ADR-0006: Bundled, offline-first template distribution

Status: Accepted
Date: 2026-06-27
Deciders: Founding engineer

Context

If repospec init fetches templates from the network, it becomes non-deterministic and offline-hostile — the opposite of the create-next-app/npm/git feel the brief demands. (Weakness W7.)

Decision

Templates ship as a bundled package (@repospec/templates) installed with the CLI.
Phases 1–8 are fully offline and deterministic: same answers → same files.
Templates expose a manifest (which files, their ownership, target paths, variable interpolation points) so the engine can build a deterministic FilePlan.
The only network-touching feature is Phase 9 (AI bootstrap), which is strictly opt-in and clearly separated.

Consequences

Positive

Reliable in air-gapped/CI environments; reproducible scaffolds.
Versioned with the toolchain via Changesets.

Negative / trade-offs

Template updates require a package release (acceptable; predictable).

Neutral / follow-ups

A future repospec add could pull community templates, behind explicit opt-in and the same ownership rules.

Alternatives considered

Fetch templates from a registry/git at runtime — flexible but non-deterministic and offline-hostile. Rejected for core flows.