I Built Archivolt: An AI Architecture Blueprint Generator. Here's What I Learned.

Kamran Qayyum — Sun, 17 May 2026 20:51:52 +0000

I Built Archivolt: An AI Architecture Blueprint Generator. Here's What I Learned.

I built Archivolt because I faced a constant problem as a software engineer: designing systems that break when requirements change.

Most architecture discussions ignore volatility. They assume requirements are stable. They're not.

So I built an AI tool that generates Volatility-Based Decomposition (VBD) blueprints in 60 seconds.

The Problem

You design a system. It works perfectly for today's requirements.

Then requirements change—and your entire architecture breaks.

Why? Because you didn't decompose for volatility. You decomposed for static requirements.

This costs months of refactoring. It's expensive. It's predictable. It's avoidable.

The Solution: Archivolt

Users describe their system in plain English. Archivolt generates:

✅ Mermaid Diagram – Visual VBD decomposition

✅ Adapter Contracts – Interfaces between services

✅ Build Sequencing – What to build first

✅ Future-Proof Score – 0-100 architecture quality metric

All in 60 seconds using Claude AI.

What is VBD?

Volatility-Based Decomposition decomposes systems based on what changes, not what exists.

Services that change together live together. Services that don't change stay separate.

This dramatically reduces the cost of requirement changes.

Most architects don't use it. Most tools don't support it. Archivolt does.

Live Now

Free tier: 1 generation (full functionality, no credit card)

Paid tiers:

Blueprint: $49 one-time (4 generations)
Pro: $29/month (unlimited + tech stack recommendations)
Team: $49/month (unlimited + system design tab)

Live at: https://www.archivolt.dev

First $29 sale processed this week ✅

Tech Stack

Frontend: Next.js 15, React, TypeScript
Auth: Clerk
Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL)
AI: Anthropic Claude API
Payments: Polar.sh
Deployment: Vercel

What I Learned Building This

1. Ship Fast Over Perfect

I spent 8 weeks building, not 8 months planning. Shipped with what works, not what's flawless.

The free tier is fully functional. Users can generate real blueprints. That's enough.

2. Free Tier Drives Adoption

Free tier sign-ups are 10x paid conversions (so far). Let people experience value before asking for money.

One free generation shows what you can do. Users either get it or they don't.

3. Polar.sh > Traditional Processors

Setup was instant. No waiting for approvals. First payment processed within hours.

If you're a solo founder, Polar.sh is significantly faster than Stripe/Paddle.

4. Target Audience Matters

Senior architects, staff engineers, tech leads understand VBD instantly.

Other audiences need education. I'm targeting people who already think in terms of decomposition.

5. Your First Customer Is the Hardest

Getting that first $29 sale took more energy than building the product.

But it proves the model works. One paying customer is worth 100 free sign-ups.

What's Next

Month 1 Goal: $50-100 MRR (10-20 sign-ups, 1-2 conversions)

Month 3 Goal: $350-600 MRR

Month 6 Goal: $1k+ MRR

I'm building in public. Community feedback shapes the roadmap.

Phase 2 features (Week 3+):

Streaming responses (real-time diagram generation)
Better error handling
Export options (PDF, JSON)
Analytics dashboard

Try It

Free tier: https://www.archivolt.dev

Describe any system (e-commerce, SaaS, monolith, microservices, whatever). Generate a VBD blueprint in 60 seconds. Tell me what you think.

I read every comment. Ask me about:

VBD and why it matters
Architecture patterns
Technical decisions
Building as a solo founder
Pricing strategy
Whatever

Questions People Ask

What is VBD exactly?

Volatility-Based Decomposition. Instead of decomposing by domain or layers, you decompose by what changes.

Services that change together → same service.

Services that don't change → separate services.

This reduces coupling and makes requirement changes cheaper.

How is this different from ChatGPT?

ChatGPT gives you text. Archivolt gives you structured output: Mermaid diagrams, adapter contracts, build order, a quality score.

It's architecture-focused, not generic.

Why should I pay?

Pro tier ($29/month) gives unlimited generations + tech stack recommendations. Team tier adds system design guidance.

For architects, that's cheaper than a single consulting hour.

Can I try it free?

Yes. 1 free generation, full functionality, no credit card. Try it now.

What if I think VBD is wrong?

Tell me. I'd rather hear criticism than silence. Architecture is subjective. Feedback helps me improve.

Let's Talk

I'm building this in public. Comment below, DM me on Twitter, or email support@archivolt.dev.

Let's build better architectures together. ✌️

https://www.archivolt.dev

DEV Community: Kamran Qayyum

I Built Archivolt: An AI Architecture Blueprint Generator. Here's What I Learned.

I Built Archivolt: An AI Architecture Blueprint Generator. Here's What I Learned.

The Problem

The Solution: Archivolt

What is VBD?

Live Now

Tech Stack

What I Learned Building This

What's Next

Try It

Questions People Ask

Let's Talk