Template Customization Guide

Guide Origin: Official | ArcKit Version: [VERSION]

/arckit:customize copies templates to .arckit/templates-custom/ for customization, preserving changes across updates.

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Command

# Copy a specific template
/arckit:customize requirements

# Copy all templates
/arckit:customize all

# List available templates
/arckit:customize list

# Show template info
/arckit:customize info requirements

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How It Works

Location	Purpose
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/	Default templates (Claude Code plugin)
.arckit/templates/	Default templates (CLI and non-Claude extensions, refreshed by arckit init)
.arckit/templates-custom/	Your customizations (preserved across updates)

Commands automatically check for custom templates first, falling back to defaults.

Scope

In Claude Code, ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} resolves to the core arckit plugin. Community overlays (arckit-uae, arckit-ca, arckit-uk-nhs, arckit-repo and the rest) are separate plugins, and the command finds the ones you have installed beside the core. Both halves are reachable, and where overlays are installed they are the larger half of the catalogue. A template from an overlay you have not installed is not on disk; the command tells you which plugin to install:

Action	Scope
list	Core and overlays, grouped by plugin
/arckit:customize <name>	Core and overlays
all	Core only, deliberately

all stays core-only because a UK project has no use for twelve UAE templates. Copy overlay templates by name instead:

/arckit:customize codebase-audit     # ships in arckit-repo
/arckit:customize uae-ai-charter     # ships in arckit-uae

Whichever action you use, the command states the scope it applied. The overlay copy is the version bundled with your installed core plugin, which can lag a separately installed overlay.

On the CLI and the non-Claude extensions this distinction does not apply: arckit init writes every template into a single flat .arckit/templates/ directory.

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Common Customizations

Customization	Example
Document Control	Add organization-specific fields
Compliance Sections	Include ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, SOC 2 requirements
Approval Workflows	Add department-specific sign-off sections
Classification Banners	Customize UK Government classification headers
Branding	Add organization logo, footer, contact information

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Workflow

1. Copy template: /arckit:customize requirements
2. Edit: Modify .arckit/templates-custom/requirements-template.md
3. Use: Run /arckit:requirements — automatically uses your custom template
4. Update ArcKit: Run arckit init — your customizations preserved

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Template Structure

Templates use placeholders that commands replace:

Placeholder	Replaced With
[PROJECT_ID]	Project number (e.g., "001")
[PROJECT_NAME]	Project name
[VERSION]	Document version
[DATE]	Current date
[STATUS]	Document status (DRAFT, etc.)

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Best Practices

1. Start minimal: Copy only templates you need to customize
2. Document changes: Add comments explaining customizations
3. Test first: Verify custom template works before production use
4. Version control: Commit .arckit/templates-custom/ to git
5. Review updates: Check ArcKit release notes for template changes

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Reverting to Defaults

To revert a template to default:

# Delete the custom template
rm .arckit/templates-custom/requirements-template.md

# Command will now use default from .arckit/templates/

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Available Templates

Template	Command
requirements-template.md	/arckit:requirements
stakeholder-drivers-template.md	/arckit:stakeholders
risk-register-template.md	/arckit:risk
sobc-template.md	/arckit:sobc
architecture-principles-template.md	/arckit:principles
data-model-template.md	/arckit:data-model
sow-template.md	/arckit:sow
pages-template.html	/arckit:pages
...	(run /arckit:customize list for the full list)

The core plugin ships 65 templates and the overlays add well over a hundred more, so the extract above is a sample rather than a catalogue. /arckit:customize list is the authoritative list and covers both.