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RFC: Self-describing syntax feature registry for LLM-friendly help discovery#172

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engalar:research/recursive-help-discovery
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RFC: Self-describing syntax feature registry for LLM-friendly help discovery#172
engalar wants to merge 1 commit intomendixlabs:mainfrom
engalar:research/recursive-help-discovery

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@engalar engalar commented Apr 10, 2026

Summary

  • Current help system is flat (26 monolithic .txt topics) — no drill-down, no structured output, no LLM-friendly discovery
  • Proposes a SyntaxFeature registry where each syntax construct self-registers with metadata (path, summary, keywords, example)
  • Enables mxcli syntax --json for one-shot LLM discovery, hierarchical drill-down, and single-file changes for new features

Key Design Decisions (seeking feedback)

  1. Registry vs enhanced .txt files — chose registry for single source of truth
  2. Separate syntax/ package — keeps syntax docs out of executor logic
  3. Path convention domain.concept.detail — e.g. workflow.user-task.targeting
  4. HELP <topic> in MDL REPL — requires grammar change, worth it?

Design Doc

See docs/11-proposals/syntax-feature-registry.md

Test plan

  • Review design doc for feasibility and scope
  • Discuss whether HELP <topic> grammar change is worthwhile
  • Validate path convention covers all existing syntax topics

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

…y help discovery

Current help system is flat (26 monolithic .txt topics) with no drill-down,
no structured output, and no way for LLMs to bridge from business concepts
to MDL syntax. Proposes a SyntaxFeature registry where each syntax construct
self-registers with metadata (path, summary, keywords, example), enabling:
- `mxcli syntax --json` for one-shot LLM discovery
- Hierarchical drill-down (workflow → user-task → targeting)
- Single-file changes when adding new features
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