Protocol
Six operations define how a conformant implementation interacts with theta.toml. The manifest defines the format; the protocol defines the operations. For normative requirements, see the protocol spec.
Operations
| Operation |
Input |
Output |
Network |
Description |
| Validate |
theta.toml |
Diagnostics |
No |
Structural and semantic validation |
| Lock |
theta.toml |
theta.lock |
MAY (git fetch) |
Resolve all dependencies, pin versions |
| Materialize |
theta.lock |
.theta/ |
No |
Populate materialization directory from locked sources |
| Cast to |
theta.toml + .theta/ |
Harness config files |
No |
Convert manifest to harness-native format |
| Cast from |
Harness config files |
theta.toml + source files |
No |
Import harness config into a manifest |
| Check |
theta.toml + theta.lock + .theta/ |
Diagnostics |
No |
Full pipeline validation |
Protocol artifacts
| Artifact |
Lifecycle |
Description |
theta.toml |
User-authored |
The manifest — MUST be committed to version control |
theta.lock |
Generated by lock |
Pinned dependency graph — MUST be committed to version control |
.theta/ |
Generated by materialize |
Materialization directory — SHOULD be gitignored |
Guide pages
- Source resolution — source types, lockfile, caching
- Materialization — sync,
.theta/ population, orphan cleanup
- Casting — cast to, lossy casting, diagnostics
- Import — cast from, identity extraction, information preservation
- Conformance — validation, check, diagnostic levels