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Morfo

The cross-layer contract of a component's public DOM surface.

Morfo is the single source of truth for a component's parts, data-attrs, ARIA contract, keyboard shortcuts, focus policy, and public event contract. The same morfo is consumed by soma (to wire the headless provider), by eidos (to generate CSS selectors), by sema (to bind perceptual channels), and by the docs site (to render part tables).

One file per component, at src/uix/morfo/components/{kebab}.ts. No prose — that's the component's README. No props — those live in types.ts with JSDoc. Component-owned translations may live in translations when they are part of ARIA labels, live-region text, or internal functional labels. Everything else is the machine-readable contract.

Handoff 2026-05-14

Morfo debe seguir siendo declarativo: no instancia servicios y no conoce ActiveUix. Sus campos solo entran en el contrato cuando son superficie cross-layer real; si un dato pertenece a una sola capa, vive en esa capa.

Decisiones cerradas:

texts declara las ranuras de texto del componente como idlangrefs absolutos ('#?components.{kebab}.{key}|fallback'). El catálogo multilingüe vive en src/uix/langs/components/{kebab}.ts (fuera del morfo).
Textos comunes usan v.commonRef(...) o un idlangref absoluto; no se duplican en cada morfo.
registerMorfo(morfo) registra el contrato data-*. El catálogo de strings (componentLangs + commonLangs) lo registra ActiveUix al arrancar; el morfo nunca extiende ActiveLangs dinámicamente.
Si Soma, Sema y Eidos necesitan un dato compartido, pasa por morfo o por un contrato publico; no por imports laterales entre capas.
La regla 2-de-3 sigue vigente para extender morfo.

Why morfo exists

Without morfo, a component's structural information used to live in many places:

Part names in manual attr maps inside the provider.
Data-attr enums in manual contract registration inside the provider.
ARIA emission hardcoded in the provider's $derived.by(...) props.
Keyboard handlers scattered across the provider.
Public event names and their transport split across provider code, docs, and consumers.
Prose descriptions in the README.
Selector strings duplicated in eidos CSS, sema .csem, docs tables.

Renaming a part (content → panel) used to mean touching 6+ locations with zero automatic verification. Cross-layer drift (soma emits data-dialog-content, eidos styles data-dialog-panel) was silent.

With morfo, every location reads from the same declaration. Parts, data-attrs, enum values, and component-owned translation keys are authored once. compileMorfo, registerMorfo, SomaRuntime, and the selector helper createAttrs consume the morfo directly. A smoke test validates the real DOM against the declaration on every CI run.

What morfo contains

A Morfo is a plain TypeScript constant that describes:

name — PascalCase display name ("Dialog").
kebab — kebab-case identifier ("dialog"), matches the public data-{kebab} marker.
scope — which layers implement this component: ['soma'], ['soma', 'eidos'], etc.
apg — optional URL to the WAI-ARIA APG pattern when the component implements a formal one.
focus — optional focus policy for overlays / composites.
events — the component's public event surface: which semantic occurrences it may emit and expose to cross-layer consumers.
translations — optional component-owned translation catalog. Registered under components.{kebab} by the morfo registry.
parts — the part tree (recursive). Each part declares:
- name, kebab, kind (public / virtual).
- archetype — optional cross-component classification (see "Archetypes" below).
- defaultElement (advisory), role (always-emitted).
- optional, supportsNesting.
- states — the state names this part can be in.
- data — data-attributes emitted, with enum values when applicable and optional runtime source metadata when the contract wants to declare where the attr comes from.
- aria — ARIA attribute contract (attr + value source + condition).
- keyboard — keyboard shortcuts relevant when the part has focus.
- parts — nested sub-parts (recursive).

See types.ts for the full TypeScript shape.

What morfo does NOT contain

Not in morfo	Lives in	Reason
Summary, overview prose	`{component}/README.md`	Editorial, not contract
Comparison vs Radix / Base UI / Bits	`{component}/README.md`	Third-party drift shouldn't pollute the contract
Usage examples	`{component}/README.md`	Narrative
Props (names, types, defaults)	`{component}/types.ts` with JSDoc	Canonical source is TS + JSDoc
Shared/common translations	app/langs catalog under `common.*`	Shared vocabulary should not be duplicated per component
Provider-only id constants	optional `{component}/langs.ts`	Constants are code ergonomics; the catalog lives in morfo or app langs
Event handlers / runtime wiring, state machines	`{component}-provider.svelte.ts`	Execution logic, not contract data
Visual variants / recipes	`src/uix/eidos/` (future)	Layer-specific, not shared

How morfo gets executed (architecture)

Morfo is declarative. By itself it doesn't render, doesn't bind events, doesn't write to the DOM. The piece that does is SomaRuntime, which lives in soma/ and consumes a morfo together with the provider's reactive sources.

The closed architecture (post-2026-04-25) has six pieces with disjoint responsibilities:

Morfo          declares
SomaRuntime   transcribes
Provider       supplies sources, targets, handlers
Effects        sync attrs from state
EngineSemantic dispatches signals to perceptual channels
VisualChannel  materializes the signal in the DOM (data-event*, hold, cleanup)
ADom           applies DOM mutations (structural commit)

What each morfo field maps to at runtime

Morfo field	Runtime executor	Purpose
`parts[].data` (with `value`)	Effect of attrs	Reactive `data-*`
`parts[].aria`	Effect of attrs	Reactive `aria-*`
`parts[].role`	Effect of attrs	Stable role
`parts[].keyboard`	`runtime.keydown(part, event)`	Key dispatch
`events[].prewrite`	`trigger()` step 1	Transient markers
`events[].semantic`	`trigger()` step 2 (emit payload)	Perceptual signal
`events[].commits`	Nobody executes; smoke validates	Documentation
`focus`	Configures FocusScope layer	Layer bootstrap

commits is descriptive, not prescriptive. The actual causal chain is handler -> state mutation -> effect -> dom.apply. The commits declaration documents what an external observer will see and is checked by the smoke suite.

The `trigger(eventName)` sequence

1. prewrite imperative (data-last-action, etc.)
2. await semantic.emit(event)
3. provider's synchronous handler mutates state
4. effects derive and apply structural attrs (data-state, aria-*)

State is the only source of truth. The DOM is derivative.

Provider responsibilities

The provider supplies what morfo cannot infer:

const runtime = createSomaRuntime(morfo, {
	dom: this.soma.dom,
	eventEngine: this.soma.events,
	states: { open: () => this.opts.open.current },
	props: { disabled: () => this.opts.disabled.current },
	parts: { content: () => this.contentId.current },
	events: {
		open: () => {
			this.opts.open.current = true;
		},
		'close-cancel': () => {
			this.opts.open.current = false;
		}
	}
});

Each part-provider then renders only the static identity:

readonly props = $derived.by(() => runtime.partProps('trigger'));
// returns: { id, ref attachment, 'data-{component}-trigger': '' }

Everything mutable (role derived from prop, aria-*, data-state, data-intent) is written by the runtime's effects via dom.apply. Svelte does not render those attrs.

Operational rules

partProps(part) returns only static identity (id, ref, marker).
dom.apply is the only writer of mutable attrs.
Event handlers are synchronous. Async work happens before trigger() is called.
Guards (if (disabled) return) live at the call-site, not inside the handler — if they enter the handler, the perceptual signal already fired.
Semantic may use Dom (downward dependency); Dom does not know Semantic.

See src/uix/README.md §2.bis for the cross-layer view.

Archetypes — cross-component part classification

Beyond the component-specific kebab, a part can declare an archetype that tags it as part of a cross-component category. This is what lets eidos style "all triggers" or "all overlays" with a single transversal selector instead of enumerating every component.

{
  name: 'Trigger',
  kebab: 'trigger',
  archetype: 'trigger',  // ← cross-component category
  role: 'button',
  // ...
}

The runtime emits data-archetype="..." on the part's DOM element via partProps. Static identity (never mutates), so it ships through partProps, not through dom.apply.

Vocabulary (24 archetypes)

provider · trigger · content · overlay · viewport
item · option · indicator · thumb · track
label · title · description · close · action
header · image · fallback · arrow · separator
group · input · segment · preview

Defined in types.ts:ARCHETYPE_VOCABULARY and validated by the sium schema. Optional field — omit when a part is genuinely unique to its component (Slider.Range, PinInput.Segment internals).

Provider as trigger vs container

When Provider IS the interactive element (Toggle, Switch, Checkbox — where defaultElement: 'button' and the user clicks the Provider itself), its archetype is 'trigger'. When Provider is just a root container (defaultElement: 'div'/'section'/'nav'), archetype is 'provider'. Decide per-morfo.

Adding a new archetype

Only add when at least two existing components share the role with the same conceptual meaning. The vocabulary stays small on purpose. If only one component has it, leave the part without an archetype.

The 2-of-3 rule for extending morfo

Morfo is the cross-layer contract between soma, sema, and eidos — not a convenience repository for soma. An extension to morfo is justified only when at least two of the three layers consume it.

What	Soma	Sema	Eidos	In morfo?
`parts[].data` + `aria` + `role`	✅	—	✅	✅
`parts[].archetype`	✅ (emit)	✅ (verbs by role)	✅ (transversal selectors)	✅
`parts[].keyboard`	✅ (dispatch)	—	—	✅ (was already there)
`events[].semantic` family/intent	✅ (signal payload)	✅ (vocabulary)	✅ (selector tinting)	✅
`events[].prewrite` (e.g. `data-last-action`)	✅ (apply)	✅ (sequence)	✅ (tint exit anim)	✅
`data-starting-style` / `data-ending-style`	✅ (Presence)	—	✅ (animations)	✅
Computed state from N props	— (provider exposes virtual prop)	—	—	❌
`firstOf` value source (priority chain)	✅ only	—	—	❌
`prop-not-nullish` condition	✅ only	—	—	❌
Field-context OR'ing	— (provider, virtual prop)	—	—	❌

Soma-only conveniences live in the provider — typically as a "virtual prop" that the provider exposes via runtime props sources, then morfo reads with propRef. The line stays clean: morfo declares structure + contracts; provider decides logic.

Disclosure events

Disclosure-style components (Collapsible, accordion item panels, row-detail reveals) are non-evaluative. They should not declare intent, color subset or size semantics just because they animate. The canonical morfo shape is two directional emerge events:

{
	name: 'expand',
	semantic: { family: 'emerge', verb: 'expand', target: v.partRef('content'), sequence: 'post' }
},
{
	name: 'collapse',
	semantic: { family: 'emerge', verb: 'collapse', target: v.partRef('content'), sequence: 'pre' }
}

expand is post so Eidos reacts after content exists. collapse is pre so the exit signal can play while content is still visible. Any visual color, motion or density response belongs to Eidos recipes, not to the morfo event.

Anatomy of a morfo file

Minimal template:

// src/uix/morfo/components/dialog.ts
import type { Morfo } from '../types';
import { v } from '../types'; // value builders: v.literal, v.stateRef, v.partRef, v.propRef, v.translationRef, v.commonRef, v.langRef

export const dialogMorfo = {
	name: 'Dialog',
	kebab: 'dialog',
	scope: ['soma'],
	apg: 'https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/patterns/dialog/',

	focus: {
		initial: 'first-focusable',
		trap: true,
		return: 'trigger',
		restore: true
	},

	translations: {
		content: {
			roledescription: { es: 'ventana de dialogo', en: 'dialog window' }
		}
	},

	parts: [
		{
			name: 'Provider',
			kebab: 'provider', // special: 'provider' emits data-dialog (no suffix)
			kind: 'virtual', // context-only, no DOM
			defaultElement: 'none',
			optional: false,
			data: [],
			aria: []
		},
		{
			name: 'Trigger',
			kebab: 'trigger',
			kind: 'public',
			defaultElement: 'button',
			role: 'button',
			optional: false,
			states: ['open', 'closed'],
			data: [{ attr: 'data-state', values: ['open', 'closed'] }],
			aria: [
				{ attr: 'aria-haspopup', value: v.literal('dialog') },
				{ attr: 'aria-expanded', value: v.stateRef('open') },
				{ attr: 'aria-controls', value: v.partRef('content') }
			]
		},
		{
			name: 'Content',
			kebab: 'content',
			kind: 'public',
			defaultElement: 'div',
			role: 'dialog',
			optional: false,
			states: ['open', 'closed'],
			data: [
				{ attr: 'data-state', values: ['open', 'closed'] },
				{
					attr: 'data-last-action',
					values: ['saved', 'cancelled', 'dismissed', 'failed'],
					severity: 'optional'
				}
			],
			aria: [
				{
					attr: 'aria-roledescription',
					value: v.translationRef('content.roledescription', 'dialog window')
				},
				{
					attr: 'aria-labelledby',
					value: v.partRef('title'),
					condition: { when: 'part-present', part: 'title' },
					severity: 'recommended'
				}
			],
			keyboard: [{ key: 'Escape', action: 'close' }]
		},
		{
			name: 'Title',
			kebab: 'title',
			kind: 'public',
			defaultElement: 'div',
			role: 'heading',
			optional: true,
			data: [],
			aria: [{ attr: 'aria-level', value: v.propRef('level'), severity: 'recommended' }]
		}
	]
} as const satisfies Morfo;

The as const satisfies Morfo pattern is mandatory, not cosmetic. It does two things at once:

as const preserves the literal types (kebab: 'dialog', not string). This is what lets createAttrs(dialogMorfo) return { provider: 'data-dialog'; trigger: 'data-dialog-trigger'; ... } with autocomplete and typo detection in every provider that consumes the morfo.
satisfies Morfo validates that the object conforms to the Morfo interface without widening it. If a field is missing or mistyped, TypeScript reports it at the declaration — same safety as : Morfo = annotation, without the type widening.

A morfo annotated : Morfo = still works at runtime but yields createAttrs(...): Record<string, string> — no autocomplete, attrs.trigerr compiles. Every morfo in the codebase use as const satisfies Morfo; new morfos must do the same.

Authoring a new morfo

Step 1 — Create the file

Write src/uix/morfo/components/{kebab}.ts exporting a {camelName}Morfo const.

Naming rules:

name: PascalCase. "Dialog", "DateRangePicker", "ColorField".
kebab: kebab-case. "dialog", "date-range-picker", "color-field". Must match data-{kebab} and createAttrs({component}) in the provider.
Part kebabs must be unique across the whole morfo — no nested path namespacing. If a conflict arises, rename (e.g. item-trigger instead of trigger).
The orchestrator part uses kebab: 'provider' — special-cased to emit data-{component} with no suffix. Matches name: 'Provider' for naming coherence.

Step 2 — Declare parts

For each part, decide:

kind:
- 'public' when the consumer composes the part (e.g. <Dialog.Trigger>).
- 'virtual' for internal coordinators that have no DOM of their own (context-only providers, focus guards). Use with defaultElement: 'none'.
defaultElement: the HTML element the wrapper renders by default. Advisory — the consumer can override via child snippet. See the MorfoElement union in types.ts.
role: always-emitted ARIA role. Declare this even when the element has an implicit role (e.g. <button> has role=button) — this makes the contract polymorphism-safe: if the consumer uses <div> via child, the role still applies.
optional: true if the part may be absent from a valid composition (Title, Description, Close, Overlay, Indicator, Separator). false for required parts (root + core).
states: only declare if the part carries a data-state enum. List the exact values (e.g. ['open', 'closed']). Required for stateRef ARIA values to validate.
supportsNesting: true if this part can nest inside itself (Dialog inside Dialog, Menu inside Menu). Informational — enables eidos to style nested instances with scoped selectors.

Step 3 — Declare `data` entries

For each data-attr the provider emits:

data: [
	// Enum-valued: the complete set.
	{ attr: 'data-state', values: ['open', 'closed'] },

	// Same attr, but now declaring its runtime source too.
	{ attr: 'data-state', values: ['open', 'closed'], value: v.stateRef('open') },

	// Presence-only flag: emitted only when true, absent otherwise.
	{ attr: 'data-disabled', value: v.propRef('disabled'), severity: 'optional' },

	// Free value: writes the raw value, not an empty presence attr.
	{ attr: 'data-value', value: v.propRef('value'), emit: 'value' },

	// Free value written manually by the component, not by SomaRuntime.
	{ attr: 'data-form-auto-fields-field', emit: 'value' },

	// Conditionally-emitted attr.
	{
		attr: 'data-starting-style',
		severity: 'optional',
		condition: { when: 'state-equals', state: 'open', value: 'starting' }
	}
];

Non-enum data-* entries default to emit: 'presence': truthy writes data-x="", falsy removes the attr. Use emit: 'value' only when the attr must carry a real value, such as data-value, data-min, data-max or a manual component attr like data-form-auto-fields-field. When value is omitted, the attr remains declarative-only: Morfo documents the contract, but the component/provider is still responsible for writing the value.

Severity rules:

'required' (default) — the attr must always be emitted. Missing = error in strict mode.
'recommended' — emitted in most cases. Missing = warning.
'optional' — emitted only when its condition is met (e.g. data-disabled only when disabled). Missing ≠ error.

Use 'optional' for all presence-only flags so morfo-check doesn't flag them as missing when they're legitimately absent.

Step 4 — Declare `aria` entries

ARIA values use a tagged union via builders:

aria: [
	{ attr: 'aria-haspopup', value: v.literal('dialog') }, // static literal
	{ attr: 'aria-expanded', value: v.stateRef('open') }, // refs states[]
	{ attr: 'aria-labelledby', value: v.partRef('title') }, // refs another part's kebab
	{ attr: 'aria-level', value: v.propRef('level') }, // refs a consumer prop
	{
		attr: 'aria-roledescription',
		value: v.translationRef('content.roledescription', 'dialog window')
	},
	{ attr: 'aria-label', value: v.commonRef('buttons.close', 'Close') },
	{ attr: 'aria-label', value: v.langRef('app.shell.close', 'Close') }
];

Value kinds:

v.literal(value) — static string invariant. aria-haspopup="dialog", aria-modal="true".
v.stateRef(name) — the attribute value derives from a named state. Validator requires name to be in the containing part's states[].
v.partRef(target) — the attribute value is the id of another part. Validator requires target to be an existing kebab in the morfo.
v.propRef(prop) — the attribute value comes from a consumer prop (override, passthrough).
v.translationRef(key, fallback?) — component-relative by default. v.translationRef('content.roledescription', 'dialog window') compiles to #?components.dialog.content.roledescription|dialog window.
v.commonRef(key, fallback?) — shared UI vocabulary under common.*. Use for repeated actions like close, cancel, save, next, previous. UIX ships default commonLangs; integrators can provide their own leaves and ActiveUix only fills what is missing.
v.langRef(key, fallback?) — explicit absolute translation path outside the component namespace, e.g. v.langRef('app.shell.close', 'Close').

translationRef can also receive a raw absolute idlangref starting with #?; the compiler leaves it absolute and only appends the fallback when needed.

Add condition when the ARIA is emitted only in some cases:

condition: 'always'
condition: { when: 'part-present', part: 'title' }
condition: { when: 'state-equals', state: 'open', value: 'true' }
condition: { when: 'prop-truthy', prop: 'modal' }
condition: { when: 'prop-falsy', prop: 'disabled' }

Step 4.5 — Declare component-owned `translations`

If a translation belongs to the component contract, put the catalog on the morfo:

export const dialogMorfo = {
	name: 'Dialog',
	kebab: 'dialog',
	// ...
	translations: {
		trigger: { es: 'Abrir dialogo', en: 'Open dialog' },
		content: {
			roledescription: { es: 'ventana de dialogo', en: 'dialog window' }
		}
	},
	parts: [
		{
			name: 'Content',
			kebab: 'content',
			// ...
			aria: [
				{
					attr: 'aria-roledescription',
					value: v.translationRef('content.roledescription', 'dialog window')
				}
			]
		}
	]
} as const satisfies Morfo;

Use relative refs for text owned by this component. Use v.commonRef for shared actions (close, cancel, save, next, previous) so the same string is not duplicated across Drawer, Dialog, Popover, Toast, etc. Use v.langRef for an app/system namespace that is deliberately not owned by the component.

Step 5 — Optional: keyboard and focus

keyboard: [
  { key: 'Escape', action: 'close' },
  { key: 'Tab', action: 'focus-next' },
  { key: 'Shift+Tab', action: 'focus-prev' }
]

focus: {
  initial: 'first-focusable',          // 'first-focusable' | 'trigger' | { partRef: 'content' }
  trap: true,
  return: 'trigger',                    // 'trigger' | 'previous' | { partRef: '...' }
  restore: true
}

Focus is only required for overlay/composite components (Dialog, Drawer, Popover). Plain controls omit it.

Step 5.5 — Optional: semantic events

Events declare what semantic occurrences the component emits. Per the canonical guide src/docs/GUIA_IMPLEMENTACION_SEMAUIX.md §5.1, the shape is:

events: [
	{
		name: 'commit-toggle',
		semantic: {
			family: 'commit', // one of 7 SEMA families
			verb: 'toggle', // canonical verb (advisory, validated)
			target: v.partRef('provider'), // which part receives data-event-*
			sequence: 'post', // 'pre' | 'coincident' | 'post'
			intent: {
				// valenced families only
				fromProp: 'intent', // bind to a public prop
				default: 'neutral',
				supported: ['neutral', 'affirm', 'risk', 'threat']
			}
		}
	}
];

Field rules:

name — the addressable id used by runtime.trigger(name). Convention: {verb}-{variant} (e.g. dismiss-outside, close-cancel) or {family}-{verb} (e.g. commit-toggle, commit-save). The validator accepts both shapes.
semantic.family — one of contact, commit, signal, handle, emerge, shift, sustain (per SEMA_MAP). Transitional families (emerge, shift, sustain) carry NO intent. Valenced families (contact, commit, signal, handle) require an intent (literal or fromProp binding).
semantic.verb — optional, advisory. Must be in SEMA_VERBS[family] when present.
semantic.target — the partRef whose DOM element receives the data-event-* attrs during the visual hold. Lives inside semantic per the doctrinal shape (was at event-level pre-2026-05-08).
semantic.sequence — when the perceptual signal happens relative to the structural state change. Default 'pre' preserves the runtime semantics where the signal completes before the commit. Use 'post' when the celebration belongs after the new state lands (commit pulses on completed actions). 'coincident' is for in-flight processes (sustain).

For a comprehensive worked example see the toggle and dialog morfos.

Step 6 — Wire the provider

In src/uix/soma/components/{kebab}/{kebab}-provider.svelte.ts:

import { createAttrs } from '$uix/morfo';
import { dialogMorfo } from '../../../morfo/components/dialog';

const attrs = createAttrs(dialogMorfo);

// attrs is typed as
//   {
//     readonly provider: 'data-dialog';
//     readonly trigger: 'data-dialog-trigger';
//     readonly content: 'data-dialog-content';
//     readonly overlay: 'data-dialog-overlay';
//     readonly title: 'data-dialog-title';
//     readonly description: 'data-dialog-description';
//     readonly close: 'data-dialog-close';
//   }
// — literal-typed from the morfo's `as const` shape.

Runtime-based providers call createSomaRuntime(morfo, sources) or soma.runtime(morfo, sources). That path calls registerMorfo(morfo) for you, which compiles the morfo and registers the data contract. The strings catalog (componentLangs + commonLangs) is registered globally by ActiveUix at boot — morfo no longer publishes strings dynamically.

Only call registerMorfo(morfo) manually when a tool or legacy provider needs the registry side effect without creating a runtime.

That's it. No more inline attr maps, no more manual contract objects. A typo like attrs.trigerr or attrs.content-wrong is a compile error, not a runtime silent-undef.

Validation

Three layers catch three classes of drift:

1. Sium schema (build / dev)

src/uix/morfo/schema.ts exports validateMorfo(morfo) which:

Checks shape: types, enum discriminators, literal unions.
Checks cross-field invariants:
- Every part kebab is unique in the morfo.
- Every partRef.target resolves to an existing part.
- Every stateRef.state exists in the containing part's states[].
- Every relative translationRef('label') is normalized at compile time to #?components.{kebab}.label. Catalog presence is enforced by npm run translations:check, not by the schema itself.
- Every state-equals condition's state exists in the containing part.
- focus.initial.partRef / focus.return.partRef resolve.
- scope is non-empty.
- kebab matches /^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$/.

Run a morfo through this to catch authoring errors early. See components/dialog.test.ts for a reference test.

2. Strict mode in `assertContract` (dev runtime)

The provider's assertProps walks the emitted data-attrs and checks their values against the registered contract. In dev mode, a value not in the declared values[] logs a warning:

[soma] dialog.content: "data-state" has value "opening" but contract expects one of: open, closed

3. Smoke + morfo-check (CI)

Two npm scripts exercise the UI shell and, historically, morfos against the real DOM:

npm run smoke — Playwright walks concrete +page.svelte routes under web/routes. Catches pageerror, console.error, same-origin request failures, translation-key-not-found, context-not-found and rendered __uix_lang_missing__ fallbacks. Not morfo-specific but catches common regressions. Set SMOKE_SCOPE=/uix to restrict the run to the UIX shell.
npm run morfo:check — DOM validator for morfos that have a routed demo under /uix/components/{kebab}. Morfos without a current routed demo are reported as SKIP; they are not treated as failures. Override the prefix with MORFO_ROUTE_PREFIX=/some/path if a local docs shell maps morfos elsewhere. Its contract:
- Every declared data-attr with severity: 'required' is emitted.
- Every emitted data-attr value matches values[] if declared.
- No undeclared data-{component}-* attrs are emitted (except data-_* private provider state, which is outside morfo).
npm run morfo:vocabulary — Flags data-state enums that diverge from canonical vocabularies (open|closed, active|inactive, checked|unchecked|indeterminate, etc.). WARN-level; novel vocabularies may be legitimate but should be reviewed.

Both scripts require npm run dev running in another terminal.

The data-attr convention

createAttrs(morfo) derives data-attr names from parts:

Part kebab	Emitted attr
`'provider'`	`data-{component}` — no suffix (orchestrator)
`'trigger'`	`data-{component}-trigger`
`'item-group'`	`data-{component}-item-group`

Never data-soma-*, never data-eidos-* — always data-{component}[-{part}].

Private attrs for internal debug / state use the reserved data-_* prefix and are intentionally outside morfo. validateMorfo() rejects data-_* in a morfo declaration; strict-mode tooling skips provider-private attrs when scanning the real DOM.

Handling polymorphism (consumer renders a different element)

The child snippet pattern allows consumers to swap the default element:

<Dialog.Trigger>
	{#snippet child({ props })}
		<a href="/about" {...props}>About</a>
	{/snippet}
</Dialog.Trigger>

Morfo's defaultElement is advisory — the provider doesn't enforce it. What IS guaranteed is role: the provider always emits the explicit role (e.g. role="button" on a Trigger even though <button> has it implicitly). When the consumer renders as <a>, the role stays correct.

Keyboard handlers should also be element-agnostic: emit onkeydown that handles both Enter and Space for "activate" regardless of the underlying element, since <a> only handles Enter natively and <div> handles neither.

Sema alignment

Sema is the perceptual/semantic layer. It consumes the same DOM surface that morfo declares — no extra hooks needed. The morfo authoring rules that support Sema:

Transition markers: components with enter/exit transitions declare data-starting-style and data-ending-style on the transitioning part.
Causal exit states: components with multiple semantically distinct exit paths (Dialog: saved / cancelled / dismissed / failed; Toast: dismissed / auto-timeout / action) declare data-last-action with enumerable values. The provider is expected to update data-last-action before data-state changes, so Sema can tint the exit animation per-action. (Tracked by a dedicated MutationObserver timing test — future work.)
Cross-component vocabulary consistency: the morfo:vocabulary script groups components by data-attr semantic (disclosure → open|closed, lifecycle → loading|idle|success|error) and flags divergent vocabularies for review.

These don't change the morfo shape — they're authoring conventions that enable Sema without requiring a Sema-aware provider.

Typed selector builder — `semaSelector`

When a TypeScript consumer needs to construct a CSS selector that targets the morfo's emitted attrs (e.g. sema/components/*.ts cascade rules), it MUST use semaSelector instead of hand-writing strings:

import { semaSelector } from '$uix/morfo';
import { dialogMorfo } from '$uix/morfo/components/dialog';

// [data-dialog-content][data-event-family="commit"]
semaSelector(dialogMorfo, 'content', { eventFamily: 'commit' });

// [data-dialog-content][data-event="close-after-fail"]
semaSelector(dialogMorfo, 'content', { eventName: 'close-after-fail' });

// [data-dialog-content][data-event^="close-"][data-event-family="emerge"]
semaSelector(dialogMorfo, 'content', { eventNamePrefix: 'close-', eventFamily: 'emerge' });

What it guarantees

partKebab is typed against morfo.parts[].kebab. Renaming a part breaks every consumer at compile-time, not silently in production.
eventName is typed against morfo.events[].name. Renaming an event has the same compile-time tripwire.
eventFamily / eventIntent are typed against the canonical unions (SemaFamily, Intent).
Output is plain CSS — target.matches(selector) consumes it unchanged. Zero runtime cost beyond string concatenation.

What it accepts loose

Plain strings (no compile-time check yet) for:

state / aria — the data-attr vocabulary is per-component and not yet derived from the morfo's data contract. A future iteration will tighten these too.
ancestor — instance / context scoping ('#delete-confirm-dialog', '[data-form]'). Ancestors live outside the morfo's contract by design.
pseudo — escape hatch for :hover, :focus-visible, etc.

When to use it

Any TypeScript / Svelte module that builds a selector pointing at the morfo's emitted attrs:

Consumer	Status
`sema/components/*.ts` cascade rules	MUST use — hand-written strings are an architecture violation
`eidos/components/{x}/*.ts` runtime selector logic (rare)	MUST use when targeting morfo-backed attrs
Eidos plain `.css` recipes	N/A — CSS files; covered by `scripts/eidos-lint.ts` as opt-in safety net
Test assertions / smoke routes	Optional — strings fine, drift is caught by smoke

The helper is exported from $uix/morfo. Implementation lives in selectors.ts.

Files in this package

src/uix/morfo/
├── README.md          ← (this file) developer guide
├── types.ts           ← Morfo interface + v.* builders (pure TypeScript)
├── schema.ts          ← sium-based validator + CANONICAL_VOCABULARIES
├── compile.ts         ← compileMorfo(morfo) → CompiledMorfo (cached by WeakMap)
├── resolver.ts        ← attr resolver — pure, no DOM, no reactivity
├── create-attrs.ts    ← derive data-* attr names from morfo.parts
├── contracts.ts       ← runtime contract registry + assertContract
├── registry.ts        ← registerMorfo + morfo-owned langs registration hooks
├── selectors.ts       ← typed selector builder for sema cascade rules
├── PERMUTATION_RUNNER.md ← CI tool spec for state-space validation
├── index.ts           ← package barrel
└── components/
    ├── dialog.ts      ← one morfo per component
    ├── accordion.ts
    ├── ...
    └── dialog.test.ts ← reference test pattern

Morfo is pure declarative TypeScript. No Svelte runes, no .svelte.ts files, no imports of $uix/sema / $adom / $libs/reactive. The runtime that interprets a compiled morfo lives in soma — see ../soma/runtime.svelte.ts.

Commands

Command	Purpose
`npm run check`	TypeScript type-check across the repo (catches shape errors in morfos).
`npx vitest run src/uix/morfo`	Run morfo unit tests (schema invariants).
`npm run smoke`	Playwright smoke over concrete `web/routes` pages (requires dev server).
`npm run morfo:check`	Validate routed `/uix/components/{kebab}` demos vs morfo; unrouted morfos skip.
`npm run morfo:vocabulary`	Flag data-state enums that diverge from canonical vocabularies.

Common pitfalls

Using : Morfo = instead of as const satisfies Morfo. The annotated form widens all literals to string, so createAttrs(morfo) degrades to Record<string, string> — no autocomplete, typos slip past the compiler:

// ❌ Wrong — works at runtime, but loses literal types.
export const dialogMorfo: Morfo = { ... };
const attrs = createAttrs(dialogMorfo);
attrs.trigerr;  // compiles as `string`, runtime undefined

// ✅ Right — literal-preserved shape.
export const dialogMorfo = { ... } as const satisfies Morfo;
const attrs = createAttrs(dialogMorfo);
attrs.trigerr;  // compile error — no such part
attrs.trigger;  // typed as 'data-dialog-trigger'

Every morfo in the codebase use the as const satisfies Morfo form. This is mandatory, not stylistic.

Duplicate kebab in the tree. item in one part and item in another = error. Rename one.

stateRef without declaring states[]. If a part emits aria-expanded via v.stateRef('open'), the part must declare states: ['open', ...]. Otherwise the validator throws.

partRef to a non-existent kebab. Common after renaming a part. The validator catches this — but the dev-time warning is silent if you skip validateMorfo.

Using a component-relative translationRef for shared text. v.translationRef('close', 'Close') compiles to components.{component}.close, which duplicates the same close label across many components. Use v.commonRef('buttons.close', 'Close') for shared actions.

Declaring v.translationRef('content.label') without a matching catalog entry. The relative form normalizes to #?components.{kebab}.content.label at compile time. That path must resolve in src/uix/langs/components/{kebab}.ts. Either add the leaf there (and reference it from morfo.texts) or use an absolute ref via v.commonRef, v.langRef, or a raw #?... idlangref. npm run translations:check verifies this for the whole UIX tree.

Missing severity: 'optional' on presence flags. If you declare { attr: 'data-disabled' } without severity, strict mode treats it as required. Add severity: 'optional' so morfo-check doesn't flag it missing when the flag is legitimately absent.

Closing a component with an incomplete morfo. Incident 2026-05-20: DateField, DatePicker, RangeCalendar and DateRangePicker exposed a gap between runtime/demo DOM and declared Morfo. A component is not done if the provider or demo emits required data-* that Morfo does not declare, if the README says "0 events" while the public UX composes observable events, or if a demo hand stamps attrs to make a recipe work. For composite components, document the composed surface: DateField/DateRangeField, Popover, Calendar/RangeCalendar and the picker wrapper. Ownership may remain in the child component, but the public picker docs still need the event table, targets and data-event trace path.

Provider emits a data-attr not in the morfo. Strict mode logs a warning at runtime; morfo-check fails in CI. Either add the attr to the morfo or rename the provider's emission to data-_* (private, not declared in morfo).

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