+-------------------------------+

| Ring 2: Transitive (5) |

| +------------------------+ |

| | Ring 1: Direct (3) | |

| | +--------------+ | |

| | | CHANGED FILE | | |

| | +--------------+ | |

| +------------------------+ |

+-------------------------------+

```

### Comparison Tables

```

BEFORE AFTER

┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐

│ Monolith │ │ Service A │──┐

│ (all-in-1)│ └────────────┘ │ ┌──────────┐

└────────────┘ ┌────────────┐ ├─>│ Shared │

│ Service B │──┘ │ Queue │

└────────────┘ └──────────┘

```

### Reversibility Timeline

```

Phase 1 [================] FULLY REVERSIBLE (add column)

Phase 2 [================] FULLY REVERSIBLE (new endpoint)

Phase 3 [============....] PARTIALLY (backfill)

--- POINT OF NO RETURN ---

Phase 4 [........????????] IRREVERSIBLE (drop column)

```

## Key Rules

| Rule | Description |

|------|-------------|

| Font | Always monospace — box-drawing requires fixed-width |

| Weight | Standard for normal, Heavy for emphasis, Double for titles |

| Arrows | `─>`, `──>`, or `│` with `v`/`^` for direction |

| Alignment | Right-pad labels to match column widths |

| Annotations | `!!` for risk, `**` for new, `[A/M/D]` for change type |

| Width | Keep under 80 chars for terminal compatibility |

| Nesting | Max 3 levels of box nesting before readability degrades |

## When to Use Each Pattern

| Pattern | Use Case |

|---------|----------|

| Layered boxes | System architecture, deployment topology |

| Concentric rings | Blast radius, impact analysis |

| Timeline bars | Reversibility, migration phases |

| Swimlanes | Execution order, parallel work streams |

| Annotated trees | File change manifests, directory structures |

| Comparison tables | Cross-layer consistency, before/after |

| Progress bars | Status tracking, completion metrics |

## Related Skills

- `brainstorm` — Design exploration where diagrams communicate ideas

- `architecture-patterns` — System architecture that benefits from ASCII diagrams

- `code-review-playbook` — Review comments with inline diagrams