manifest.json

manifest.json is the entry point for ModernizeSpec. AI agents read this file first to understand what the project is, what it is built with, what it is migrating to, and which other spec files are available.

Full Example

{
  "modernizespec": "0.1.0",
  "project": "ERPNext",
  "legacy": {
    "framework": "frappe",
    "language": "python",
    "loc": 316000,
    "entities": 521,
    "endpoints": 768,
    "age_years": 20
  },
  "target": {
    "language": "go",
    "architecture": "hexagonal",
    "pattern": "strangler-fig"
  },
  "files": {
    "domains": "domains.json",
    "complexity": "complexity.json",
    "extraction-plan": "extraction-plan.json",
    "parity-tests": "parity-tests.json",
    "migration-state": "migration-state.json"
  }
}

Field Reference

Root Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
modernizespec	string	Yes	Spec version (semver). Currently "0.1.0".
project	string	Yes	Project name.

legacy Object

Describes the legacy system being modernized.

Field	Type	Required	Description
framework	string	Yes	Framework name. Examples: "frappe", "django", "rails", "spring", "dotnet", "custom"
language	string	Yes	Primary language. Examples: "python", "java", "ruby", "csharp", "php", "cobol"
loc	number	Yes	Total lines of code (source files only).
entities	number	Yes	Number of business entities/models/doctypes.
endpoints	number	Yes	Number of API endpoints.
age_years	number	No	Approximate age of the codebase in years.

target Object

Describes the modernization target.

Field	Type	Required	Description
language	string	Yes	Target language. Examples: "go", "kotlin", "typescript", "java"
architecture	string	Yes	Target architecture. Options: "hexagonal", "clean", "modular-monolith", "microservices"
pattern	string	Yes	Migration pattern. Options: "strangler-fig", "big-bang", "parallel-run"

files Object

Maps logical names to file paths (relative to the modernization/ directory).

Field	Type	Required	Description
domains	string	No	Path to domains file
complexity	string	No	Path to complexity file
extraction-plan	string	No	Path to extraction plan file
parity-tests	string	No	Path to parity tests file
migration-state	string	No	Path to migration state file

Minimal Example

Only the required fields:

{
  "modernizespec": "0.1.0",
  "project": "LegacyApp",
  "legacy": {
    "framework": "django",
    "language": "python",
    "loc": 85000,
    "entities": 120,
    "endpoints": 200
  },
  "target": {
    "language": "typescript",
    "architecture": "modular-monolith",
    "pattern": "strangler-fig"
  },
  "files": {}
}

Agent Behavior

When an AI agent discovers .agents/modernization/manifest.json, it should:

1. Read the legacy object to understand the source system
2. Read the target object to understand where the migration is heading
3. Iterate through files to discover which spec files are available
4. Load the relevant files based on the current task

Next Steps

• domains.json — Bounded context mapping
• complexity.json — Extraction difficulty assessment