alps

Create, validate, and improve ALPS profiles. Generate from natural language descriptions, validate existing profiles, and get improvement suggestions.

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ALPS Profile Assistant

Generate, validate, and improve ALPS profiles for RESTful API design.

Ideal ALPS Profile

Goal: An ALPS that someone unfamiliar with the app can read and understand.

What Makes a Good ALPS

States = What the user sees
- ProductList - viewing a list of products
- ProductDetail - viewing one product
- Cart - viewing cart contents
Transitions = What the user does
- goProductDetail - select a product
- doAddToCart - add to cart
Self-documenting
- title explains the purpose
- doc describes behavior and side effects
- No need to read code to understand
No unreachable states
- Every state has an entry point
- Orphan states indicate design mistakes
Necessary and sufficient
- No over-abstraction
- Describes semantics, not implementation
- No HTTP methods or URLs

What to Avoid

Mechanical CRUD listings without meaning
Implementation details leaking in
States without transitions (can't draw a diagram)
Excessive documentation nobody reads

How to Use

This skill responds to natural language requests:

Generate ALPS from Natural Language

"Create an ALPS profile for a blog application"
"Generate ALPS for an e-commerce cart system"
"Design an ALPS profile for user authentication"

Validate Existing Profile

"Validate this ALPS profile" (with file path or content)
"Check my ALPS file for issues"
"Review the ALPS profile at docs/api.json"

Get Improvement Suggestions

"Improve this ALPS profile"
"Suggest enhancements for my ALPS"
"How can I make this ALPS better?"

ALPS Structure Reference

Three Layers of ALPS

Ontology - Semantic descriptors (data elements)
- Atomic data fields with type="semantic" (default)
- Should have id, title, and optionally doc and def (schema.org link)
Taxonomy - State descriptors (screens/pages)
- Composite descriptors containing semantic fields and transitions
- Represents application states (e.g., HomePage, ProductDetail, Cart)
Choreography - Transition descriptors (actions)
- type="safe" - Read operations (GET)
- type="unsafe" - Create operations (POST) - not idempotent
- type="idempotent" - Update/Delete operations (PUT/DELETE)
- Must have rt (return type) pointing to target state

Naming Conventions

Type	Prefix	Example
Safe transition	`go`	`goToHome`, `goProductList`, `goSearchProducts`
Unsafe transition	`do`	`doCreateUser`, `doAddToCart`, `doLogin`
Idempotent transition	`do`	`doUpdateUser`, `doDeleteItem`, `doRemoveFromCart`
State/Page	PascalCase	`HomePage`, `ProductDetail`, `ShoppingCart`
Semantic field	camelCase	`userId`, `productName`, `createdAt`

Safe Transition Naming Rule

IMPORTANT: Safe transitions (go*) MUST include the target state name in their id.

rt="#ProductList" → id must be goProductList (or goToProductList)
rt="#UserProfile" → id must be goUserProfile (or goToUserProfile)

Invalid examples:

goStart with rt="#ProductList" - Wrong! Should be goProductList
goNext with rt="#Checkout" - Wrong! Should be goCheckout

This rule ensures consistency and makes the diagram self-documenting. When a transition has no source state (entry point), it will be displayed as originating from UnknownState in the diagram.

Determining idempotent: PUT vs DELETE

Context clues for AI inference:

PUT (Update) indicators:

update, edit, modify, change, set, replace
Example: doUpdateProfile, doEditComment, doSetQuantity

DELETE indicators:

delete, remove, cancel, clear, destroy
Example: doDeleteUser, doRemoveFromCart, doCancelOrder

Generation Guidelines

When Creating ALPS from Natural Language

IMPORTANT: Structure the ALPS file in three blocks in this order:

Identify Entities (Ontology - Semantic definitions)
- Extract nouns: user, product, order, cart, etc.
- Define atomic fields for each entity
- Add def links to schema.org where applicable
- Add doc for validation rules, formats, constraints
Identify States (Taxonomy - Inclusion relationships)
- Map user journey: login -> home -> browse -> cart -> checkout
- Each state contains relevant fields and available transitions
- Use PascalCase for state names
- Add doc explaining what user sees and available actions
Identify Transitions (Choreography - State transitions)
- Safe: navigation, viewing, searching (prefix: go)
- Unsafe: creating new resources (prefix: do)
- Idempotent: updating or deleting resources (prefix: do)
- Add doc explaining behavior, side effects, preconditions
Add Documentation
- Every descriptor MUST have a meaningful title
- Add doc when title alone cannot fully explain the descriptor:
  - Semantic fields: Validation rules, format requirements, constraints, examples
    - Example: {"id": "title", "title": "Title", "doc": {"value": "Article title. Maximum 100 characters."}}
  - States: What user sees, available actions, when this state is shown
    - Example: {"id": "BlogPost", "doc": {"value": "User-created article. Visible to all users after publication."}}
  - Transitions: Behavior, side effects, preconditions, error cases
    - Example: {"id": "doPublishBlogPost", "doc": {"value": "Publish article. Sets publishedAt to current time."}}
- Use def to link to schema.org definitions for standard concepts
- Rule of thumb: If someone unfamiliar with the app would ask "what does this do?" or "what format?", add doc
Add Tags for Organization
- Functional area tags: Group by feature domain (e.g., search, product, cart, checkout, order, account, review)
- Flow tags: Group by user journey with flow- prefix (e.g., flow-purchase, flow-register, flow-return)
- States and transitions should have both types where applicable
- Tags are space-separated strings, not arrays
- Example: A cart-related transition might have "tag": "cart flow-purchase"

Add Semantic Descriptors to Transitions

Every transition (go/do) should specify its required input parameters as nested descriptors
These define what data is needed to perform the action

Example:

{"id": "goProductDetail", "type": "safe", "rt": "#ProductDetail", "tag": "product", "descriptor": [
  {"href": "#productId"}
]},
{"id": "doAddToCart", "type": "unsafe", "rt": "#Cart", "tag": "cart flow-purchase", "descriptor": [
  {"href": "#productId"},
  {"href": "#quantity"},
  {"href": "#selectedVariant"}
]}

MANDATORY: Validate After Generation
- After generating ALPS JSON, save it to a temporary file
- Run asd --validate <file> to validate (outputs JSON per validation-result.json schema)
- Parse the JSON result and report issues to the user
- If errors exist, fix them before presenting the final output

Output Format

Generate XML format by default. Use JSON only if explicitly requested.

XML Format (default):

Use XML comments to mark blocks: , , 
One descriptor per line for simple elements
Multi-line for nested structures
Clear hierarchical structure makes maintenance easy

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alps version="1.0"
      xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
      xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="https://alps-io.github.io/schemas/alps.xsd">
  <title>Application Title</title>
  <doc>Description of the application</doc>

  <!-- Ontology -->
  <descriptor id="fieldName" title="Human Title">
    <doc>Description</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="otherField" title="Other Field"/>

  <!-- Taxonomy -->
  <descriptor id="StateName" title="State Title">
    <descriptor href="#fieldName"/>
    <descriptor href="#transitionName"/>
  </descriptor>

  <!-- Choreography -->
  <descriptor id="goTargetState" type="safe" rt="#TargetState" title="Go to Target State"/>
  <descriptor id="doAction" type="unsafe" rt="#ResultState" title="Perform Action">
    <descriptor href="#requiredField"/>
  </descriptor>
</alps>

JSON Format (when explicitly requested):

Simple descriptors (few attributes, no nesting): Write on a single line
Complex descriptors (with nesting or long doc): Use multiple lines with "descriptor": [ at end of first line
Block separation: Add ONE blank line between Ontology/Taxonomy/Choreography blocks
No other blank lines: Keep descriptors within the same block compact

{
  "$schema": "https://alps-io.github.io/schemas/alps.json",
  "alps": {
    "title": "Application Title",
    "doc": {"value": "Description of the application"},
    "descriptor": [
      {"id": "fieldName", "title": "Human Title", "doc": {"value": "Description"}},
      {"id": "otherField", "title": "Other Field"},

      {"id": "StateName", "title": "State Title", "descriptor": [
        {"href": "#fieldName"},
        {"href": "#transitionName"}
      ]},

      {"id": "goTargetState", "type": "safe", "rt": "#TargetState", "title": "Go to Target State"},
      {"id": "doAction", "type": "unsafe", "rt": "#ResultState", "title": "Perform Action", "descriptor": [
        {"href": "#requiredField"}
      ]}
    ]
  }
}

Validation

Use asd --validate <file> to validate ALPS profiles. Output conforms to the validation-result.json schema.

Error Codes (E)

E001: Missing id or href
E002: Missing rt on transition
E003: Invalid type
E004: Broken reference
E005: Duplicate id
E006: Invalid href
E007: Invalid rt format
E008: Missing alps property in document
E009: Descriptor must be an array
E010: Invalid XML character in descriptor title
E011: Tag must be a string (space-separated), not an array

Warning Codes (W)

W001: Missing title
W002: Safe transition naming (should start with 'go')
W003: Unsafe/idempotent naming (should start with 'do')
W004: Orphan descriptor
W005: Safe transition id does not match rt target (e.g., goStart with rt="#ProductList" should be goProductList)
W006: Tag contains comma - may be confused with space-separated format

Suggestion Codes (S)

S001: Missing doc on transition
S002: Missing ALPS title
S003: Missing ALPS doc

Example: Blog Application

Input: "Create an ALPS for a simple blog with posts and comments"

Output (XML - default):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<alps version="1.0"
      xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
      xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="https://alps-io.github.io/schemas/alps.xsd">
  <title>Simple Blog</title>
  <doc>ALPS profile for a blog application with posts and comments</doc>

  <!-- Ontology -->
  <descriptor id="postId" title="Post ID" def="https://schema.org/identifier">
    <doc>Unique identifier for blog post</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="title" title="Post Title" def="https://schema.org/headline">
    <doc>Article title. Maximum 100 characters.</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="body" title="Post Body" def="https://schema.org/articleBody">
    <doc>Article content. Markdown format supported.</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="authorName" title="Author Name" def="https://schema.org/author"/>
  <descriptor id="createdAt" title="Created Date" def="https://schema.org/dateCreated">
    <doc>Publication date and time. ISO 8601 format.</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="commentId" title="Comment ID">
    <doc>Unique identifier for comment</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="commentBody" title="Comment Text">
    <doc>Comment content. Maximum 500 characters.</doc>
  </descriptor>

  <!-- Taxonomy -->
  <descriptor id="Home" title="Home Page">
    <doc>Blog home page. Shows navigation to post list.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#goPostList"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="PostList" title="Post List">
    <doc>List of blog posts. Shows latest 10 posts with title and author.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#postId"/>
    <descriptor href="#title"/>
    <descriptor href="#authorName"/>
    <descriptor href="#goPostDetail"/>
    <descriptor href="#goHome"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="PostDetail" title="Post Detail">
    <doc>Single post view. Shows full content and comments. Allows adding new comments.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#postId"/>
    <descriptor href="#title"/>
    <descriptor href="#body"/>
    <descriptor href="#authorName"/>
    <descriptor href="#createdAt"/>
    <descriptor href="#Comment"/>
    <descriptor href="#goPostList"/>
    <descriptor href="#doCreateComment"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="Comment" title="Comment">
    <doc>User comment on a post. Can be deleted by comment author or post author.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#commentId"/>
    <descriptor href="#commentBody"/>
    <descriptor href="#authorName"/>
    <descriptor href="#createdAt"/>
    <descriptor href="#doDeleteComment"/>
  </descriptor>

  <!-- Choreography -->
  <descriptor id="goHome" type="safe" rt="#Home" title="Go to Home">
    <doc>Navigate to blog home page.</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="goPostList" type="safe" rt="#PostList" title="Go to Post List">
    <doc>Display list of blog posts. Shows latest 10 posts.</doc>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="goPostDetail" type="safe" rt="#PostDetail" title="Go to Post Detail">
    <doc>Display full post content with comments.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#postId"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="doCreatePost" type="unsafe" rt="#PostDetail" title="Create Post">
    <doc>Create new blog post. Post is immediately published.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#title"/>
    <descriptor href="#body"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="doUpdatePost" type="idempotent" rt="#PostDetail" title="Update Post">
    <doc>Update existing post content. Only post author can update.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#postId"/>
    <descriptor href="#title"/>
    <descriptor href="#body"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="doDeletePost" type="idempotent" rt="#PostList" title="Delete Post">
    <doc>Delete post and all associated comments. Only post author can delete.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#postId"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="doCreateComment" type="unsafe" rt="#PostDetail" title="Add Comment">
    <doc>Add comment to post. Comment is immediately visible.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#postId"/>
    <descriptor href="#commentBody"/>
  </descriptor>
  <descriptor id="doDeleteComment" type="idempotent" rt="#PostDetail" title="Delete Comment">
    <doc>Delete comment. Comment author or post author can delete.</doc>
    <descriptor href="#commentId"/>
  </descriptor>
</alps>

Integration with app-state-diagram

Generated ALPS profiles can be visualized using app-state-diagram:

# Generate HTML diagram
asd profile.json

# Generate with watch mode
asd --watch profile.json

# Generate markdown documentation
asd --mode=markdown profile.json

Advanced Features

Structured Documentation with HTML

For simple descriptions, use plain text in doc.value. When you need structured content (lists, definitions, tables), use HTML format:

{"id": "doCheckout", "type": "unsafe", "rt": "#OrderConfirmation",
 "title": "Complete Checkout",
 "doc": {
   "format": "html",
   "value": "<dl><dt>Behavior</dt><dd>Processes payment, reserves inventory, sends confirmation email</dd><dt>Preconditions</dt><dd>Valid cart with items, payment method configured</dd><dt>Errors</dt><dd>Returns 400 if payment fails or items out of stock</dd></dl>"
 }
}

Format support levels (per ALPS spec):

text: Required (default if not specified)
html: Recommended
markdown: Optional
asciidoc: Optional

Links to Related Resources

Use link elements to reference external documentation, schemas, or related resources:

{"id": "BlogPost", "def": "https://schema.org/BlogPosting",
 "title": "Blog Post",
 "doc": {"value": "User-created article visible to all after publication"},
 "link": [
   {"rel": "help", "href": "https://example.com/docs/blog-api.html", "title": "Blog API Documentation"},
   {"rel": "related", "href": "https://example.com/schemas/post.json", "title": "JSON Schema"}
 ]
}

Link attributes:

rel (required): Relationship type - use IANA Link Relations (help, related, profile, etc.)
href (required): URL to the related resource
title (optional): Human-readable description of the link
tag (optional): Classification tags

Tips for Better ALPS

Start with user journeys - Map the happy path first, then add alternatives
Be consistent - Use the same naming pattern throughout
Document transitions - Explain what each action does and when it's available
Use schema.org - Link to standard definitions for interoperability
Think about errors - Add error states and recovery transitions
Consider pagination - List states should support pagination
Tag descriptors - Use tag attribute to group related descriptors

References

Install skill

Copy and run in your terminal

npx -y skills add https://github.com/NeverSight/skills_feed --skill alps

View on GitHub

data/skills-md/alps-asd/app-state-diagram/alps/SKILL.md