/create-domain

Create Domain

Creates a new SYNAPSE domain file and registers it in the manifest.

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Purpose

Create a new custom domain in `.synapse/` with a corresponding entry in `.synapse/manifest`, allowing users to add their own rule sets to the SYNAPSE context engine.

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Prerequisites

• `.synapse/manifest` exists
• `.synapse/` directory exists
• User provides a domain name

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Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description | |-----------|----------|-------------| | `domain-name` | Yes | Name for the new domain (kebab-case, lowercase) | | `description` | No | Short description of the domain's purpose | | `recall-keywords` | No | Comma-separated RECALL keywords for L6 matching | | `exclude-keywords` | No | Comma-separated EXCLUDE keywords | | `initial-rules` | No | One or more initial rules to include |

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Steps

Step 1: Validate Domain Name

• Domain name MUST be lowercase kebab-case (e.g., `my-custom-rules`)
• Allowed characters: `a-z`, `0-9`, `-`
• Must NOT start or end with `-`
• Must NOT be empty

If invalid, report: `Error: Domain name must be lowercase kebab-case (e.g., "my-custom-rules"). Got: "{name}"`

Step 2: Derive Domain Key

Convert the kebab-case name to UPPERCASE_SNAKE_CASE for use in manifest and domain file:

• `my-custom-rules` -> `MY_CUSTOM_RULES`

Step 3: Check Uniqueness

Read `.synapse/manifest` and check if `{DOMAIN_KEY}_STATE` already exists.

If it exists, report: `Error: Domain "{domain-name}" already exists in the manifest. Use "add" to add rules to it instead.`

Check if file `.synapse/{domain-name}` already exists on the filesystem.

If it exists, report: `Error: Domain file ".synapse/{domain-name}" already exists on disk.`

Step 4: Create Domain File

Create `.synapse/{domain-name}` using the template from `.claude/commands/synapse/templates/domain-template`:

# ==========================================
# SYNAPSE Domain: {DOMAIN_NAME}
# Created: {CURRENT_DATE}
# Description: {DESCRIPTION}
# ==========================================

# Rules
{DOMAIN_KEY}_RULE_0={FIRST_RULE_OR_PLACEHOLDER}

• Replace `{DOMAIN_NAME}` with the domain display name (e.g., `My Custom Rules`)
• Replace `{DOMAIN_KEY}` with the UPPERCASE_SNAKE_CASE key
• Replace `{DATE}` with current date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Replace `{DESCRIPTION}` with user-provided description or `Custom domain`
• If user provided initial rules, add them as `{DOMAIN_KEY}_RULE_0`, `_RULE_1`, etc.
• If no initial rules, use a placeholder: `{DOMAIN_KEY}_RULE_0=Add your first rule here`

Step 5: Add Manifest Entry

Append to `.synapse/manifest` using the template from `.claude/commands/synapse/templates/manifest-entry-template`:

# Layer 6: {domain-name}
{DOMAIN_KEY}_STATE=active
{DOMAIN_KEY}_RECALL={recall-keywords-or-empty}
{DOMAIN_KEY}_EXCLUDE={exclude-keywords-or-empty}

• Add a blank line before the new entry for readability
• If no RECALL keywords provided, use domain name words as defaults
• EXCLUDE is empty by default

Step 6: Validate

• Read back the manifest and verify `{DOMAIN_KEY}_STATE=active` is present
• Read back the domain file and verify it parses correctly (has at least one rule line)

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Validation

• [ ] Domain file created at `.synapse/{domain-name}`
• [ ] Manifest entry added with `_STATE=active`
• [ ] Domain name is valid kebab-case
• [ ] No duplicate domain in manifest or filesystem
• [ ] Domain file follows KEY=VALUE format parseable by SYN-1

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Error Handling

| Error | Message | |-------|---------| | Invalid name | `Error: Domain name must be lowercase kebab-case (e.g., "my-custom-rules"). Got: "{name}"` | | Domain exists (manifest) | `Error: Domain "{name}" already exists in the manifest. Use "add" to add rules to it instead.` | | Domain exists (file) | `Error: Domain file ".synapse/{name}" already exists on disk.` | | Manifest not found | `Error: .synapse/manifest not found. SYNAPSE must be initialized first (SYN-8).` | | Write failure | `Error: Failed to write domain file. Check filesystem permissions.` |

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*Create Domain — SYNAPSE CRUD Command C2* *Source: SYNAPSE-HOOK-SKILL-COMMAND-ANALYSIS.md section 2.3*