vcs-core

Provenance-native version control for executable worlds.

Start Here

• packages/core/README.md — current CLI/runtime/store surface
• design/README.md — roadmap bundles and design references
• packages/core/tests/ — unit, integration, and container-backed coverage

Workspace Boundary

vcs-core manages workspace state under the initialized workspace root. Host environment state outside that workspace is pass-through, untracked, and not reversible by vcs-core. See packages/core/README.md for the durable release contract.

Project Layout

• packages/core/ — the current vcs-core package, CLI, runtime, and substrate framework
• design/ — project-specific architecture, reference notes, roadmap bundles, and history
• extras/ — reserved for future vcs-core-specific extensions

Readiness

Package	Location	Status	Notes
core	packages	alpha	SPI v0 remains experimental; coordinate before extending major surfaces

Working Agreement

Use CONTRIBUTING.md for the authoritative support matrix, collaborator validation loop, and prelaunch handoff/release bar. Formal review routing still lives in the parent workspace today, so standalone handoff consumers should coordinate reviewers directly.

For the package-local command loop layered on top of the workspace sync, see packages/core/README.md for make smoke, the current make test_unit behavior, and the installed-mode command summary.

Installed CLI Handoff Gate

For prelaunch handoff/release candidates, and for packaging, installed-mode, or public-boundary changes, run:

cd packages/core
make test_installed

That smoke builds a wheel, installs it into an isolated virtual environment, runs the installed vcs-core subprocess flow, then reads back through checkout ground --dest ... and status.

It intentionally builds against the already-synced local test environment rather than treating build-backend resolution as part of the smoke itself. For the full collaborator checklist and support matrix, see CONTRIBUTING.md.