ontologian-add

Ontologian — Add Type

Overview

Interactively add a new Object Type, Link Type, or Action Type to the ontology. Ask only one question at a time. Never bundle multiple questions together.

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Steps

Step 1: Initialization check

Glob .ontology/config.yaml:

• If missing: "The ontology repository is not initialized. Initialize it now? (y/n)" → n=exit, y=Write the following two files and continue:
  • .ontology/config.yaml: version: 1 / global_sync: ask / global_path: ~/.ontologian
  • .ontology/domains/_index.yaml: domains: []
• If present: Read it and store global_sync, global_path (defaults: ask, ~/.ontologian)

Step 1-B: Parse arguments

If arguments were provided with the command, parse them as natural language intent to pre-fill the interactive flow. Store extracted values in a prefilled object in memory.

• Domain name: Extract if a domain name is mentioned (e.g. "ecommerce 도메인에", "in the ecommerce domain", "ecommerce domain"). Store as prefilled.domain_name.
• Type: Extract if the entity type is mentioned:
  • "오브젝트" / "object" / "object type" → object
  • "링크" / "link" / "link type" → link
  • "액션" / "action" / "action type" → action Store as prefilled.type.
• Name: Extract a PascalCase name for objects (e.g. "User", "Order"), snake_case for actions (e.g. "send_welcome_email"), or lowercase for links (e.g. "places"). Store as prefilled.name.
• Description: Extract if a description phrase is present. Store as prefilled.description.
• Properties: Extract if a property list is mentioned (e.g. "필드: user_id(PK, string), name(string), email(string)" or "fields: id, name, email"). Parse name, type, and primary flag. Store as prefilled.properties[].

In each subsequent step, if a prefilled value exists for a field, skip the corresponding prompt and use the pre-filled value directly. If a value cannot be confidently extracted, fall through to the normal interactive prompt for that field.

---

Step 2: Read _index.yaml

Use the Read tool to load the domain list:

Read: .ontology/domains/_index.yaml

Store the domains array in memory. Continue even if the array is empty.

Step 3: Select a domain

Display the current domain list and the option to create a new one.

If domains exist:

Which domain would you like to add to?

  1. <domain_name_1> — <description_1>
  2. <domain_name_2> — <description_2>
  ...
  N. Create new domain

Enter a number:

If no domains exist:

No domains registered. Enter a name for the new domain:

Wait for user input.

• Number selection (existing domain): Store that domain's name and directory fields in memory. Proceed to Step 4.

• "N" or new domain text: Prompt for a domain name (lowercase letters, hyphens, and underscores allowed), then ask the following questions one at a time:

  Enter a description for the domain (optional, press Enter to skip):
  

  Enter the team or owner responsible for this domain (e.g. platform-team, data-eng):
  

  (Required — re-prompt if empty)

  Select stability level:
    1. experimental — new or unstable domain, subject to change
    2. stable       — production-ready, changes require review
    3. deprecated   — being phased out, do not add new types
  Enter a number (default 1 — experimental):
  

  Does this domain depend on another domain? (press Enter to skip, or enter domain names separated by commas):
  

  Store non-empty input as new_domain.dependency_direction (split by comma, trim whitespace, store as array). If empty, omit the field.

  Store as new_domain = { name, description, domain_owner, stability, semantic_version: "1.0.0", dependency_direction }. Omit dependency_direction from the stored object if the user pressed Enter. Proceed to Step 4.

Step 4: Select a type

What type would you like to add?

  1. Object Type  — A business entity (e.g. User, Product)
  2. Link Type    — A relationship between entities (e.g. places, contains)
  3. Action Type  — A triggerable operation (e.g. send_welcome_email)
  ?  Explain the differences

Enter a number (or ?):

If the user enters ?, output the following explanation and redisplay the menu:

── Palantir Ontology Type Guide ──────────────────────────────
Object Type  A real-world entity that can be uniquely identified.
             Examples: User, Order, Product, Shipment, Invoice
             Rule: You must be able to point to a concrete instance
             in the physical or operational world.

Link Type    A directional relationship between two Object Types.
             Named as an active-voice verb (e.g. places, contains).
             Examples: User places Order, Order contains Product
             Rule: Name must be a verb — not a noun, not passive voice.

Action Type  An operation triggered automatically or manually.
             Responds to Object lifecycle events or runs on demand.
             Examples: send_welcome_email (on User created),
                       update_inventory (on Order status changes)
             Rule: target is the Object whose state changes.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

What type would you like to add?

  1. Object Type  — A business entity (e.g. User, Product)
  2. Link Type    — A relationship between entities (e.g. places, contains)
  3. Action Type  — A triggerable operation (e.g. send_welcome_email)
  ?  Explain the differences

Enter a number (or ?):

Repeat until a valid number (1, 2, or 3) is entered.

Store the selection (object / link / action) in memory and proceed to the corresponding step.

---

Step 5-A: Collect Object Type information

Ask the following questions one at a time in order.

1. Name (PascalCase):

   Enter the Object Type name (PascalCase, e.g. Product):
   

   If the name is not PascalCase (first letter uppercase, only letters/digits, no spaces/underscores/hyphens), re-prompt:

   The name must be PascalCase (e.g. Product). Please try again:
   

   Repeat until valid.

   Description (required):

   Enter a description for this Object Type (required — what real-world entity does this represent?):
   

   If the user presses Enter without entering text, re-prompt:

   A description is required for Object Types. Please enter a description:
   

   Re-prompt continuously until a non-empty value is provided.

2. Collect properties (repeat the following prompt):

   Enter a property name (press Enter when done):
   

   When a name is entered, apply temporal type inference before showing the type menu:

   • If the property name ends with _at, _date, _time, or _on → output:

     [i] Suggested type: datetime or date (name pattern suggests a timestamp)
     

   • If the property name starts with is_, has_, can_, or was_ → output:

     [i] Suggested type: boolean (name pattern suggests a true/false flag)
     

   • If the property name ends with _count, _qty, _quantity, _amount, _total, _price, _cost, or _fee → output:

     [i] Suggested type: int or float (name pattern suggests a numeric value)
     

   These are advisory only — the user selects the final type from the menu below.

   Select a type:
     1. string
     2. int
     3. float
     4. boolean
     5. date
     6. datetime
   Enter a number:
   

   Set as primary key? (y/n, default n):
   

   Is this a computed property? (y/n, default n):
   

   • Only include computed: true when the user answers y.
   • If computed: true, ask for the expression:

     Enter the computation expression (e.g. "gross_amount - fee", press Enter to skip):
     

     Store the value in the expression field if provided.

   Then ask for a description. First, check if the property name exactly matches or ends with any of: status, state, type, kind, mode, stage, phase, category, level, _status, _state, _type. If it matches, output this hint before the prompt:

   [i] Status-pattern field detected. Use "Allowed values: X, Y, Z" in the description to pass validation.
       Example: "Order status. Allowed values: pending, active, cancelled"
   

   Then prompt:

   Enter a description for this field (press Enter to skip):
   

   If provided, store in the property's description field. If empty, omit the field.

   • After collecting at least one property, an empty Enter on the name prompt ends collection.

Store the collected data as a new_entry object:

name: <PascalCase name>
description: "<description>"
properties:
  - name: <property_name>
    type: <type>
    description: "<description>"  # only if provided
    primary: true                  # only when primary=true
    computed: true                 # only when computed=true
    expression: "<expr>"           # only when computed=true and expression provided

---

Step 5-B: Collect Link Type information

Ask the following questions one at a time in order.

If this is an existing domain, show the known Object Type names from that domain before Step 6 as a reference (skip if it's a new domain).

1. Name (lowercase, underscores allowed):

   Enter a Link Type name (use a verb form, e.g. places, contains):
   

   If not lowercase with underscores (digits allowed, no uppercase/spaces/hyphens), re-prompt:

   The name must be lowercase with underscores only (e.g. places, has_order). Please try again:
   

   Repeat until valid.

2. from (source Object Type):

   Enter the from Object Type (e.g. User):
   

3. to (target Object Type):

   Enter the to Object Type (e.g. Order):
   

4. cardinality:

   Select a cardinality:
     1. one_to_one
     2. one_to_many
     3. many_to_many
     4. many_to_one
   Enter a number:
   ※ many_to_one can also be expressed as a reversed one_to_many
   

5. Description:

   Enter a description (optional, press Enter to skip):
   

Store as new_entry:

name: <name>
from: <ObjectType>
to: <ObjectType>
cardinality: <cardinality>
description: "<description>"      # only if provided

---

Step 5-C: Collect Action Type information

Ask the following questions one at a time in order.

1. Name (snake_case):

   Enter an Action Type name (snake_case, e.g. send_welcome_email):
   

   If not snake_case (lowercase and underscores only, digits allowed, no uppercase/spaces/hyphens), re-prompt:

   The name must be snake_case (e.g. send_email). Please try again:
   

   Repeat until valid.

2. Description (required):

   Enter a description for this Action Type (required — what operation does this perform?):
   

   If the user presses Enter without entering text, re-prompt:

   A description is required for Action Types. Please enter a description:
   

   Re-prompt continuously until a non-empty value is provided.

3. target (target Object Type):

   Enter the target Object Type (e.g. User):
   

4. trigger:

   Select a trigger condition:
     1. object_created
     2. object_updated
     3. object_deleted
     4. manual
   Enter a number:
   

   If object_updated is selected, ask for trigger_condition:

   Which field change should trigger this action? (e.g. status, press Enter to skip):
   

   If a field is entered:

   Value before the change (from, e.g. calculated, press Enter to skip):
   

   Value after the change (to, e.g. approved, press Enter to skip):
   

   trigger_condition guard: If the user provided from or to but left field empty, re-prompt once:

   A trigger_condition requires a field name. Which field change should trigger this action? (press Enter to discard):
   

   If field is still empty after the second attempt, discard trigger_condition entirely — do not write a trigger_condition block with only from/to and no field.

   If field is provided (with or without from/to), store as trigger_condition: {field, from, to} (omit from/to keys if not set).

5. Collect parameters (repeat the following prompt):

   Add a parameter? (y/n):
   

   If y, ask in order:

   Enter a parameter name:
   

   Select a type:
     1. string
     2. int
     3. float
     4. boolean
     5. date
     6. datetime
   Enter a number:
   

   Is this parameter required? (y/n, default y):
   

   Store the parameter and repeat. Stop when the user answers n.

Store as new_entry:

name: <snake_case name>
description: "<description>"
target: <ObjectType>
trigger: <trigger>
trigger_condition:                 # only when trigger=object_updated and field is provided
  field: <field_name>
  from: <value>
  to: <value>
parameters:                        # only when at least one parameter exists
  - name: <param_name>
    type: <type>
    required: false                # only when false; omit when true (true is the default)

---

Step 6: Preview and confirm

Output the collected new_entry in YAML diff format. Include the domain name and type kind in a comment.

Object Type example:

# To be added (domain: ecommerce, object_types)
- name: Product
  description: "A sellable item"
  properties:
    - name: product_id
      type: string
      primary: true
    - name: price
      type: float
      description: "Sale price in KRW"
    - name: status
      type: string
      description: "Product status. Allowed values: active, inactive, discontinued"

Link Type example:

# To be added (domain: ecommerce, link_types)
- name: contains
  from: Order
  to: Product
  cardinality: one_to_many
  description: "An order contains products"

Action Type example:

# To be added (domain: ecommerce, action_types)
- name: send_welcome_email
  description: "Send a welcome email to a newly registered user"
  target: User
  trigger: object_created
  parameters:
    - name: email_template
      type: string

Then prompt:

Proceed with adding the above? (y / n / edit)

• n → Output and exit:

  Cancelled.
  

• edit → List the editable fields with numbers based on the type being added:

  Object Type:

  Select a field to edit:
    1. name (current: <value>)
    2. description (current: <value>)
    3. properties
  Enter a number:
  

  Re-prompt only the selected field, then return to Step 6.

  When properties is selected, show a sub-menu:

  Edit properties:
    1. Add a new property
    2. Remove a property
    3. Edit an existing property
  Enter a number:
  

  • 1. Add: Run the full property collection loop from Step 5-A (one property at a time), then return to Step 6 preview.
  • 2. Remove: Display a numbered list of current property names; remove the selected entry; return to Step 6 preview.
  • 3. Edit: Display a numbered list of current property names; select one; re-run the property prompts for that entry pre-populated with current values; replace the old entry; return to Step 6 preview.

  Link Type:

  Select a field to edit:
    1. name (current: <value>)
    2. from (current: <value>)
    3. to (current: <value>)
    4. cardinality (current: <value>)
    5. description (current: <value>)
  Enter a number:
  

  Re-prompt only the selected field using the same validation rules from Step 5-B, then return to Step 6 preview.

  Action Type:

  Select a field to edit:
    1. name (current: <value>)
    2. description (current: <value>)
    3. target (current: <value>)
    4. trigger (current: <value>)
    5. trigger_condition (current: <field/from/to or 'none'>)
    6. parameters
  Enter a number:
  

  Re-prompt only the selected field using the same validation rules from Step 5-C, then return to Step 6 preview.

  When parameters is selected, show a sub-menu:

  Edit parameters:
    1. Add a new parameter
    2. Remove a parameter
  Enter a number:
  

  • 1. Add: Run the parameter collection loop from Step 5-C (name → type → required), then return to Step 6 preview.
  • 2. Remove: Display a numbered list of current parameter names; remove the selected entry; return to Step 6 preview.

• y → Proceed to Step 7.

---

Step 7: Update YAML

7-A: New domain

Create the per-entity YAML files and the domain subdirectory structure. Do not create a flat ontology.yaml for new domains.

Write the entity file: Use the Write tool to create the appropriate file based on type:

• Object Type → .ontology/domains/<domain_name>/objects/<Name>.yaml
• Link Type → .ontology/domains/<domain_name>/links/<name>.yaml
• Action Type → .ontology/domains/<domain_name>/actions/<name>.yaml

Write the new_entry contents directly into that file (not wrapped in an array — a single YAML document).

Update _index.yaml: Read the current _index.yaml, then use the Edit tool to append the new domain entry using the canonical format below. This is the only template — do not add a second version.

  - name: <domain_name>
    description: "<domain_description>"
    domain_owner: "<domain_owner>"
    stability: <stability>
    semantic_version: "1.0.0"
    directory: <domain_name>
    dependency_direction:          # only if declared; omit entirely if not provided
      - <upstream_domain_1>        # one entry per upstream domain (add more lines as needed)
      - <upstream_domain_2>        # omit entirely if user pressed Enter
    last_modified: <today_date>   # YYYY-MM-DD

If domains: [], replace with:

domains:
  - name: <domain_name>
    description: "<domain_description>"
    domain_owner: "<domain_owner>"
    stability: <stability>
    semantic_version: "1.0.0"
    directory: <domain_name>
    dependency_direction:          # only if declared; omit entirely if not provided
      - <upstream_domain_1>        # one entry per upstream domain (add more lines as needed)
      - <upstream_domain_2>        # omit entirely if user pressed Enter
    last_modified: <today_date>

7-B: Existing domain (directory field present)

Target directories:

• Object Type: .ontology/domains/<directory>/objects/
• Link Type: .ontology/domains/<directory>/links/
• Action Type: .ontology/domains/<directory>/actions/

Object Type: Check that .ontology/domains/<directory>/objects/<Name>.yaml does not already exist. If it exists, warn:

⚠️ Object Type "<Name>" already exists at <path>. Overwrite? (y/n)

If n → cancel. If y or file doesn't exist → Use the Write tool to create the file:

name: <Name>
description: "<description>"
properties:
  - name: <property_name>
    type: <type>
    ...

Link Type: Check that .ontology/domains/<directory>/links/<name>.yaml does not already exist. If it exists → warn and ask to overwrite (same as Object Type). Write:

name: <name>
from: <ObjectType>
to: <ObjectType>
cardinality: <cardinality>
description: "<description>"  # only if provided

Action Type: Check that .ontology/domains/<directory>/actions/<name>.yaml does not already exist. If it exists → warn and ask to overwrite. Write:

name: <name>
description: "<description>"
target: <ObjectType>
trigger: <trigger>
trigger_condition:  # only when object_updated and field provided
  field: <field>
  from: <value>  # only if provided
  to: <value>    # only if provided
parameters:       # only when at least one parameter
  - name: <param>
    type: <type>
    required: false  # only when false; omit when true

Update last_modified in _index.yaml to today's date after writing.

---

Step 8: Global sync check

• ask → "Sync to global store (<global_path>) as well? (y/n)" → y=proceed, n=skip
• auto → proceed immediately
• off → skip

Proceed: For each file that was written in Step 7, use the Read tool to read the source file, then use the Write tool to write its contents to the corresponding path under <global_path>/domains/. Repeat for each file individually.

• Always overwrite <global_path>/domains/_index.yaml last: Read .ontology/domains/_index.yaml → Write to <global_path>/domains/_index.yaml.

---

Step 9: Completion message

✓ [<domain_name>/<entry_name>](<file_path>) added (<type_label>)
[i] Tip: Run /ontologian-validate to check for schema issues, or /ontologian-visualize to see your domain's relationships.

Where <file_path> is the actual path of the file created:

• Object Type: .ontology/domains/<directory>/objects/<Name>.yaml
• Link Type: .ontology/domains/<directory>/links/<name>.yaml
• Action Type: .ontology/domains/<directory>/actions/<name>.yaml

<type_label> mapping:

• Object Type → Object Type
• Link Type → Link Type
• Action Type → Action Type

---

Common Mistakes

• Asking multiple questions at once → Always ask one question at a time and wait for a response.
• Including computed: false or primary: false → Omit the field entirely when the value is false. Only include it when true.
• Forgetting to update last_modified in _index.yaml → Always update it after modifying any YAML file.
• Skipping name format validation → Object Type=PascalCase, Action Type=snake_case, Link Type=lowercase+underscores. Re-prompt until a valid value is entered.
• Using path: or paths: in _index.yaml → Domains always use the directory: field.
• Writing to a flat ontology.yaml → Always write to objects/, links/, actions/ subdirectories.