Essential Tools · 1.0.0

Useful in your browser.
Ready for your code.

The browser workspaces and local CLI share the same validation, calculations and export adapters. Start with the examples, inspect the schemas, then adapt the source to your own application.

Run the source kit

Extract the ZIP into a new directory. Use Node.js 24.19 or later in the Node 24 line. Install from the included lockfile; no private packages or company website files are needed.

npm ci
npm run build
npm run browsers
npm test
node dist/cli.mjs --help

The browser download supplies the pinned local Chromium used for process rendering. Rendering runs on your machine through a loopback-only helper with external requests blocked. It does not call a hosted rendering service.

Use npm run demo to open the minimal local workspace. The downloadable demo intentionally excludes the corporate website frame and Essential Designs branding.

Local commands

Commands accept an explicit JSON input path. Use --input - to read JSON from stdin. Exports require --output; existing files are refused unless you add --force.

node dist/cli.mjs capabilities
node dist/cli.mjs validate document --input examples/document-quotation.json
node dist/cli.mjs document pdf --input examples/document-quotation.json --output quote.pdf
node dist/cli.mjs validate plan --input examples/plan-customer-portal.json
node dist/cli.mjs plan calculate --input examples/plan-customer-portal.json
node dist/cli.mjs plan export --input examples/plan-customer-portal.json --format csv --output plan.csv
node dist/cli.mjs plan export --input examples/plan-customer-portal.json --format pdf --output plan.pdf
node dist/cli.mjs validate process --input examples/process-onboarding.json
node dist/cli.mjs process render --input examples/process-onboarding.json --format svg --output process.svg
node dist/cli.mjs process render --input examples/process-onboarding.json --format png --output process.png
node dist/cli.mjs process render --input examples/process-onboarding.json --format pdf --output process.pdf

Plan exports also support JSON. Process exports support Mermaid source (mermaid) and JSON as well as SVG, PNG and PDF. No output path is derived from a title or imported label.

Results and errors

Validation and calculations write JSON to stdout. Diagnostics go to stderr. Exit code 0 means success, 2 means invalid input or command usage, and 1 means a runtime failure. A successful export result identifies the requested output; it does not imply that an email or remote upload occurred.

Versioned data and examples

Saved files include schemaVersion: 1. Unknown versions, unexpected properties, unsafe object keys and oversized inputs are rejected. The application validators add arithmetic, date, dependency and source-syntax checks beyond basic JSON Schema.

The capability manifest links to the exact schemas, fictional inputs and release archive. It is a project-specific manifest, not a standardized discovery protocol.

Keep the boundaries clear

• Document generation uses trusted template IDs and plugins. It does not accept arbitrary pdfme settings or remote image URLs.
• Plan dates are date-only values, inclusive at both ends. Hours are independent of duration; dependencies warn without automatic rescheduling.
• Guided process data and source-only Mermaid have separate authorities. JSON preserves the active mode and the previous guided graph.
• Browser operations are local. The CLI has no telemetry, public upload service, hosted API or cloud storage.

MCP is not shipped in V1. The shared modules can support a separately designed local adapter later; no MCP connection endpoint is available.

Licences, changes and review

The new tool code is MIT-licensed. The archive includes original third-party licence texts, a dependency inventory, version locks and source checksums. Noto Sans is included under the SIL Open Font License. The company logo, Poppins website assets, corporate components and private deployment code are excluded.

See privacy and review details for the tested scope and known limitations. Dependency scanning and automated tests do not amount to an independent security audit.

Need an integration?

Essential Designs can connect these tools to approved business systems and define a suitable deployment, access and storage model.