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railiance-fabric/docs/graph-explorer-contract.md
2026-05-18 22:39:12 +02:00

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# Graph Explorer Contract
This note defines the first manifest and payload contract for the interactive
Fabric map and the possible reusable graph explorer engine.
The contract is intentionally host-neutral. Fabric and repo-scoping should be
able to use the same interaction shell by exposing a manifest and a graph
payload with stable fields.
## Files
- `schemas/graph-explorer-manifest.schema.yaml` validates a host manifest.
- `schemas/graph-explorer-payload.schema.yaml` validates graph payloads.
- `railiance_fabric.graph_explorer` provides the first Fabric registry
manifest and payload projection.
## Registry Endpoints
The registry service exposes the first Fabric projection:
```text
GET /ui/graph-explorer
GET /exports/graph-explorer/manifest
GET /exports/graph-explorer
```
The local CLI can emit the same payload for repo-local inspection:
```bash
railiance-fabric export --format graph-explorer
```
The manifest tells a graph shell where to load data, which fields are stable,
which layers exist, which filter fields are available, and which modes the host
supports.
Fabric currently declares `profile_persistence: local`. That means the shell
stores named map views in browser `localStorage`, supports duplicate/delete
inside that browser, and can copy a URL with the current query parameters and a
state blob. Local profile ids can be reopened in the same browser profile; the
copied state blob is the portable sharing path until a host-backed profile API
is added.
The payload is compatible with Cytoscape-style element arrays:
```json
{
"apiVersion": "railiance.fabric/v1alpha1",
"kind": "GraphExplorerPayload",
"manifest_id": "railiance-fabric.registry-map",
"mode": "full",
"elements": [
{
"data": {
"id": "repo:railiance-fabric",
"stableKey": "repo:railiance-fabric",
"kind": "Repository",
"layer": "repository",
"label": "Railiance Fabric",
"displayState": "show"
}
}
],
"hidden_elements": []
}
```
## Required Payload Semantics
Every element must include:
- `id`: the current element id used by the graph library.
- `stableKey`: the durable id used by profile rules, manual overrides, layout
state, and deep links.
- `kind`: host-specific entity kind.
- `layer`: host-declared layer used for layout, grouping, and color.
- `displayState`: one of `show`, `blur`, or `hide`.
Edges are ordinary elements whose data also includes:
- `source`
- `target`
- `edgeType`
- `strength`
- `sameLayer`
Hosts should also include useful optional fields when available: `label`,
`name`, `description`, `repo`, `domain`, `lifecycle`, `reviewState`,
`freshnessState`, `confidence`, `visualSize`, `ownership`, `unresolved`,
`sourceReferences`, and `deepLinks`.
Edges may include layout hints used by the client-side layout engine:
`sameRepo`, `sourceRepo`, `targetRepo`, `layoutAffinity`,
`layoutIdealLength`, and `layoutElasticity`. Fabric uses these hints to keep
same-repo entities closer than cross-repo dependencies. Deployment-to-server
edges are intentionally shortest and most elastic; deployment-to-repo edges are
longer and looser so infrastructure placement does not collapse into the repo
node.
## Display State Ownership
The contract allows either the host service or the engine to evaluate display
state.
The precedence rule is fixed:
1. Default element state is `show`.
2. Rules are applied in list order; later matching rules override earlier
matching rules.
3. Manual overrides win last.
4. Edges connected to hidden nodes are hidden.
5. Edges connected to blurred nodes may carry a contextual muted class or data
hint.
Repo-scoping currently evaluates this host-side. A future extracted engine can
evaluate it client-side for static exports, but host-provided `displayState`
must remain valid input.
## Fabric Layers
The first Fabric manifest declares:
| Layer | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| `repository` | Registered source repositories, including registered-only repos. |
| `server` | Endpoint hosts inferred from registered interface URLs. |
| `deployment` | Service deployment instances per declared environment. |
| `service` | Service declarations. |
| `capability` | Capability declarations. |
| `interface` | Interface declarations. |
| `dependency` | Dependency declarations, including unresolved dependency nodes. |
| `binding` | Binding assertions between consumer dependencies and providers. |
| `library` | Future library/SBOM inventory nodes. |
## Repo-Scoping Compatibility
Repo-scoping can adapt without a rewrite because its current graph payload
already exposes most required fields:
- `id`, `stableKey`, `kind`, `layer`, labels, and metadata-rich data objects.
- `displayState`, `visibilitySource`, and `visibilityReason`.
- edge `source`, `target`, `dependencyType`, `strength`, `sameLayer`, and
visual width.
- profile data, filter rules, manual overrides, hidden elements, and orphaned
overrides.
The main adapter work is manifest generation and small field aliases:
`dependencyType` can map to `edgeType`, repo-scoping layers become manifest
layers, and existing profile endpoints can be listed under manifest
`endpoints.profiles`.
## Extraction Boundary
The extracted `graph-explorer-engine` should own:
- graph rendering and layout controls
- filter and manual override UI
- hover popups and selection detail panels
- profile UI when the host declares profile endpoints
- browser-local profiles, URL state, and copied state blobs
- schema definitions and compatibility tests
Host repos should own:
- graph projection and metadata enrichment
- host-side profile persistence, when a repo needs shared/team profiles
- authentication and authorization
- domain-specific graph modes
- deep links back to source systems