github-featured/vercel-labs--zero-native

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Chris Tate a22f2043d1 Make app.json the default manifest (#385 )

* Make app.json the default manifest

- Add full-featured app.json parsing, discovery, build conversion, and app.zon fallback.
- Scaffold JSON manifests by default across TypeScript, Zig, web, full, and ejected projects.
- Publish the JSON Schema and update validation, vendoring, docs, skills, and npm payloads.

* Fix app.json manifest regressions

* Fix app.json conversion and schema bounds

* Publish versioned app schema

* Fix app.json vendoring and schema bounds

2026-08-18 07:41:43 -05:00

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Agent Guide

Guidance for agents (and humans) working on this repository.

App authoring default

Native SDK itself is implemented in Zig, but Native SDK apps are authored in TypeScript + Native markup by default. Do not infer the app-authoring language from this repository's implementation language or from older Zig-core examples.

For a new app, use native init <path> and expect src/core.ts, src/app.native, and app.json. app.zon remains a supported legacy/alternative manifest. Ordinary compiled TypeScript work that needs filesystem, process, JSON, regex, classes, or other static-tier APIs belongs under optional src/services/, reached from the core with Cmd.request; do not import a service from the core. Do not add Zig app code unless the user explicitly chooses --template zig-core or the feature requires a toolkit extension.
Before changing an existing app, inspect its tree. A src/core.ts app stays TypeScript; a src/main.zig app stays Zig unless the task is specifically a migration.
For default app work, read skill-data/native-ui/SKILL.md and skill-data/ts-core/SKILL.md; also read skill-data/ts-services/SKILL.md when the tree has src/services/ or the task needs ordinary TypeScript beyond the core subset. skill-data/core/SKILL.md covers shared/runtime concerns; skill-data/zig/SKILL.md is for Zig-core apps and SDK implementation work.
The -ts suffix on a few examples only distinguishes ports from older Zig originals. New TypeScript apps need no suffix because TypeScript is the default.

Build, test, and gate

zig build test                # root engine + runtime suites
zig build validate            # framework's legacy app.zon manifest check
zig build test-example-<name> # one example's suite (e.g. test-example-notes)
scripts/gate.sh fast [ref]    # affected-only local gate for your diff (default base: main)
scripts/gate.sh full          # everything CI-shaped that runs locally

Run scripts/gate.sh fast before finishing any change; it maps your diff to the suites that cover it. The docs site checks with pnpm --dir docs check (the gate runs it only when docs/ changed).

This repository builds with Zig 0.16.0. If a build fails with "no member named" errors on std APIs (std.fs.cwd, ArrayList.init, std.io), you are writing pre-0.16 idioms — skill-data/zig/SKILL.md maps each such compile error to the current idiom as this codebase writes it.

Pinned goldens (pixel signatures, schema fingerprints, command counts) are updated deliberately: review the rendered output or the counted commands first, and keep the pin's comment a self-contained description of what the value represents.

Changelog

Do not edit CHANGELOG.md as part of regular feature or fix work. The release agent reviews the git history since the previous release and writes the complete changelog entry during release preparation; see RELEASING.md.

Where things live

src/ — the engine and runtime; src/primitives/canvas/ holds the widget, markup, and vector core.
apps/schema/ — the standalone static Vercel project for schema.native-sdk.dev.
examples/ — the showcase apps, many predating the JSON default (app.zon + src/).
docs/ — the documentation site; docs/AGENTS.md has its MDX conventions.
skills/ and skill-data/ — the agent skills the CLI ships (native skills list).
tools/ and scripts/ — dev tooling and the local gate.

Releases are maintainer-run; see RELEASING.md.