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+# Distributed Sync Architecture for Schema Compilers & Tooling (Design)
+
+This document defines an architecture for **distributed syncing** of **Schema Compilers & Tooling** artifacts across multiple Memact nodes.
+
+It is designed to:
+- keep schema/tooling propagation **zero-trust**
+- ensure **deterministic** and **verifiable** compilation outputs
+- support **hybrid distribution**: trusted builders + P2P fallback
+- align conceptually with the repo’s **CAP v1** (cryptographic handshake + signed/enveloped responses + TTL + permissions)
+
+---
+
+## 1. Goals
+1. **Safety**: nodes must not accept artifacts that fail verification (hash mismatch, incompatible contract versions, or invalid manifests).
+2. **Consistency**: all nodes converge to the same compiled output given the same schema source + compiler toolchain version.
+3. **Privacy-by-design**: permissions and redistribution rules must be enforced at the protocol level.
+4. **Resilience**: tolerate partial updates, partitions, and concurrent node upgrades.
+5. **Operational practicality**: provide clear lifecycle: discovery → manifest acquisition → artifact acquisition → verification → activation.
+
+---
+
+## 2. Non-Goals
+- Not a full blockchain / consensus design.
+- Not a full PKI implementation; signatures are optional but recommended.
+- Not a user-context data replication layer (this document focuses on schema/tooling artifacts).
+
+---
+
+## 3. Artifact Types
+
+### 3.1 Schema Source Package (immutable)
+A versioned bundle containing the declarative schema definition(s) and any compilation configuration.
+
+Example identifiers:
+- `schema-src:<category>:<schema_version>`
+- or `schema-src:<category>:<schema_source_hash>`
+
+### 3.2 Manifest
+A small signed/hashed document describing what to compile and the expected output hashes.
+
+Fields (conceptual):
+- `manifest_version`
+- `category`
+- `schema_source_hash`
+- `compiler_toolchain_version`
+- `runtime_api_contract_version`
+- `artifact_hashes`: validator/normalizer/policy/templates
+- `build_metadata` (optional)
+
+### 3.3 Compiled Artifacts (content-addressed)
+Deterministically produced outputs that implement:
+- `validator` for input validation
+- `normalizer` for canonicalization
+- `permission-policy` extracted from schema definitions
+- `wiki-templates` / any code generation tooling outputs
+
+Each artifact is stored and referenced by **content hash**.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Hybrid Distribution Topology (Trusted Builders + P2P Fallback)
+
+### 4.1 Trusted Builders
+A small set of builder nodes publish verified manifests and artifacts.
+- Builders are treated as *high-trust sources*.
+- Nodes prefer builders for new manifests.
+
+### 4.2 P2P Fallback
+If builders are unavailable or slow:
+- nodes can query peers for manifests/artifacts.
+- peers are still untrusted unless verification succeeds.
+
+### 4.3 Trust Rules
+Trust is never “implicit”. Trust only helps with **routing and prioritization**.
+All peers—trusted builders or not—must pass:
+- manifest hash verification
+- artifact content hash verification
+- contract compatibility checks
+- optional deterministic recompile checks
+
+---
+
+## 5. Protocol Model (CAP-aligned)
+
+Use a CAP-like request/response pattern:
+
+### 5.1 Request Envelope
+All sync requests MUST:
+- include cryptographic headers (CAP-style)
+- be signed and time-bound
+
+Request intent examples:
+- `intent: "sync_schema_compiler_artifacts"`
+
+### 5.2 Response Envelope
+All responses MUST:
+- be wrapped in a CAP-like `cap-packet.v1` envelope
+- specify:
+  - `expires_at`
+  - `permissions.retention` (e.g., ephemeral vs durable cache)
+  - `permissions.redistribution` (e.g., whether forwarding is allowed)
+
+The `payload` contains manifests and/or artifacts.
+
+---
+
+## 6. Verification Pipeline (mandatory)
+For every manifest/artifact a node receives:
+
+1. **Manifest integrity**
+   - verify manifest hash matches what was requested/advertised
+2. **Artifact integrity**
+   - verify artifact content hash matches manifest references
+3. **Contract compatibility**
+   - verify `runtime_api_contract_version` and `compiler_contract_version` are compatible
+4. **Optional deterministic recompile** (recommended for critical updates)
+   - if node has the schema source + toolchain, recompile and compare output hashes
+
+If any step fails:
+- reject the artifact
+- do not activate
+- optionally quarantine/penalize the peer for non-compliance (P2P scoring)
+
+---
+
+## 7. Sync Lifecycle
+
+### 7.1 Discovery
+Maintain a local index cache:
+- per category: latest stable manifest hash, and/or a small window of known versions
+
+Update index:
+- request manifests from trusted builders first
+- use P2P fallback if needed
+
+### 7.2 Plan Dependencies
+Compute a dependency closure:
+- need schema source? (if recompile is desired)
+- need manifest? 
+- need specific artifact hashes?
+
+### 7.3 Acquire Manifests First
+- fetch manifest(s)
+- verify manifest before requesting referenced artifacts
+
+### 7.4 Acquire Artifacts
+- fetch only artifacts required by manifest
+
+### 7.5 Activate Atomically
+- activate the toolchain runtime only when all artifacts verify
+- keep previous version until the new version proves compatible
+
+### 7.6 Garbage Collect
+- apply `retention` permissions from response envelopes
+- expire caches after TTL windows
+
+---
+
+## 8. Dependency Graph & Compilation Boundaries
+
+Recommended boundaries:
+- category-level schema compilation is modular
+- compiled outputs are pure and do not depend on user context
+
+This enables:
+- partial updates
+- faster verification
+- fewer invalidations across the graph
+
+---
+
+## 9. Security & Privacy Controls
+- Sync of schema/tooling artifacts must be treated as **policy-relevant**, not user-data replication.
+- Protocol responses must include:
+  - time-bound access (TTL)
+  - retention/distribution permissions
+- Redistribution rules must be enforced via `permissions.redistribution`.
+
+---
+
+## 10. Operational Behaviors
+
+### 10.1 Boot
+- load local indexes
+- prefetch “latest stable” manifests for configured categories
+
+### 10.2 Background Reconciliation
+- periodically check for manifest hash updates
+- reconcile and activate safely
+
+### 10.3 Observability
+Log:
+- manifest transitions (hash A → hash B)
+- verification failures (reason codes)
+- activation success/failure
+- peer non-compliance events (P2P scoring)
+
+---
+
+## 11. Proposed CLI/Automation Hooks (next implementation step)
+- `memact-context schema index update`
+- `memact-context schema manifest fetch --category <cat> --manifest <hash>`
+- `memact-context schema artifacts fetch --manifest <hash>`
+- `memact-context schema verify --manifest <hash>`
+- `memact-context schema activate --manifest <hash>`
+
+---
+
+## Appendix A: Example Message Shapes (Conceptual)
+
+### A1 Request
+- Intent: sync schema compiler artifacts
+- Query: required manifest hashes and categories
+
+### A2 Response
+- CAP envelope: `cap-packet.v1`
+- Payload: list of `{ packet_id, category, data }` where data includes:
+  - manifest JSON or
+  - artifact bundle with content hash
+
+---
+
+## Summary
+This design enables distributed syncing of schema compiler tooling artifacts using:
+- manifest-first acquisition
+- content-addressed verification
+- CAP-aligned zero-trust, TTL, and permission envelopes
+- hybrid distribution (trusted builders + P2P fallback)
+- atomic activation with deterministic verification options
+