/edikt:invariant:new

Capture a hard architectural constraint that must never be violated.

Usage

/edikt:invariant:new no floats for money
/edikt:invariant:new                         ← extracts from current conversation

What is an invariant?

An invariant is not a guideline — it's a rule where violation causes real harm: data corruption, security breaches, double-charges, domain boundary violations. Invariants are non-negotiables.

Good invariants:

• "All monetary amounts stored as integer cents. Never use float64 for money."
• "Domain package imports only stdlib. No HTTP, no SQL, no framework types."
• "All payment operations require an idempotency key."

Not invariants (use .claude/rules/ instead): preferences, "try to" statements, style guidelines, things that are just good practice.

Two modes

With argument — define from scratch

/edikt:invariant:new no floats for money

edikt creates the invariant with precise language: what the rule is, why it exists, and what violation looks like.

Creates: docs/invariants/INV-{NNN}-no-floats-for-money.md

No argument — extract from conversation

/edikt:invariant:new

Extracts the last hard constraint discussed in the current conversation.

Proactive suggestions

The Stop hook watches every Claude response for hard constraint signals. When it detects one, Claude suggests:

💡 This is an invariant — run `/edikt:invariant:new` to capture it.

Template

edikt uses a template to structure the Invariant Record. The template lookup chain:

1. Project override — .edikt/templates/invariant.md (if present)
2. edikt default — built-in template per ADR-009

The default template produces:

# INV-NNN: Short declarative title

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Status:** Active

## Statement       ← compile reads this (absolute, declarative)
## Rationale       ← why the constraint exists
## Consequences of violation
## Implementation  ← concrete patterns (optional)
## Anti-patterns   ← what violation looks like (optional)
## Enforcement     ← at least one mechanism (required)

[edikt:directives:start]: #
[edikt:directives:end]: #

The ## Statement section is what compile reads. Write it with absolute language ("every", "all", "never") — these trigger the "No exceptions." reinforcement in compiled directives. See Writing good invariants for the full guide.

Output

docs/invariants/
└── INV-001-no-floats-for-money.md

After creating the invariant, edikt automatically runs /edikt:invariant:compile to generate the directive sentinel block with directives, reminders, and verification checklist items. Your new invariant is immediately ready for /edikt:gov:compile.

What's next

• /edikt:invariant:compile — compile into governance directives
• /edikt:invariant:review — review language quality + directive LLM compliance
• Invariant Records — what they are, lifecycle, how they compile
• Writing good invariants — five qualities, seven traps, LLM compliance
• Example: tenant isolation — full worked example
• Extensibility — manual directives, suppressed directives, template overrides

Natural language triggers

• "that's a hard rule"
• "never do X"
• "add an invariant"
• "that must never be violated"