Local-first developer tooling · 2026 · Solo — trend research, policy compiler, local-files architecture, interaction design, TDD, verification, deployment
Rulebound
A standards-binding desk that turns three reviewable policy directives into an executable repository check through user-controlled local writes.
The problem
Staff engineers and security leads often have a short engineering policy but no consistent way to make it part of every repository. Rulebound accepts a real Markdown policy with three explicit directive types and a real local JavaScript or TypeScript working copy. It scans bounded metadata, shows the declared breaches, then—after explicit browser permission—writes a policy manifest, deterministic Node checker, and package script directly into that folder. It never uploads files, executes repository commands, or infers hidden rules from prose.
Architecture
Key decisions
Compile only deliberate syntax
Rulebound ignores ordinary prose and recognizes only three exact list directives. That trades magical extraction for a small auditable contract where every generated rule retains its source line and cannot smuggle arbitrary JavaScript into the checker.
Keep the repository local and capability-bounded
The browser asks for a directory handle only after a user action, excludes .git, dependencies, builds, deployment state, and coverage, enforces file and manifest limits, and sends no repository bytes to a service. Desktop Chromium over HTTPS is disclosed as a requirement rather than hidden behind a fake fallback.
Make preview and enforcement share one contract
The browser analyzer and generated checker use the same normalized rule schema and matching semantics. An integration test executes the generated checker against a real temporary repository, proves it blocks a forbidden dependency, then proves it passes after correction.
Fail closed on write collisions
Existing Rulebound files disable installation instead of being overwritten. The interface names all three write locations before the action and never runs package scripts; the user remains responsible for reviewing the files and invoking npm run policy:check.
Translate document-to-action demand without cloning
Secure radar run 20260729-214547-github-star-radar-1967 ranked virgiliojr94/book-to-skill first at 1,421 stars that day and 13,012 total on 2026-07-29. Rulebound translates demand for operational documents into repository enforcement without generating agent skills, copying extraction code, using source branding, or claiming affiliation.