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Development guide
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This onboarding guide helps project contributors get started with the local environment, daily workflow, and CI flow; see the Agent Notes for design rationale and technical trade-offs.
Prerequisites
- Node.js supports 22.19+ and 24+. CI covers 22.19, 24, and 26; see the Node engine floor Agent Note.
- Corepack-enabled pnpm. The repo pins
pnpm@11.7.0inpackage.json; runcorepack enableifpnpm --versiondoes not resolve through Corepack. - Git.
- Optional: a DeepSeek API key for the REPL/ACP agent demos and real-API e2e tests.
First-time setup
Install dependencies from the repo root:
pnpm install
The install also runs the root postinstall script, which installs lefthook from the repo dev dependency through scripts/install-lefthook.mjs; the wrapper script uses lefthook's reviewed --force mode so linked worktrees with an existing core.hooksPath do not fail normal pnpm run … commands.
If hooks are missing because dependencies were restored from cache or postinstall was skipped, install them manually:
pnpm exec lefthook install --force
Run typecheck once after a fresh clone:
pnpm run typecheck
That first typecheck runs the package/vendor build graph and the root no-emit tsconfig.json graph for examples, tests, and scripts. The root graph uses the same source paths map but relies on project references so vendored code is checked under its own tsconfig settings.
If you are preparing to push from a fresh clone or worktree, also build once:
pnpm run build
pnpm run hygiene includes publint, which validates package entrypoints against the built lib/*.js files, and verify-node-next-types, which validates built declarations against a temporary NodeNext consumer. A fresh worktree has no bundled JS or declarations until pnpm run build runs.
Environment variables
The real DeepSeek adapter and key-backed agent demos read credentials from the environment or from a gitignored .env at the repo root:
DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=sk-...
DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL=https://... # optional
DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL is optional and defaults to the public API. Never commit real credentials. The real-API e2e suites self-skip when DEEPSEEK_API_KEY is not set.
Git hooks
lefthook is configured in lefthook.yml as an early local checkpoint before review:
pre-commitruns staged-file ESLint fixes,pnpm run typecheck, and the vendor manifest guard.pre-pushrunspnpm run check:pre-push, whose scheduler runs runtime-closure verification, unit tests, duplication detection, snapshot tests, build, module-graph freshness, and the member gates ofpnpm run hygieneandpnpm run doc-syncconcurrently.
The vendor manifest guard checks that changes under vendor/*/src are staged with the matching vendor/README.md manifest update. See vendor/README.md before editing vendored code.
These hooks do not exactly mirror CI. Notably, pre-push runs unit tests without coverage, while CI runs pnpm run test:coverage; CI also runs echo-agent and built-bin smoke tests and exercises the compatibility matrix on Node 22.19, 24, and 26.
CI gates
The keyless CI workflow groups independent gates into broad lanes and runs a smaller compatibility signal across supported Node versions. Artifact consumers wait for one build within their lane. The separate real-API workflow runs pnpm run test:e2e with its configured worker bound. See scripts/run-gates.ts and the workflow files for the current gate and job inventory.
Daily commands
Use these from the repo root:
pnpm run test # unit tests
pnpm run test:coverage # unit tests with per-file coverage gates
pnpm run test:e2e # real-API tests; self-skips without DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
pnpm run typecheck # build package/vendor outputs, then typecheck examples, tests, and scripts
pnpm run lint # eslint .
pnpm run lint:fix # eslint . --fix
pnpm run doc-typecheck # compile checked TypeScript snippets in Markdown docs
pnpm run gen-cordis-catalog # regenerate docs/cordis-catalog/events.md + services.md from source
pnpm run verify-cordis-catalog # fail if either cordis catalog is stale
pnpm run verify-export-jsdoc # fail if a module-level package export lacks complete JSDoc
pnpm run gen-doc-graphs # regenerate generated relationship docs from source and curated graph definitions
pnpm run verify-doc-graphs # fail if generated relationship docs are stale
pnpm run gen-agent-note-index # regenerate .agents/notes/INDEX.md from the Agent Note tree
pnpm run verify-md-wrap # fail on hard-wrapped prose paragraphs in docs/README markdown
pnpm run verify-mermaid # fail if a ```mermaid diagram has invalid Mermaid syntax
pnpm run verify-type-equiv # fail if a ```ts type-equiv doc block drifts from its source type
pnpm run verify-doc-budgets # fail if a budgeted standing doc exceeds its word ceiling
pnpm run doc-sync # all Markdown/doc gates; see the doc-sync script in package.json for the full list
pnpm run gen-module-graph # regenerate docs/module-graph.md from package peerDeps
pnpm run verify-module-graph # fail if docs/module-graph.md is stale
pnpm run build # emit lib/types intermediates, then bundle lib/index.* runtime files
pnpm run verify-node-next-types # fail if built declarations are not NodeNext-consumable
pnpm run hygiene # knip, publint, workspace constraints, and NodeNext declaration check
When changing package public behavior, update the relevant README or JSDoc in the same change. pnpm run doc-sync catches checked TypeScript snippets, generated doc freshness, markdown wrap/link drift, type equivalence, translation pairing, Mermaid syntax, and doc budgets, but broader prose/API sync still needs review.
Demos
The echo demo does not need API credentials:
pnpm run demo:echo
The repl-agent demo uses the line-oriented readline front door and needs DEEPSEEK_API_KEY in the environment or repo-root .env:
pnpm run demo:repl
The full-screen TUI reuses the repl-agent composition through the pi-tui front door and needs the same credentials:
pnpm run demo:tui
The self-referential cordis-agent demo can inspect and modify its live plugin runtime and needs the same credentials:
pnpm run demo:cordis
The ACP server agent demo exposes the agent over JSON-RPC stdio and also needs DEEPSEEK_API_KEY:
pnpm run demo:acp
TODO markers
Use one of three comment tags to flag known issues in the code, ordered by urgency:
FIXME— an issue that should block a new release. A release should not ship with an openFIXMEunless reviewers explicitly agree the change can be merged anyway.TODO— an issue that should be fixed soon, once we have the resources.XXX— an issue that we may fix someday; lowest priority, no commitment.
Pick the tag that matches the urgency so anyone scanning the code can tell a release blocker from a someday-maybe.
Documenting types verbatim (ts type-equiv)
The core data structures docs paste source-equivalent declarations together with their original JSDoc so a reader sees the exact shape and source contract. To keep a paste from drifting when source changes, fence it as ```ts type-equiv (instead of ```ts) and register it in scripts/type-equiv.manifest.json with the source file and symbol it mirrors:
{ "doc": "docs/core-data-structures/session.md", "symbol": "SessionEvent", "source": "packages/core/session/src/types.ts" }
pnpm run verify-type-equiv (part of doc-sync) then extracts that symbol's declaration and attached JSDoc from source via the TypeScript parser and asserts the block matches both. For a class whose implementation bodies do not belong in the catalog, use ```ts public-api and set "projection": "public-api"; the checked projection retains the public fields, constructor, accessors, methods, and original class/member JSDoc while omitting bodies and private or protected members. Comparison ignores whitespace and non-JSDoc comments but requires every original JSDoc comment, including member documentation, so readers see the source contract beside the exact shape. The gate also enforces a 1:1 correspondence by document, symbol, and projection, so a block can't go silently unchecked and a stale entry can't linger. doc-typecheck skips both fence kinds (they aren't standalone-compilable) and excludes them from its opt-out ratio. When you change a documented declaration or its JSDoc, the gate fails until you update the paste; when you add or remove a block, update the manifest in the same change.
Architecture context
Read docs/architecture.md before changing anything under packages/. The codebase is built around Cordis plugins, event-sourced sessions, typed service seams, and explicit extension points.