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Master references undeclared axis

Audit code: master-orphan-axis

Definition

A master references an axis the project doesn't declare. The unknown axis is ignored at export, which may produce unexpected interpolation results. Either remove the axis reference from the master's location or add the axis to project.axes.

How Patens surfaces this

The Patens audit module checks for master-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 master-orphan-axis firing on real glyphs, or check your own work from the CLI:

npx patens audit your-project.font.json

Related rules in Designspace axes

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