Instance references undeclared axis
Audit code: instance-orphan-axis
Definition
A named instance references an axis the project doesn't declare. The instance will fall back to axis defaults for the unknown axis — usually not what you want. Remove or re-tag the axis reference.
How Patens surfaces this
The Patens audit module checks for instance-orphan-axis across five teaching surfaces: the edit-panel inline issue list, the
project-wide audit page, the release pre-flight check, the family hub,
and the home-page project tile. Every surface shows the same plain-English
explanation and links back to this page. This rule is detection-only — there's no automatic fix because the
correction is design-dependent (it requires a judgment call about the
glyph's intended shape or the font's intended behaviour). The audit
message links to the specific glyph or field that needs attention.
Run this check yourself
Patens runs every audit rule live as you draw — including this one.
The editor (in private alpha) shows instance-orphan-axis firing on real
glyphs, or check your own work from the CLI:
npx patens audit your-project.font.json