> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://archie.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Archetype

> The foundational shape of your app — solution type, commercialization strategy, and the details of how it generates revenue.

Archetype defines the foundational structure of your application — what kind of app it is, how it generates revenue, and the rules that govern that revenue. It's the first specification the build agents read because everything downstream depends on it.

## What you configure

The page has three sections:

* **Solution Type** — the broad category of app. Examples: marketplace, SaaS, internal tool, e-commerce, social platform. Archie pre-selects one based on your prompt and plan; you can change it.
* **Commercialization Strategy** — how the app makes money. Examples: subscription, transaction fees, freemium, one-time purchase, ads, marketplace commission. Each strategy carries different defaults for downstream specs (auth requirements, payment integration, billing flows).
* **Commercialization Details** — a free-form description of your monetization plan. Free vs. paid tiers, feature gating, subscription levels, usage-based pricing — anything that shapes how pricing aligns with the value you're delivering.

## What this drives

The archetype influences:

* Which **system services** Archie suggests (payments, subscriptions, billing portals)
* Which **integrations** appear in your plan by default (Stripe for transactions, SendGrid for receipts)
* Which **user types** make sense (admin, customer, vendor, guest)
* The default **technical strategy** — single-tenant vs. multi-tenant, B2B vs. B2C considerations

Edit the archetype any time. Changes propagate when you re-run plan generation or code generation.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What if my app doesn't fit a standard archetype?">
    Pick the closest one and override the details. Commercialization Details is a free-form field — use it to describe anything the standard categories miss. Archie's agents read the full description, not just the dropdown values.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I change the archetype after I've generated code?">
    Yes, but expect downstream impact. Switching from a transactional model to a subscription model, for example, means Archie will want to add billing flows, recurring invoices, and a portal. Re-run generation and review the changes before merging.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does archetype affect tech stack choices?">
    Indirectly. The archetype affects which system services Archie recommends, and those services in turn shape the tech stack — for example, picking subscriptions usually surfaces a Stripe integration recommendation in your plan.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>