omnigraph/docs/dev/invariants.md

# Architectural Invariants

**Type:** standing review checklist
**Status:** living document
**Audience:** anyone proposing, reviewing, or implementing an OmniGraph change

This file is intentionally short. It records the rules that should be in
working memory for every non-trivial change. Detailed mechanics live in the
area docs linked below.

Use it this way:

- Review the change against **Hard Invariants** and the **Deny-list**.
- If code and docs disagree, either fix the code or add/update a **Known Gap**.
- Keep implementation ledgers, roadmap detail, and historical MR notes in the
  per-area docs. This file is the filter, not the encyclopedia.

## Hard Invariants

1. **Respect the substrate.** Lance owns columnar storage, per-dataset
   versioning, fragments, branches, compaction, cleanup, and index primitives.
   DataFusion should own relational execution where it fits. Do not add custom
   WALs, transaction managers, buffer pools, page formats, or local clones of
   substrate behavior. Read [lance.md](lance.md) before guessing.

2. **Graph visibility is manifest-atomic.** Lance commits are per dataset.
   OmniGraph's graph-level atomicity comes from publishing one manifest update
   for the whole graph, guarded by expected table versions and sidecar recovery.
   No write path may make a subset of touched node/edge tables visible as a
   graph commit.

3. **A query reads one snapshot.** Query execution captures a manifest snapshot
   for its lifetime. Do not re-read branch head mid-query to discover newer
   table versions.

4. **Mutations publish at one boundary.** A `mutate_as` or `load` operation
   accumulates constructive writes, commits each touched table at the end, then
   publishes one manifest update. Do not commit per statement. Delete-only
   queries are the documented inline residual; the parse-time D2 rule prevents
   mixing deletes with insert/update until Lance exposes two-phase delete.
   Read [writes.md](writes.md) and [execution.md](execution.md).

5. **Recovery is part of the commit protocol.** Writers that can advance Lance
   HEAD before manifest publish must write `__recovery/{ulid}.json` sidecars.
   `Omnigraph::open` in read-write mode runs the all-or-nothing sweep, and
   `refresh` runs roll-forward-only recovery for long-lived processes. Do not
   add a new writer kind without sidecar coverage or an explicit proof that no
   Lance HEAD can move before manifest publish.

6. **Strong consistency is the default.** Reads are snapshot-isolated, writes
   are durable before acknowledgement, and branch reads observe the current
   committed graph state. Any eventual-consistency mode must be explicit,
   read-only, auditable, and non-default.

7. **Indexes are derived state.** Reads must see the correct result for the
   branch they read even when index coverage is partial. Expensive index work
   should converge from manifest state instead of extending the critical write
   path. Scalar staged index builds and vector inline residuals are documented
   in [writes.md](writes.md) and [indexes.md](../user/indexes.md).

8. **Schema identity survives renames.** Accepted schema identity must remain
   stable across type and property renames. Rename support belongs in migration
   planning, not in "drop and recreate" behavior. See the known gap below.

9. **Schema/data integrity failures are loud.** Type errors, required-field
   misses, invalid edge endpoints, cardinality violations, and unsupported
   mixed mutation modes fail before a graph commit is published. The system must
   not invent placeholder nodes or silently weaken integrity.

10. **Query semantics are first-class IR concepts.** Search modes, mutations,
    polymorphism, traversal, retrieval scores, imports, and policy predicates
    belong in typed AST/IR/planner structures. Do not smuggle semantics through
    strings, side tables, global state, or transport-specific flags.

11. **Transport/auth stay at the boundary.** Kernel crates should not depend on
    HTTP, OpenAPI, bearer-token parsing, or future transport protocols. The
    server resolves bearer tokens to actors; clients cannot set actor identity
    directly.

12. **Bearer-token plaintext is not retained.** Server startup hashes bearer
    tokens, authentication uses constant-time comparison, and request handling
    carries only the resolved actor identity and hash-derived match state.

13. **Operational failures are bounded and observable.** Timeout, memory, OOM,
    partial result, recovery, and conflict paths must fail loudly or degrade in
    a documented way. If a metric affects plan choice or operator behavior, it
    must be exposed through the relevant trait or observability surface.

14. **Tests match the boundary being changed.** Prefer extending the existing
    test that owns the area. Planner changes need planner-level coverage,
    storage changes need storage/recovery coverage, and end-to-end tests are not
    a substitute for missing lower-level assertions. Read [testing.md](testing.md)
    before adding tests.

## Current Truth Matrix

| Area | Current state | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-table commit | Manifest CAS plus recovery sidecars; not a single Lance primitive | [writes.md](writes.md), [architecture.md](architecture.md) |
| Constructive mutations | In-memory `MutationStaging`, one end-of-query table commit per touched table, then one manifest publish | [writes.md](writes.md), [execution.md](execution.md) |
| Deletes | Inline-commit residual; delete-only queries allowed, mixed insert/update/delete rejected by D2 | [query-language.md](../user/query-language.md), [writes.md](writes.md) |
| Branch delete | Manifest is the single authority, flipped atomically first; per-table forks + commit-graph branch are derived state, reclaimed best-effort (`force_delete_branch`) with the `cleanup` reconciler as the guaranteed backstop. Reusing a name whose reclaim failed before `cleanup` surfaces an actionable error | [branches-commits.md](../user/branches-commits.md), [maintenance.md](../user/maintenance.md) |
| Schema validation | Type checks, required fields, defaults, edge endpoint checks, and edge cardinality are enforced on write paths | [schema-language.md](../user/schema-language.md), [execution.md](execution.md) |
| Unique constraints | Intra-batch and write-path checks exist; full cross-version uniqueness is still a gap | [schema-language.md](../user/schema-language.md) |
| Storage trait | `TableStorage` exists as the sealed staged-write surface; full call-site migration and capability/stat surfaces are incomplete | [writes.md](writes.md), [architecture.md](architecture.md) |
| Index lifecycle | `ensure_indices` is explicit today; reconciler-based convergence is roadmap | [indexes.md](../user/indexes.md), [maintenance.md](../user/maintenance.md) |
| Traversal IDs | Runtime still builds `TypeIndex`; Lance stable row-id based graph IDs are roadmap | [architecture.md](architecture.md), [query-language.md](../user/query-language.md) |
| Auth | Bearer token hashing and server-side actor resolution are implemented at the HTTP boundary | [server.md](../user/server.md), [policy.md](../user/policy.md) |
| Tests | Tempdir-backed Lance tests are the current substrate; there is no `MemStorage` test backend | [testing.md](testing.md) |

The branch-delete reconciler is authority-derived: it reclaims orphaned forks
today and degrades to a no-op if Lance ships an atomic multi-dataset branch
operation, so the design composes with that future rather than blocking it. This
is the same shape as invariant 7 (indexes are derived state); prefer it over a
recovery-sidecar-style approach for any new multi-dataset metadata operation,
since the sidecar would be scaffolding to remove once the substrate closes the gap.

## Known Gaps

Do not hide these behind invariant wording. Either move them forward or keep
them explicit.

- **Rename-stable schema identity:** the invariant is that accepted IDs survive
  renames. The current compiler still derives type IDs from `kind:name`; this
  must be fixed before relying on renamed IDs across accepted schemas.
- **Storage abstraction:** `TableStorage` is present, sealed, and canonical for
  staged writes, but older inherent `TableStore` call sites and inline residuals
  remain. New write paths should use the staged shape unless a documented Lance
  blocker applies.
- **Deletes and vector indexes:** `delete_where` and vector index creation still
  advance Lance HEAD inline because the required public Lance APIs are missing.
  Keep D2 and recovery coverage in place until those residuals are removed.
- **Blob-column compaction:** Lance `compact_files` mis-decodes blob-v2 columns
  under its forced `BlobHandling::AllBinary` read ("more fields in the schema
  than provided column indices"), so `optimize` skips any table with a `Blob`
  property — reporting `SkipReason::BlobColumnsUnsupportedByLance` (loud, not a
  silent drop) behind the `LANCE_SUPPORTS_BLOB_COMPACTION` gate. Reads and writes
  are unaffected; only space/fragment reclamation on blob tables is deferred.
  Remove the skip when the upstream Lance fix lands — the
  `lance_surface_guards.rs::compact_files_still_fails_on_blob_columns` guard
  turns red on that bump to force it.
- **Planner capability/stat surfaces:** cost-aware planning, complete
  capability advertisement, and explain-with-cost are roadmap. Do not describe
  them as implemented.
- **Traversal execution:** current multi-hop execution still uses `TypeIndex`,
  ad-hoc ID filtering, and eager materialization in places. Stable row IDs, SIP,
  and factorization are target patterns, not current fact.
- **Retrieval ranks:** hybrid search works, but rank/score are not yet carried
  everywhere as ordinary columns through the plan.
- **Policy pushdown and `Source`:** Cedar enforcement is at the HTTP boundary
  today, and imports are still loader-shaped. Planner predicates and a unified
  `Source` operator are roadmap.
- **Resource bounds:** some operations still lack enforced per-query memory or
  time budgets. New long-running work should add explicit bounds rather than
  widening the gap.

## Deny-list

If a proposal fits one of these, the burden is on the proposer to prove why the
case is exceptional.

- Custom WAL, transaction manager, buffer pool, page format, or storage engine.
- Per-table graph publishing outside the manifest publisher.
- Re-reading current branch head during a query instead of using the captured
  snapshot.
- New write paths that can advance Lance HEAD before manifest publish without a
  recovery sidecar.
- Cross-query `BEGIN`/`COMMIT` transactions in the OSS engine. Use branches and
  merges for multi-query workflows.
- Acknowledging writes before durable Lance and manifest persistence.
- Silent fallback to eventual consistency, partial results, or dropped rows.
- State that drifts from Lance or the manifest when it can be derived.
- Job queues for manifest-derivable state where a reconciler is the right shape.
- Synchronous inline vector/FTS index rebuilds on the query commit path, except
  for documented Lance API residuals.
- Side-channels for query semantics: hidden globals, magic strings, transport
  flags, or out-of-band metadata.
- Cost-blind plan choice when statistics are available or required.
- Hidden statistics for behavior that affects planning or operator choice.
- Hash-map iteration order in result ordering, plan choice, or migration output.
- String-flattened SQL/filter generation when a structured pushdown API is
  available.
- Eager multi-hop cross-product materialization when factorization fits.
- Ad-hoc `IN`-list filtering where SIP or another structured selectivity path
  fits.
- Discarding retrieval score/rank before fusion or projection decisions.
- Auto-creating placeholder nodes for orphan edges.
- Wire-protocol-specific code in compiler or engine crates.
- Cloud-only correctness fixes or forks of the OSS engine for correctness.
- Mutating immutable substrate state in place, including Lance fragments or
  index segments.
- Shipping observable behavior as if it were not part of the contract. Output
  ordering, error text, timestamp precision, defaults, and latency profiles all
  become dependencies once exposed.

## Review Checklist

Use this as yes/no/NA for any non-trivial design or PR:

- Does it respect Lance/DataFusion instead of rebuilding them?
- Does it preserve manifest-atomic graph visibility?
- Does every query keep one snapshot for its lifetime?
- Do mutations publish once at the commit boundary?
- Can every Lance-HEAD-before-manifest gap recover all-or-nothing?
- Are schema and edge integrity checks strict by default?
- Are query semantics represented in AST/IR/planner structures?
- Are transport, auth, and policy boundaries preserved?
- Are failures bounded, typed, and observable?
- Are result ordering and plan choices deterministic within a snapshot?
- Are stats/capabilities exposed when behavior depends on them?
- Are existing known gaps left no worse and documented if touched?
- Does the test live at the same boundary as the change?
- Does the change avoid every deny-list pattern, or justify the exception?

## Maintenance Policy

Update this file when an invariant changes, a known gap opens or closes, or a
new review anti-pattern deserves deny-list treatment. Prefer stable headings
over numbered sections so other docs can link here without churn.

Removing or relaxing a hard invariant requires the same review process as code.
Adding a known gap is acceptable when it makes reality explicit; leaving stale
claims is not.