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# WW package, dependency, build, and bootstrap architecture
Status: **binding architecture decision**
Decision date: 2026-08-10
Implementation status: specified, not yet implemented
This document selects the production architecture that replaces WW's current
package driver, source-like interface protocol, work-directory reuse scheme,
Make orchestration, test coordinator, and bootstrap chain. It is a greenfield
decision. Migration effort is recorded only to plan implementation; it did not
influence the selection.
The words **MUST**, **MUST NOT**, **SHOULD**, and **MAY** are normative.
## 1. Executive decision
WW will have one integrated command backed by one typed, content-addressed
action graph. Language imports describe the language-package subgraph. A small,
declarative `ww.mod` file describes only facts that source imports cannot:
distribution requirements, products, generated inputs, native providers, and
unusual link steps. Both descriptions lower to the same graph, scheduler,
sandbox, cache, and explanation machinery. There is no general build language
and no arbitrary build script. A one-directory, zero-dependency executable
needs no manifest. Distributed projects use an exact lock file; fetching and
updating are explicit commands, while build, run, test, documentation, and
installation never access the network or rewrite project metadata. Packages
produce target-specific binary export data and one object, importers consume
only direct export data, and final products link a declared ordered closure.
Every cached action names its compiler, target, profile, tools, sysroot, runtime,
native inputs, environment, and content. The official toolchain owns these
protocols and ships a pinned tool closure, but WW does not permanently own an
assembler or linker.
The decisive insight is that **the package graph and the build graph are not the
same graph**. Imports are a complete and desirable description of WW-language
dependencies. They cannot honestly describe a C header tree, a host generator,
an assembler, a linker script, a CRT, or a sysroot. Making imports pretend to do
so hides native inputs; making every project use a programmable build framework
destroys the simple ordinary path. Two small declarative front ends lowering to
one action engine are simpler as a system than either lie.
The architecture is named **WW Action Build** in this document. That is a label,
not another user-facing product: the command remains `ww`.
### 1.1 The Pike lens and attribution
Pike explicitly documented and defended these Go design choices and principles:
- language-defined imports make dependencies explicit, clear, and mechanically
computable;
- unused imports and import cycles are errors; rejecting cycles improves package
boundaries and independent maintenance;
- compilation speed and short edit/build cycles are primary design properties;
- a direct dependency's compiled artifact can carry the deeper public type facts
needed by its clients, so an importer opens only direct dependency artifacts;
and
- orthogonal, predictable concepts, fewer ways to express a construct, and a
simple user experience are worth substantial implementation work.
Those points are stated in Pike's 2009 Go talk, the 2012 SPLASH article, and his
2015 simplicity talk
([2009 talk](https://go.dev/talks/2009/go_talk-20091030.pdf),
[2012 article](https://go.dev/talks/2012/splash.article),
[Simplicity is Complicated](https://go.dev/talks/2015/simplicity-is-complicated.slide)).
The collective Plan 9 papers add system-wide placement of complexity, focused
interfaces, and transparent text or explicitly encoded binary data. `Go in Go`
documents one contingent case in which owning more of the toolchain simplified
Go; it does not establish permanent toolchain ownership as a general Pike
principle ([Go in Go](https://go.dev/talks/2015/gogo.slide)).
Plan 9's `mk` constructs
the dependency graph before execution, rejects cycles and ambiguous recipes,
and schedules independent work in parallel. Plan 9 used a target-specific
compiler/assembler/loader family and portably encoded target object conventions
([mk](https://9p.io/sys/doc/mk.html),
[mkfiles](https://9p.io/sys/doc/mkfiles.html),
[compilers](https://9p.io/sys/doc/comp.html)).
Modern module-path/version semantics, Minimal Version Selection, `go.sum`, the modern Go build cache,
automatic toolchain selection, and current supply-chain policy are later Go-team
designs, not principles uniquely attributable to Pike
([module reference](https://go.dev/ref/mod),
[`go` command](https://go.dev/cmd/go/),
[toolchain selection](https://go.dev/doc/toolchain),
[toolchain rebuilding](https://go.dev/blog/rebuild),
[supply-chain policy](https://go.dev/blog/supply-chain)). This decision borrows
some invariants from those systems but does not attribute them to Pike.
The following are this document's inferences from the documented principles:
- strict directory packages and direct binary export data are the smallest way
to keep dependencies computable and compilation fast;
- a declarative native/action layer is necessary for an unmanaged language,
because omitting it moves complexity into ambient shell state;
- one shared action engine is simpler than independent language and outer-build
caches;
- given WW's complete-graph, frozen-build, and explainable-key hard gates,
arbitrary graph-producing programs are rejected; they would require executing
dependency host code before the graph is inspectable and add another permanent
user programming model; and
- WW should specify a toolchain closure but should not maintain an assembler and
linker forever when pinned external tools make the whole system smaller.
Modern native requirements force deliberate departures from historical Plan 9
and early Go: cryptographic source identities, lock files, explicit build/host/
target separation, sysroot and SDK identity, hostile dependency acquisition,
cross-platform sandboxes, and cache-miss explanations were not their complete
problem statement. WW adopts their architectural restraint, not their ambient
host assumptions.
### 1.2 What follows from being unmanaged and native
Being unmanaged/native genuinely requires the build model to know:
- the target data layout and C ABI;
- foreign symbol spelling and visibility;
- object format, relocation model, CPU features, and assembly dialect;
- ordered objects, archives, shared libraries, linker scripts, and archive-group
semantics;
- the libc, CRT, dynamic loader, SDK, runtime, and sysroot closure;
- freestanding entry and runtime policy;
- build-machine tools that generate host- or target-machine inputs; and
- ABI compatibility among compiler, runtime, native providers, and final link.
It does **not** follow that WW needs multiple dependency versions, semantic
version ranges, a network resolver in every build, programmable build scripts,
feature unification, a global namespace, or its own linker. In particular, the
absence of a garbage collector says nothing about version resolution.
### 1.3 Binding answers to the critical questions
| Question | Binding answer |
|---|---|
| Package identity | One canonical import path: the owning module identity for its root package, otherwise that identity plus `/` and the normalized package-relative path. The declared package name is a source qualifier, not identity. |
| Identity versus location/origin/version/content | All are separate. A resolver record maps identity and selected version to an origin and source-tree digest; a workspace maps identity to a local location. |
| Directory membership | Exactly one package per directory. Immediate selected source files belong to it. Nested directories never do. |
| Single-file packages | Deleted. A one-file directory package remains configuration-free. |
| Language dependency graph | The compiler-parsed imports alone define it. Manifest native/action edges extend the build graph, never the language graph. |
| Import interfaces | Direct dependencies only. Each direct `.wwe` contains the deep public type information needed to understand its own API. |
| `.wwi` | Deleted and replaced by deterministic, versioned binary `.wwe` export data. Canonical source prototypes are not an interchange format. |
| Package invalidation | The package action key changes when its selected own sources/generated inputs, direct export digests, compiler/toolchain, target/profile, declared environment, or protocol changes. A private transitive change does not invalidate it. |
| Cache key | Domain-separated SHA-256 over the canonical action record defined in section 6.6. |
| Cache scope | A per-user global local content store plus a project-local graph-history index. Remote import/export is explicit, never part of ordinary build. |
| Corruption/upgrades | Every object is rehashed on read; corrupt entries are quarantined. Tools and protocol versions are content inputs, so upgrades change keys. |
| Multiple versions | One selected version of a module identity. Incompatible major releases use distinct module identities ending `/vN`, so those identities may coexist. |
| Build scripts | Arbitrary scripts are forbidden. A finite declarative action may run a pinned build-machine tool in a denied-by-default sandbox. |
| Action authority | Exact readable inputs, writable outputs, argv, environment, execution platform, and tool closure. No network, shell, ambient `PATH`, clock, randomness, or undeclared filesystem access. |
| Acquisition | `add`, `update`, `lock`, `fetch`, `toolchain fetch`, cache transfer, and explicitly authorized remote observation may use the network. Artifact build/analysis and ordinary tests may not; running the finished user program is outside acquisition. |
| Manifest for a trivial program | No. A standalone directory containing a `main` package is sufficient. A manifest is required for distribution dependencies, multiple products, native providers, or generated inputs. |
| Configuration placement | Imports in source; identity, requirements, products, native declarations, and actions in `ww.mod`; exact selected closure in `ww.lock`; local paths in `ww.work`; ephemeral target/profile/output choices on the command line. |
| Local overrides | `ww.work` maps a module identity to a local source tree and records its observed digest. Imports do not change. |
| Target-specific files | A fixed filename-suffix selection rule; no source-level build expressions and no user-programmable selector. |
| OS distribution | A distributor may vendor the locked source closure or supply an exact `ww.work`/native-provider map. Substituted files and tools get new digests; frozen mode never silently consults the host. |
| Reproduction input | For supported official targets: project source, complete locked dependency-source bytes (vendor/CAS export), `ww.lock`, named immutable toolchain bundle, target/profile, and every declared external seed/signing input. Hashes without bytes are insufficient. Impure profiles forfeit the promise. |
| Assembler/linker ownership | No permanent ownership. The toolchain descriptor pins complete implementations. The current WW tools may bridge migration only. |
| Stage zero | One release-generated, checked-in portable C99 compiler snapshot plus a tiny declarative bootstrap plan and digest file. |
### 1.4 Corrective protocol boundary (2026-08-11)
The first Phase 0 experiment over-scoped the protocol freeze. It turned package
resolution, manifest parsing, compiler projections, action lowering, provider
recursion, graph traversal, scheduling, cache policy, failure precedence, and
bootstrap assertions into a declarative expression language. Its checker then
implemented those operations again. That experiment is preserved as recoverable
migration evidence, but it is not the production architecture.
The correction follows the separation visible in the pinned Go source. Go reads
imports from source with an imports-only parse and resolves them in ordinary
loader code ([`go/build/read.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/go/build/read.go#272),
[`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#1775)).
The compiler writes a narrow export representation in compiler code
([`cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go)),
while `cmd/go` builds and schedules an in-memory action graph with ordinary Go
functions ([`work/action.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#85),
[`work/exec.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#73)).
Action IDs and cache storage/validation are executable hashing and storage
operations, not schema programs
([`work.buildActionID`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#260),
[`internal/cache`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/cache/cache.go#95)).
Go's `cmd/dist` performs concrete staged builds and checks that the final targets
are not stale. Separate compiler reproducibility tests compare repeated outputs
byte-for-byte, while the release process independently rebuilds and compares
archives bit-for-bit
([`cmd/dist/build.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/dist/build.go#1404),
[`reproduciblebuilds_test.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/compile/internal/test/reproduciblebuilds_test.go),
[`rebuild` account](https://go.dev/blog/rebuild)).
WW adopts that division, not Go's module/network/toolchain policy. Normal typed
C/WW code MUST own source loading, parsing, resolution, compiler behavior,
lowering, orchestration, storage, and bootstrap execution. Declarative schemas
MUST describe wire representation only. Tests MUST verify executable behavior;
a schema or proof-shaped record MUST NOT stand in for running it. A generator is
permitted only for repetitive codec data and MUST be small, generic,
deterministic, and byte-for-byte reproducible.
Phase 0 therefore freezes only WWAR framing and primitive canonical encoding;
record/enum/union tags, field order, encoded defaults and record kinds; exact
domain-separated digest and action-key byte formulas; compact positive and
malformed-wire vectors; a small reference codec; deterministic data-only codec
generation; and its repository gate. It does not freeze algorithms for deriving
the represented records. Every declared record tag remains encoded, including
an optional field's empty `encoded_default`; absence is not default insertion.
The owning implementation phases are binding:
| Behavior removed from the Phase 0 experiment | Owning phase |
|---|---|
| source imports, package graph/cycles, `.wwe`/`.wwlm`, compiler export and public type/ABI projections | Phase 1 |
| action construction, graph traversal, scheduling, CAS/cache, environment/sandbox and build failure behavior | Phase 2 |
| manifest/lock/work/vendor text parsing, module/source resolution, fetching, source-store policy and source-tree construction | Phase 3 |
| native/provider recursion, lowering, link-plan construction, tool adapters and platform policy | Phase 4 |
| actual staged bootstrap, fixed-point rebuild and byte comparison | Phase 6 |
WW-specific guarantees remain stronger and explicit: frozen artifact builds are
deterministic and offline, selections are locked, artifacts are content-addressed,
cached objects are rehashed on read, and bootstrap is established by rebuilding and
comparing actual bytes. At cutover there is one user-facing build path, as
already required by the migration plan.
## 2. Normative vocabulary
| Term | Exact meaning |
|---|---|
| **package** | The WW declarations selected from one directory, compiled together under one declared package name and one package identity. |
| **module** | A distributable, versioned source tree rooted by one `ww.mod`, declaring one globally stable module identity and containing zero or more packages. |
| **project** | The module or standalone package selected by the user's current command, including its declared products. |
| **workspace** | A local, non-published set of module-identity-to-directory overlays described by `ww.work`. It changes location, never identity. |
| **dependency** | A typed directed edge: package import, generated-input edge, tool edge, native-provider edge, runtime edge, ordered link edge, source-input edge, or bootstrap-record edge. A source-input edge is content-rooted and has no producer action; it is valid in template/final action inputs but never in `GraphEdgeV1`. A bootstrap-record edge selects the producer action-record or action-result record for `bootstrap.compare`. The edge kind is never implicit. |
| **target/platform descriptor** | A canonical architecture/platform/ABI/object/CPU/runtime description. An action labels descriptors by role: execution `B`, product `H`, and optional compiler-output `T`. A target triple is only a short lookup name. |
| **artifact** | An immutable byte string or canonical directory tree produced by an action and named by a content digest. Materialized files are copies or links, not the artifact's identity. |
| **toolchain** | An immutable descriptor and content closure containing the compiler, action protocol, export/ABI versions, target descriptors, resource files, runtime implementations, and pinned assembler/linker/archive tools. |
| **sysroot** | A content-identified target filesystem tree containing the exact headers, libraries, CRT objects, loader metadata, linker scripts, and SDK files exposed to target actions. |
| **source identity** | `sha256` of the canonical source-tree encoding in section 4.5. It is independent of download URL and checkout path. |
| **version** | An immutable SemVer release label associated with one module identity and one source identity. It is selection metadata, not package identity. |
| **product** | A named requested result: executable, static library, shared library, object bundle, test binary, generated tree, documentation tree, or toolchain component. |
| **action** | A pure, finite build step with a typed canonical record, declared input artifacts, one execution platform, and declared output paths. |
| **build platform (B)** | The platform on which the build actions execute. |
| **host platform (H)** | The platform on which the requested product will execute. |
| **target platform (T)** | For a compiler-like product, the platform for which that product emits code. It is absent for an ordinary executable or library. |
Module and package identities are slash-separated ASCII paths. They are
NFC-normalized, case-sensitive, contain no empty, `.` or `..` segment, and do
not depend on filesystem case folding. A non-root package identity is written
`module-id/package/path`; the root package identity is `module-id`. The selected
module catalog records which module owns each package identity. If two selected
modules would supply the same package identity, resolution fails rather than
choosing a longer prefix.
A no-manifest invocation gives its sole root package the reserved internal
identity `@standalone/root`; any external test package gets the reserved identity
`@test/<first-128-bits-of-SHA256(production-package-identity)>`. These namespaces cannot be
declared by a module or imported from ordinary source. The default standalone
executable materializes as `main`, independent of directory basename. A
standalone package cannot contain/import another local package or be published
until `ww init` gives it a stable module/package identity.
## 3. Source and package rules
### 3.1 One directory, one package
A package directory contains its immediate regular source files and source-name
symlinks that resolve to regular files. A source-name symlink to a directory is
ignored. Nested directories are separate packages. Every selected production
source MUST begin with the same canonical `package name;` clause. The declared
name MUST be a valid WW identifier. It need not repeat the directory leaf
because identity and source qualifier are separate concepts.
The following current forms are errors after the migration:
- importing a single `.ww` file as if it were a package;
- placing multiple package blocks in one compilation unit;
- satisfying an unresolved import from an inline package block;
- selecting a literal source file as the build root; and
- finding packages through ordered `-I` search roots.
`ww build ./cmd/tool` selects a directory. A directory with one source file is
still the smallest package and needs no extra metadata.
### 3.2 File membership and target selection
The current toolchain has one honest target, `linux/amd64`. Production
candidates are immediate visible names ending `.ww`, excluding selected
`*_test.ww` files. Directory entries beginning `.` or `_` are ignored. Candidate
names are byte-sorted before any selected source is opened, parsed, or checked.
WW applies Go 1.26.5's filename suffix algorithm to the portion of the basename
before its first dot. A final `_test` token is removed for this decision. If the
last two remaining underscore-delimited tokens are a known OS followed by a
known architecture, both must match `linux/amd64`. Otherwise a final known OS
or architecture must match. A known mismatch excludes the file; an unknown or
misplaced token leaves it ordinary. The pinned known sets are:
```text
OS: aix android darwin dragonfly freebsd hurd illumos ios js linux nacl
netbsd openbsd plan9 solaris wasip1 windows zos
ARCH: 386 amd64 amd64p32 arm armbe arm64 arm64be loong64 mips mipsle
mips64 mips64le mips64p32 mips64p32le ppc ppc64 ppc64le riscv
riscv64 s390 s390x sparc sparc64 wasm
```
The suffix requires a nonempty prefix and an underscore. Thus `linux.ww` and
`plan9_test.ww` are ordinary files, `x_plan9_test.ww` is excluded,
`x_linux_amd64.ww` is selected, and `x_windows_amd64.ww` is excluded. The first
dot ends inspection: `x.extra_windows.ww` is ordinary. Pair recognition takes
precedence over the final single token; `x_windows_amd64.ww` does not match just
because `amd64` does. Conversely `x_amd64_linux.ww` has no OS/architecture pair
and matches its final single `linux` token, exactly as Go does.
Selection is additive, not replacement-based: every matching file belongs to
the package. The production variant then excludes `*_test.ww`; internal and
external test classification uses only the already platform-selected test
files. After those decisions, distinct selected basenames in one canonical
directory MUST NOT be equal under Go 1.26.5's Unicode simple-fold comparison.
The check spans the production, internal-test, and external-test selections of
one `ww test` product without merging those source units. An ordinary
`ww build` sees production names only. Exact basename reuse by another action
view of that directory is not a collision.
An excluded file creates no source occurrence, collision, import, dependency
edge, package/action/variant identity, compiler input, export, archive member,
link input, artifact, status, or persistence dependency. Adding or editing one
is a producer no-op. Adding, removing, or editing a selected noncolliding file
changes the owning unit normally. This applicability is deliberately narrower
than Go's `Package.AllFiles`: WW omits wrong-platform and `*_test.ww` names
from an ordinary build because those files are not loaded in WW's
fixed-target, manifest-free source model.
WW implements no source-level build expressions, user tags, target descriptor,
`UseAllFiles` escape, `+tag` replacement scheme, or manifest-defined selector.
Those would introduce a second build language or a manifest model and are
outside the local, manifest-free product.
### 3.3 Imports, names, and resolution
The canonical forms are:
```ww
import "example.org/codec/hex";
import wire "example.org/protocol/hex";
```
The quoted string is the package identity. A module package may abbreviate its
own module prefix with a relative import written `import "./sub/path";`;
resolution replaces `./` with the importing module identity and normalizes the
remainder without permitting `..`. Bare dotted imports and filesystem imports
are deleted. Standalone packages cannot use relative imports.
The default source qualifier is the imported package's declared name. An alias
changes only that qualifier. Two imports producing the same qualifier are an
error unless one is explicitly aliased. Importing the same identity twice,
resolving one identity to two sources, or resolving two selected module records
to the same module identity is a loud collision error.
Resolution is exact:
1. Build the locked/workspace package catalog by joining every selected module
identity with its package directories.
2. Require exactly one catalog owner for the requested package identity; zero is
unresolved and two is an identity collision, even when one module prefix is
longer.
3. Verify that the catalog directory exists in that module source tree and has
the expected package clause.
4. Never search another root and never choose by filesystem accident.
Imports are parsed by the compiler front end, not a line scanner. Their union
forms package edges, but name visibility remains file-scoped. Every imported
qualifier must be used. Package cycles, including self-imports, are reported
before compilation with one stable identity path through the cycle.
If an import's catalog owner is outside the importing module, that owner MUST be
a direct `require` in the importing module's own `ww.mod`; availability through
another dependency is not enough. This keeps distribution dependencies as
explicit as package imports and prevents accidental reliance on a transitive
selection. `ww add` creates the requirement; source is never rewritten.
The sole exception is the toolchain's intrinsic standard module, whose identity
and source-tree digest are part of the selected toolchain descriptor. It is
available without a manifest requirement, including to a standalone package;
it is not searched from an installation directory or upgraded independently.
### 3.4 Visibility and internal packages
Existing exported-versus-private declaration rules survive. An `internal`
directory segment adds one resolution rule: a package under
`M/P/internal/Q` may be imported only by the package `M/P` or a package having
`M/P/` as a segment prefix. For `M/internal/Q`, the allowed root is module `M`
and its descendants. This is checked against the catalog's owning module and
package identities, not checkout paths. There are no friend lists or manifest
visibility overrides.
### 3.5 Tests, examples, documentation, and generated WW
Only `*_test.ww` files are test sources. `package p;` tests compile with package
`p`; `package p_test;` tests compile as a separate external package importing
the production package normally. Test sources of dependencies are never in a
consumer graph. `ww test .` tests one package; `ww test ./...` discovers package
directories under the selected module, excluding hidden, underscore-prefixed,
vendor, cache, and output directories. Discovery is deterministic and does not
follow directory symlinks. Test compilation is cached; each selected test binary
is executed on every command and independent binaries may run in parallel.
Each test invocation gets only its declared `test-data` mounted read-only under
`/data`, its literal `test-env`, a private writable temporary directory, and the
selected runner/runtime closure. Project/home/host files and network are denied.
Because execution is an observation rather than an artifact action, real clock,
process IDs, scheduling, and OS randomness may be exposed and are recorded as
runner capabilities; their output is never cached or part of byte reproduction.
The same-package test action uses the production package identity with the
non-importable action variant `same-test`; it compiles production and test
sources together so private names remain visible. An external test uses the
reserved `@test/<128-bit-production-identity-digest>` package identity and has a
normal direct import of the production package. Neither identity can collide
with or be imported by published source.
An example is an ordinary package or named product under `examples/`; it has no
special dependency semantics. Documentation is derived from source comments and
`.wwe` declarations, not by compiling examples during an ordinary build.
Generated WW source MUST be declared as an output of an action and as a generated
input of exactly one package. It uses the suffix `.wwgen`, does not appear in the
source tree, may not contain `import` or `package` clauses, and therefore cannot
discover new graph edges after graph construction. It may refer to built-ins and
declarations already in its owner package. A generator needing another package
must have a checked-in owner file that imports it. This restriction keeps the
complete package graph inspectable before executing generators.
A generated fragment may contain a foreign declaration only when the owning
`package` clause already names its provider slot and the declaration explicitly
names that slot. It cannot add a native requirement. After generation, the
compiler verifies imports/package clauses are absent and the observed foreign
slots exactly match the predeclared set; mismatch is a generator/protocol error.
## 4. Dependency distribution model
### 4.1 When metadata is required
A standalone one-directory executable with no non-toolchain dependency builds
without metadata. `ww init MODULE` creates a module when the program needs a
stable import identity, distribution dependencies, multiple packages/products,
generated inputs, or native declarations.
A module tree contains exactly one `ww.mod` at its root; nested manifests are an
error. A workspace composes separate module roots instead of nesting ownership.
`ww.mod` is declarative UTF-8 data. It is not WW code: it has no expressions,
variables, imports, include files, macros, loops, user functions, or host
conditionals. Strings use JSON escaping; lists preserve source order and record
key order is non-semantic. Unknown fields are errors unless a later manifest schema is explicitly
selected.
A minimal module is:
```text
ww-manifest 1
module = "example.org/hello"
language = "1"
toolchain = { id = "ww.org/toolchain", minimum = "v1.4.0" }
require "example.org/codec" {
minimum = "v1.2.3"
source-index = "https://example.org/codec/.well-known/ww-source"
}
```
The complete set of top-level clause kinds in schema 1 is `require`, `product`,
`package`, `action`, and `native`. Global scalar keys are only `module`,
`language`, and `toolchain`. `require` has required `minimum` and optional
credential-free `source-index`; the latter maps origin without changing identity.
The schema tables in section 6.9 close all remaining fields. There is
deliberately no general `[settings]` escape hatch.
The root `main` package is the default executable product, named after the
module's last segment, with explicit normalized linkage `dynamic` and runtime
`hosted`. Libraries need no product declaration to be imported.
Additional or non-default outputs are explicit:
```text
product "inspect" {
kind = "exe"
root = "cmd/inspect"
linkage = "dynamic"
}
```
### 4.2 Selection rule
Versions are `vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` SemVer labels with the usual prerelease order.
A requirement is one minimum version, never a range. Selection chooses the
greatest minimum requested for each module identity over the complete transitive
closure and repeats until stable. This is intentionally the small, monotonic
part of Minimal Version Selection, not every behavior of the Go module command.
The selected result is written exactly to `ww.lock` by `add`, `update`, or
`lock`; build never resolves a newer version.
Exactly one version of a module identity is selected. A backward-incompatible
major version `N >= 2` MUST declare a module identity ending `/vN`, and imports
name that identity. Consequently incompatible releases may coexist as distinct
identities without an aliasing version resolver. Two versions of the same
identity cannot coexist.
There are no feature sets, optional-dependency activation, target-dependent
version constraints, upper bounds, wildcard versions, or dependency-wide
configuration unification. Target variation belongs in source selection and
native-provider declarations after one source closure is selected.
The selected source manifests also contribute one minimum for the same
toolchain identity. The root lock chooses one exact installed/catalog version at
least as high as every minimum and records its descriptor/bundle digests. A
different toolchain identity or unsupported language/export/runtime protocol is
an error; SemVer alone never overrides protocol compatibility. Dependency
manifests do not pin the consumer to their development compiler, while an
application remains exactly reproducible from its lock.
### 4.3 Lock file
`ww.lock` is generated, canonical, and committed for applications and toolchains.
Published libraries SHOULD commit it for their own tests, but consumers resolve
from `ww.mod` requirements. A lock record is:
```text
ww-lock 1
root-manifest = "sha256:9c..."
toolchain "ww.org/toolchain" {
version = "v1.4.0"
descriptor = "sha256:31..."
bundle = "sha256:80..."
origin = "https://dist.wwlang.org/toolchain/v1.4.0/"
}
module "example.org/codec" {
version = "v1.2.3"
origin = "https://example.org/codec/.ww/v1.2.3.tar.zst"
archive = "sha256:4a..."
tree = "sha256:f7..."
manifest = "sha256:55..."
signature = "ed25519:key-id:base64..."
provenance = "https://example.org/codec/.ww/v1.2.3.intoto.jsonl"
}
```
Records are sorted by identity. Required semantic fields are version, immutable
origin, archive digest, canonical source-tree digest, and manifest digest.
Signature and provenance are optional records whose verification policy is
configured by the user or distributor; hashes are never optional. A signature,
when present, covers schema, module identity, version, tree digest, and manifest
digest. Lock files never contain local overlay paths or credentials.
### 4.4 Acquisition and network policy
`ww add M@V` discovers `M` by the HTTPS convention
`https://M/.well-known/ww-source`, unless `--from=URL` or a user-configured
longest-prefix source map supplies an index. The index returns immutable archive
locations and signed digest records. Redirects and the final URL are recorded.
The downloaded module manifest MUST declare exactly `M`; the signed index/lock
record, not source text, binds `V` to its tree digest. Private indexes use the
same protocol and obtain credentials from the fetch command's credential
helper; credentials never enter build actions or lock files.
`(module identity, version)` is immutable: observing two signed tree digests for
the same pair is an equivocation error recorded in the source store, never an
automatic replacement. Yank metadata may prevent new selection but cannot alter
or invalidate an already locked digest.
Only these operations may initiate network requests:
- `ww add`, `ww update`, and `ww lock` while selecting metadata;
- `ww fetch --locked` while materializing the already locked source/toolchain
closure;
- `ww toolchain fetch` for an explicitly named toolchain; and
- explicit `ww cache pull` and `ww cache push`; and
- explicitly authorized `ww observe` remote execution, which is not a build,
test-build, or cached artifact action.
The build/analysis phases of `ww build`, `run`, `test`, `doc`, `install`,
`graph`, and `explain` deny network access even when an input is absent. They report the missing source digest and
the exact `ww fetch --locked` command. They never modify `ww.mod`, `ww.lock`, or
`ww.work`. `--frozen` additionally requires those files to be present,
canonical, mutually consistent, and unchanged by selection. `--offline` is an
explicit assertion of the already mandatory no-network build policy.
### 4.5 Source identity and storage
A module source tree contains only directories and regular files; symlinks,
devices, sockets, FIFOs, absolute paths, `..`, duplicate normalized paths, and
case-fold collisions are rejected. Its identity is:
```text
SHA256("ww-source-tree-v1\0" ||
for each byte-sorted relative path:
LP(path) || type || executable-bit || LP(SHA256(file-bytes)))
```
`LP(x)` is an unsigned 64-bit big-endian byte length followed by `x`. Directory
entries are included with type `dir`; regular files with type `file`. Ownership,
timestamps, archive compression, checkout path, and non-executable permission
bits are excluded. Archives are checked both against their blob digest and the
unpacked tree digest. The source store is immutable and keyed by tree digest.
### 4.6 Workspaces, vendoring, and distributors
`ww.work` is local, declarative, and normally uncommitted:
```text
ww-work 1
use "example.org/codec" {
path = "../codec"
expect = "sha256:f7..."
}
```
An overlay replaces only the location for the named module identity. The module
at that path must declare the same identity. Its current canonical tree digest
is an action input; `expect` makes accidental drift loud but may be updated by
`ww work sync`. No import or lock identity changes.
`ww vendor` materializes every locked module under `vendor/sha256/<tree>` and
writes a canonical identity-to-tree `vendor/index.wwv`. Frozen builds may select
that source store with `--vendor`; the vendored bytes must match the lock. There
is no flattened import tree and no rewritten import statement.
An operating-system distributor has three honest options: ship this vendor
store, prefill WW's immutable source store, or provide an exact workspace/source
map to distro-owned trees. Native system libraries are substituted only through
the explicit provider mechanism in section 8.8. A mutable `/usr` lookup is an
impure system profile, is local-cache-only, and is rejected by frozen builds.
### 4.7 Closed metadata grammar
`ww.mod`, `ww.lock`, `ww.work`, vendor indexes, and toolchain/native descriptors
share this lexical grammar; each schema separately closes its allowed headers,
clauses, fields, value types, and cardinalities:
```text
document = header newline { statement } EOF
header = schema-name SP unsigned
statement = assignment | clause
assignment = key ws "=" ws value ws newline
clause = key ws string ws "{" newline
{ assignment } "}" ws newline
value = string | unsigned | boolean | list | record
list = "[" ws [ value { ws "," ws value } [ ws "," ] ] ws "]"
record = "{" ws [ pair { ws "," ws pair } [ ws "," ] ] ws "}"
pair = key ws "=" ws value
key = ALPHA { ALPHA | DIGIT | "_" | "-" }
string = JSON-string-with-valid-UTF-8
unsigned = "0" | ("1"…"9" { DIGIT })
boolean = "true" | "false"
ws = { SP | TAB | newline | comment }
comment = "#" { any-character-except-newline }
```
`schema-name` is exactly `ww-manifest`, `ww-lock`, `ww-work`, `ww-vendor`,
`ww-toolchain`, `ww-native-map`, `ww-native-sidecar`, `ww-install`, or
`ww-bootstrap`. A clause
body contains assignments only, so nesting cannot grow into a language.
Duplicate keys, duplicate singleton clauses, invalid UTF-8, unknown fields,
integer overflow, and a comment marker inside an unclosed string are errors.
Whitespace, comments, assignment order, record-key order, and clause order where
the schema declares identity keys are non-semantic. List order is semantic.
Parsing produces a typed record whose canonical semantic encoding is
`WWAR(record)`, not the original text. Its semantic digest is the applicable
kind/schema-bound `record_id` from section 6.6. `ww fmt` writes two-space
canonical text; generated lock/vendor files MUST already equal that rendering
in frozen mode.
## 5. Build model and graph construction
### 5.1 One graph, constructed before execution
For every command, `ww` constructs a typed graph in these deterministic phases:
1. Select the project, manifest, lock, workspace, toolchain descriptor, target,
and profile. Verify their schemas, canonical identities, and content digests.
Missing locked inputs are errors; this phase never fetches.
2. Enumerate selected checked-in package files by section 3.2. Ask the compiler
front end to parse package clauses, imports, checked-in foreign declarations,
and test metadata. Generated artifacts are known future input slots but do not
yet exist. The build driver never scans source lines itself.
3. Resolve every import by identity, reject collisions/internal violations, and
compute the complete acyclic package graph.
4. Add statically declared generated-input, host-tool, native-provider,
toolchain, runtime, archive, ordered link, and bootstrap-record comparison
edges. Match target clauses and reject zero or multiple providers. All
generated output names and consumers are known here.
5. Lower nodes to the complete **action-template DAG** and report it. A template
names every edge/input slot, tool, policy, and output, but its final key remains
unresolved until every predecessor output or selected record content digest
is known. Only after this point may a cache be read or a tool execute.
6. As verified cache results or completed predecessors resolve input artifacts,
finalize ready action records/keys, query the cache, schedule misses, publish
successful artifacts atomically, then materialize requested products.
No executed action may add a node, input, output, import, library, flag, or
follow-up command. Native C/assembly declarations name complete header/source
trees rather than learning dependencies from an ambient compiler depfile. This
may conservatively rebuild for an unused header change, but the graph remains
complete before execution and the key is correct.
`ww graph --actions --format=json` emits the graph after phase 5. Its canonical
JSON contains node kind, execution platform, typed input/output slots, incoming
edge kinds, target/profile/toolchain digests, and the exact ordered link plan.
A resolved node also has its key/cache status; otherwise it has `key: "pending"`,
`cache: "unknown"`, and a byte-sorted `waiting-on` list. It contains logical
paths only. A collision, cycle, missing provider,
undeclared target, or unresolved tool fails graph construction even if a stale
cache entry might otherwise satisfy the product.
### 5.2 Built-in action kinds
Schema 1 has this closed set of semantic action kinds:
- `ww.package`: compile one package to export data, object code, and link
metadata;
- `ww.init`: synthesize one deterministic retained package-initialization
dispatcher from precomputed package link metadata;
- `native.compile`: compile one declared C or assembly source unit;
- `archive`: construct a static library from an ordered object list;
- `link`: construct an executable or shared library from an ordered link plan;
- `generate`: execute one declared build-platform tool;
- `doc`: render a documentation tree from sources and export data;
- `bootstrap.compare`: compare canonical stage outputs and manifests.
Adding an action kind changes the action schema. There is no generic rule engine,
phony target, implicit suffix rule, command-string target, or shell recipe. An
archive is made only for an explicit static-library product or native provider;
WW packages are not automatically wrapped in one-member archives.
`run` and `test.run` are non-cacheable invocation nodes, not semantic artifact
actions. `test.run` consumes the declared data/environment/runner and uses the
test sandbox above on every request. `ww run`, after its network-denied build,
launches the user's program with the user's runtime authority/environment unless
`--sandbox` is explicitly requested; that execution still cannot affect a build
cache entry. Both store exit status/logs only as observations. Materialization/install is a third category:
a request-local side effect consuming an immutable artifact/install manifest.
Neither category can satisfy or poison an artifact-action cache entry.
The semantic graph is independent of process boundaries. An implementation MAY
run compiler workers in-process or in a bounded pool, but each `ww.package`
action still has an independent canonical record and outputs. There is no
required background daemon and no daemon state may affect an output.
### 5.3 The finite escape hatch
Unusual generation and packaging use a declarative `action`, not a build script:
```text
action "protocol-bindings" {
tool = "product:tools/schema-gen"
platform = "build"
inputs = {
schema = { file = "protocol/schema.idl" }
}
outputs = {
ww = { file = "generated/protocol.wwgen" }
}
argv = ["--input", "/in/schema", "--ww", "/out/ww"]
env = { LANG = "C", TZ = "UTC" }
}
package "protocol" {
generated = ["action:protocol-bindings:ww"]
}
```
The tool is either a named executable in the immutable toolchain or a named WW
product built for `H = B`. `/in/NAME` inputs are read-only mounts and
`/out/NAME` outputs are initially absent, exclusive writable mounts. The working
directory is the empty logical `/work`. Output type is exactly `file` or `tree`;
undeclared files fail the action. `argv` is passed directly, never through a
shell. Input and output names are identifiers and each path appears through its
fixed mount, so there is no template language.
The sandbox exposes only the declared tool closure at fixed logical `/tool`
paths, `/in`, `/out`, the literal
environment map, deterministic locale/time-zone data, and bounded CPU/memory
resources. Network, process inspection, host devices, user/home directories,
ambient `PATH`, ambient environment, wall clock, writable source, and filesystem
paths outside the mounts are denied. Randomness is absent unless a declared
seed artifact is mounted. A tool may spawn only executable inputs declared in
its tool closure. These isolation rules apply equally to built-in compiler, C,
assembler, archiver, linker, documentation, test, and bootstrap executions.
Strong enforcement is required for frozen/shared-cache builds;
an unsupported host must fail rather than silently weaken isolation.
This action can perform arbitrary computation over finite declared inputs, so it
is sufficient for code generators, image/file-system builders, binding tools,
and signing-input preparation. It cannot inspect the project and invent more
work. Dependency modules may declare actions only for outputs consumed by their
own packages/products; they cannot register hooks that run merely because the
module is present.
Every artifact-producing action declares `reproducibility = "required"` in a
frozen or official build. Isolation removes undeclared external inputs, but it
cannot prove that arbitrary tool internals avoid PIDs, uninitialized memory,
ASLR-derived values, or race-dependent output. Such variance is a tool/action
defect. Official releases and first shared-cache publication of a custom
generator repeat it from clean sandboxes and compare outputs. A node explicitly
classified `observation` is never result-cached/shared and may not feed an
artifact action; tests and hardware execution use that class. Impure development
actions are local-only and outside the byte promise.
### 5.4 Build, host, and target
WW uses the conventional three-platform meaning rigorously:
```text
B: execution platform on which build actions run
H: platform ABI of the produced artifact; executable products are intended to run here
T: output platform of a compiler-like artifact that itself is built for H
```
For an ordinary program `T` is absent. The familiar
`ww build --target=aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu` spelling sets `H`; it means “build
the program that runs on this target.” A compiler product may additionally set
`--host=H --target=T`. Any generator used while producing it still executes on
`B`; if the generator is itself WW source, its product is compiled with `H = B`.
Every action record carries all applicable descriptors, even when two are equal.
No rule may infer `H` or `T` from the kernel running `ww`. Cross compilation is
therefore the same graph with a different explicit host/target descriptor, not
a mode that edits environment variables.
In record/JSON field names these are `execution-platform`, `product-platform`,
and optional `compiler-output-platform`. Source suffix selection, ordinary
native-provider `when`, sysroot, CRT, runtime, and linker selection always match
the product platform H. A build-tool dependency instead has its own H equal to
the parent action's B. CLI `--target` is only the familiar spelling for selecting
the ordinary product platform; it does not rename the GNU roles internally.
### 5.5 Scheduling and failure
After graph construction, ready actions run in a deterministic priority order
with a user-selected concurrency bound. Priority affects latency only; output
bytes and link order come from records, never completion order. Independent
actions may finish after another branch fails, but no dependent action starts.
On the first observed failure WW stops launching work and cancels its owned
in-flight actions. Which failure triggers cancellation is observational and may
vary with concurrency; every concurrently observed failure is sorted by stable
logical node in the report. `--keep-going` instead continues branches whose
dependency closure remains healthy and reports all failures in that stable
order. Interrupts cancel only processes owned by this invocation and leave no
published partial result.
Tool stdout and stderr are captured as artifacts and streamed with node labels.
Diagnostics use module-relative logical paths. `--verbose` may display physical
mount paths separately, marked non-semantic. A successful action is published
only after all declared outputs exist, have valid type/mode, are canonicalized
where required, and have been hashed. A failed action is never entered in the
action cache.
### 5.6 Atomic publication and materialization
CAS files and action-result records are written to same-filesystem unique
temporary names, flushed, rehashed, then atomically renamed to their digest
locations. For crash durability, WW flushes the parent directory after rename;
it publishes and flushes every output before the result mapping. A concurrent
publisher of the same digest verifies equality and
discards its temporary file. A directory artifact is a canonical tree object
whose leaves are CAS blobs. An action-result mapping is published last, so no
reader can observe a result before its outputs.
Materialization is a request-local side effect outside the action-template DAG.
By default requested
products appear in `out/<target>/<profile>/`; `--out` and `ww install --prefix`
change only where immutable artifacts are copied or copy-on-write reflinked.
Hardlinks/symlinks are permitted only when the backing store is enforced
immutable against the user and mode changes cannot affect its inode. Executable bits are
set by the artifact record, never by a later ambient `chmod`. Replacement uses
temporary siblings and atomic rename. `ww clean` removes materialized/project
state only; `ww cache gc` is the separate explicit global-cache operation.
### 5.7 Reproducibility contract
For official supported targets, WW promises byte-identical artifacts when every
artifact action satisfies `reproducibility = "required"` and these are identical:
- canonical project source and `ww.lock`;
- immutable toolchain descriptor and complete bundle;
- target descriptor and build profile; and
- all declared action inputs, including generated seeds and signing material.
The engine guarantees input isolation, logical paths, and canonical publication;
repeat-build certification checks arbitrary tool determinism. The resulting promise is independent of absolute checkout, source-store, cache, output,
and temporary paths; wall time, locale, process order, username, UID, and host
environment are absent. Logical paths are module/package paths. Debug information
uses those logical paths and fixed prefix maps. Archive metadata is canonical;
timestamps and ownership are zeroed; deterministic linker build IDs derive from
the link key. Official toolchains reject tools that cannot meet this contract.
A project source archive plus the complete locked dependency source bytes (a
vendor/source-CAS export), its lock, the named immutable toolchain bundle, and
every declared external seed/signing input is therefore a complete offline
reproduction input. A lock's hashes alone cannot recreate absent bytes. Runtime behavior that depends on a shared library
outside the pinned runtime/sysroot closure is not covered, and frozen official
profiles prohibit such a dependency. An explicitly selected impure system
profile receives no byte-identity promise, cannot publish to a shared cache, and
prints every ambient input it accepted. `ww verify reproducible` runs isolated
uncached builds under two physical roots and compares every result artifact and
action manifest, not just the final executable.
## 6. Action records and cache protocol
### 6.1 Canonical encoding
Action records use **WWAR 1**, this deterministic byte encoding:
```text
WWAR(record) = 0x57 0x57 0x41 0x52 | u16be(1) | value(record)
value(v) = type:u8 | u64be(payload-length) | payload
type 0x01 bytes: payload is the bytes
type 0x02 string: payload is valid NFC UTF-8 with no NUL
type 0x03 uint: payload is minimal unsigned big-endian; zero is one 0x00
type 0x04 bool: payload is exactly 0x00 or 0x01
type 0x05 list: u32be(count) | each (u64be(value-length) | value)
type 0x06 map: u32be(count) | each (u64be(key-length) | key-UTF-8 |
u64be(value-length) | value)
type 0x07 record: u32be(count) | each (u32be(field-tag) |
u64be(value-length) | value)
```
Record fields are strictly increasing by numeric tag. Map entries are strictly
increasing by raw UTF-8 key bytes. Duplicate/out-of-order keys or tags, leading
zeroes in a uint, invalid booleans/UTF-8/NFC, mismatched counts/lengths, unknown
schema tags, and trailing bytes are errors. Lists preserve declared order.
Schema defaults are always encoded, so no semantic field is inferred from
absence. Floats, signed integers, null, and indefinite lengths do not exist.
One byte string/string is at most `2^31-1` bytes, a container has at most
`2^24-1` members, and nesting depth is at most 64. A content/container-relative
logical path string uses `/`, is relative, has no NUL/backslash, empty/`.`/`..`
segment, and passes the schema's ASCII-identity or NFC-source-path rule. A field
that explicitly permits `.` as its complete root sentinel is the sole exception.
These are protocol limits, not host `size_t` limits. Human-readable JSON is a
lossless rendering, not the hashed representation. Phase-0 golden vectors
include empty/nested records, ordered lists, sorted maps, every rejection, and
their complete bytes/digests.
The normative empty-record vector is
`57574152000107000000000000000400000000`, SHA-256
`138c6acb7f01e91df73cb1d9c3356d18f19d7b8eb8b0a15426bef32e515d0de0`.
Each schema assigns every path field a path class. Artifact, source, generated
output, install-destination, bundle-relative, sysroot-relative, and
vendor-relative paths use the relative rule above. Sandbox-execution paths are
path-independent absolute paths only in the closed virtual namespaces `/work`,
`/in`, `/out`, `/tool`, and `/data`; schema-1 action working directory is exactly
`/work`, and exact sandbox path spellings in argv are encoded. Platform-validated
target-runtime paths are a separate type and may be absolute in H's namespace.
Workspace locations and observation physical paths are separately typed and
never enter an artifact action record or key as host locations. Absolute host
paths, filesystem device/inode numbers, mtimes, cache locations, and command
process IDs are invalid in action templates and final action records. A physical
input enters only through a logical name, content digest, type, and semantic
mode.
### 6.2 Required action-record fields
Every record contains, in this order:
1. WWAR schema and action kind/version;
2. language edition, compiler protocol, export protocol, object ABI, runtime ABI,
manifest schema, and lock schema;
3. B, H, and optional T descriptor digests plus the expanded target fields;
4. toolchain identity, selected descriptor-slice/closure digest,
compiler/backend digest, and every executable/shared/resource digest actually
used by the action; the distribution bundle root/version authenticates
acquisition but unused targets/tools do not invalidate this action;
5. profile fields: optimization, debug, assertions, overflow, panic, sanitizers,
LTO, relocation/code model, symbol stripping, and reproducibility policy;
6. logical package/product/action identity and sandbox-virtual working directory
(schema 1 exactly `/work`);
7. exact argument vector and a sorted literal environment map;
8. byte-sorted named inputs, each with edge kind, logical path, semantic artifact
kind, semantic mode, content digest, and—where applicable—origin package identity;
9. direct export-data inputs byte-sorted by package identity for `ww.package`
actions;
10. selected source-membership list and target-selection explanation;
11. typed native declarations: headers, objects, archives, shared libraries,
sysroot, SDK, libc, CRT, dynamic loader, linker scripts and their include
closures, assembler/linker/archive tools, and ABI-provider slots;
12. the exact ordered link plan, retaining archive groups, whole-archive markers,
as-needed state, and repeated libraries;
13. named output paths, types, modes, and canonicalization policies; and
14. sandbox policy/version, resource bounds, and reproducibility classification.
Fields irrelevant to an action are encoded as empty values, not inferred. Native
flags exist only as typed fields whose meaning is part of a tool adapter. A raw
flag can be used only in a custom toolchain declaration and then its exact bytes
are part of the record; the official profile has no hidden default flags.
### 6.3 Environment and tool discovery
No inherited environment variable is semantic. Built-in actions receive the
fixed environment specified by their toolchain adapter. A declarative action
receives only its `env` record. `PATH`, compiler-driver defaults, `pkg-config`,
shell initialization, host include/library directories, and current directory
are never consulted to discover an input.
User configuration may choose a cache location, concurrency, output directory,
credential helper, source mirror, or display preference; these do not enter an
action because they cannot alter output bytes. Choosing a toolchain, target,
profile, workspace overlay, native provider, environment value, raw option, or
impure system mapping can alter bytes and therefore always enters the record.
### 6.4 Package action inputs and invalidation
A `ww.package` action consumes:
- the exact selected production or test source files and generated fragments;
- their ordered membership metadata;
- only the `.wwe` artifacts of direct imported packages;
- the compiler/backend and toolchain resources;
- B/H/T, target descriptor, profile, language/compiler/export/object/runtime
protocols, and manifest/lock schemas;
- package-specific predeclared native-provider slots, distinct from selected
concrete provider declarations; and
- its literal built-in environment and sandbox policy.
It emits `.wwe`, one target object, and canonical link metadata. A private change
in a dependency changes that dependency's object and the final link key, but not
the importer's action key. A public change changes the dependency's `.wwe` and
therefore its direct importers. If a rebuilt importer emits byte-identical
`.wwe`, the invalidation stops there. Link-only input changes only invalidate
link/archive actions; materialization merely recopies a newly selected immutable
artifact when its requested result digest changes.
A package's own source bytes remain part of its action key even if a compiler
could prove a change dead. A target/profile/tool/runtime ABI change creates a
different key. There is no timestamp freshness shortcut and no “artifact exists”
predicate.
### 6.5 Link action inputs
The link action consumes every reachable package/native object digest, explicit
archive/shared-library digest, CRT object, runtime object, dynamic-loader choice,
linker script closure, sysroot descriptor, target/profile, exact linker tool and
resources, and the ordered plan. Objects are ordered by stable package identity;
an explicit static product's `members` list controls only that archive's member
order. Native archives retain declared
order; repeated archives remain repeated; group and whole-archive boundaries are
semantic. `-L`/`-l` token collections are not an internal representation.
The link result is cacheable. A warm identical build need not invoke the linker.
Changing output/materialization path alone does not change the link key. Changing
a private package implementation normally preserves importer objects but changes
the final link key through that package's object digest.
### 6.6 Complete cache-key formula
Let `R` be the complete WWAR record from sections 6.2–6.5. The action key is:
```text
K = SHA256("WW-ACTION-KEY\0" || uint64be(len(WWAR(R))) || WWAR(R))
```
Input entries contain the SHA-256 digest of their canonical artifact bytes/tree,
not merely the producer's action key. Thus semantically identical outputs stop
rebuild propagation even when their producing source/action key changed. Ordered
fields remain ordered; only fields specified as maps are sorted. The domain
separator and schemas prevent a digest from one protocol being reinterpreted in
another.
A successful result record contains `K`, result-schema version, output
name/type/mode/digest tuples only. Stdout, stderr, exit/diagnostic presentation,
timing, worker identity, resource use, and physical paths go in a separate
invocation-observation record. Thus one action key has exactly one semantic
successful result even if its logs differ. Observation records may be
content-addressed, but never participate in action mapping, cache hits, or
reproducibility comparison.
CAS identities are type-separated. Blob bytes use their own domain; every
structured object is additionally bound to its top-level record kind and schema:
```text
blob_id = SHA256("WW-BLOB\0" || u64be(length) || bytes)
record_id(kind, schema, record) =
SHA256("WW-RECORD\0" || u32be(kind) || u32be(schema) ||
u64be(length(WWAR(record))) || WWAR(record))
```
Schema 1 reserves these top-level `kind` numbers: 1 tree, 2 manifest, 3 lock,
4 workspace, 5 vendor index, 6 native map, 7 platform descriptor, 8 toolchain,
9 profile, 10 action template, 11 action record, 12 action result,
13 observation, 14 graph snapshot, 15 native sidecar, 16 native ABI contract,
17 link plan, 18 export, 19 package link metadata, 20 install manifest,
21 bootstrap plan, and 22 selected-tool closure. An unknown kind is never
decoded as another record. `TypedDigestV1` is a record with tag 1 domain
(`blob` or `record`), tag 2 algorithm (schema 1 only `sha256`), tag 3 record kind
(`0` for a blob), tag 4 record schema (`0` for a blob), and tag 5 the exact
32 digest bytes. A field whose type is “typed digest” always means this record;
a bare hexadecimal string is only a text rendering.
A tree record is schema 1 plus a list sorted by entry-name UTF-8 bytes. An entry
is `(name, kind=file|tree, executable:boolean, typed-child-digest)`. `name` is
one normalized path segment. Empty directories are explicit tree children;
symlinks, hardlink identity, devices, xattrs, uid/gid, mtimes, and non-executable
permission bits do not exist. Duplicate normalized or case-fold-colliding names
are errors. Validation recursively checks every typed child to a blob; verifying
only a root digest is insufficient.
### 6.7 Storage, sharing, and corruption
The default cache is per-user, global across that user's checkouts, local, and
private to the account:
```text
<cache>/v1/cas/sha256/aa/bb...
<cache>/v1/actions/sha256/aa/bb...
<cache>/v1/quarantine/
```
The first path stores blob objects and kind/schema-bound structured records; the
second maps an action key to `(action-record digest, result-object digest)`. A small ignored
project index `.ww/state-v1` references the previous successful graph snapshot,
whose logical nodes point to action-record/key/result digests. It roots that
history until replacement so explanation can compare records and follow causes;
it is disposable and never proves freshness. After explicit GC removes history,
`explain` reports `history-unavailable` rather than inventing “stale.” A
system-wide cache service requires authenticated isolated writers and the same
signed-mapping policy as a remote cache.
On every cache read, WW verifies the requested object's digest and canonical
type, decodes the mapped action record, recomputes `K` from it, and requires
`recomputed K = lookup K = ActionResultV1.tag2` plus
`ActionResultV1.tag3 = the mapping's typed action-record digest`. It then verifies
all output objects before use or materialization. A mismatch moves only that
explicit entry to quarantine, removes its action mapping, reports corruption,
and rebuilds.
`ww cache verify` walks the store; `ww cache gc` traces retained action results
and materializations. A tool upgrade changes its content/descriptor fields and
cannot reuse the old key.
If two executions of one `reproducibility=required` action key produce different
semantic result digests, WW publishes neither as an authoritative replacement,
records both observations/artifact sets in quarantine, and fails with a
nondeterminism diagnostic. Impure actions have no reusable action mapping.
Shared caches are opt-in explicit transports. `ww cache pull` imports only
content-addressed objects and action mappings in an Ed25519 signed envelope over
`"WW-CACHE-MAP\0"`, cache namespace, action key, action-record digest, result
digest/schema, and reproducibility/policy classification. The envelope carries
a signing-key ID; configured trust policy handles rotation/revocation. Hashes
prove bytes; the trusted cache signing key authorizes the asserted key-to-result
mapping. All hashes are reverified. An unsigned/untrusted mapping is treated as a miss
even if its referenced blobs exist. `ww cache push` refuses impure,
non-reproducible, secret-bearing, or policy-incompatible actions. Literal secret
environment values are forbidden; a required secret is a classified file input,
redacted from JSON/explain, and makes the action non-shareable. Ordinary build
does not contact a shared cache.
### 6.8 Explainability
For every node, WW retains its last local record and current record. `ww explain
NODE` reports one of `hit`, `not-built`, `missing-result`, `corrupt-result`,
`policy-rejected`, or `key-changed`. For `key-changed` it prints the first and,
with `--all`, every differing typed field, for example:
```text
codec/hex: key changed
input direct-export example.org/base: 71… -> a4…
caused by base: exported type Header layout changed
link hello: key changed
package-object example.org/codec/hex: 19… -> 27…
```
`ww explain --path NODE` follows the shortest changed-input path to a source,
tool, target, native provider, or policy root. `--format=json` exposes both WWAR
renderings and field paths. Export-data differences use the normative `ExportV1`
semantic field/type diff; if old content was explicitly GC'd the command reports
`history-unavailable`. Cache misses are never explained merely as “stale.”
### 6.9 Version-1 semantic record schemas
The following tables freeze schema-1 semantic fields and WWAR numeric tags.
`1` means exactly one, `0/1` optional, `*` a list, and `map` unique string keys.
Every absent optional value encodes the stated empty/default. Identity-keyed
lists are byte-sorted by identity; lists marked `ordered` preserve source/link
order. Nested records use the field tags in their named table. Enums reject
unknown values rather than passing them to a tool.
#### Project and distribution records
| Record/tag | Field | Type/cardinality | Rule/default |
|---|---|---|---|
| `ManifestV1/1` | schema | uint/1 | `1` |
| `/2` | module | string/1 | canonical module identity |
| `/3` | language | string/1 | language edition |
| `/4` | toolchain | `ToolchainRef`/1 | compatible ID and minimum |
| `/5` | requires | `Require`/* | sorted by module |
| `/6` | products | `Product`/* | sorted by name |
| `/7` | packages | `PackageConfig`/* | sorted by relative path |
| `/8` | actions | `GenerateDecl`/* | sorted by name |
| `/9` | natives | `NativeProvider`/* | sorted by name |
| `ToolchainRef/1` | id | string/1 | toolchain identity |
| `/2` | minimum | string/1 | minimum compatible SemVer |
| `Require/1` | module | string/1 | module identity |
| `/2` | minimum | string/1 | SemVer minimum |
| `/3` | source-index | string/0/1 | empty means HTTPS convention |
| `Product/1` | name | string/1 | unique identifier |
| `/2` | kind | enum/1 | `exe`, `static`, `shared`, `object`, `generated` |
| `/3` | root | string/0/1 | package-relative path; required except generated |
| `/4` | linkage | enum/1 | `dynamic`, `pie`, `static`, `static-pie`, `shared`, `none`; kind-valid |
| `/5` | runtime | string/1 | `hosted` default, `minimal`, `none`, or slot |
| `/6` | entry | string/0/1 | empty selects typed toolchain default |
| `/7` | native | string/* | required slots, sorted |
| `/8` | linker-script | `ArtifactRef`/0/1 | empty |
| `/9` | providers | `ProviderSelection`/* | sorted by slot |
| `/10` | members | string/* ordered | static/archive members; root only by default |
| `/11` | action | string/0/1 | required only for generated product |
| `/12` | install-name | string/0/1 | platform-validated, empty |
| `ProviderSelection/1` | slot | string/1 | ABI slot |
| `/2` | use | string/1 | `module#native-clause` |
| `PackageConfig/1` | path | string/1 | normalized relative path; `.` root |
| `/2` | generated | string/* | sorted `action:NAME:OUTPUT` refs |
| `/3` | native | string/* | sorted provider slots |
| `/4` | test-data | `InputDecl`/* | sorted names, read-only under `/data` |
| `/5` | test-env | map | literal non-secret test environment |
`ArtifactRefV1` is permitted in declarative configuration records (including
toolchain/native records) and action templates, but never in a final action
record. Its tags are: 1 `ArtifactNamespace` (`source`, `generated`, `package`,
`toolchain`, `sysroot`, `provider-output`, `cas`, or `graph`); 2 owner identity
(empty only for a root source);
3 normalized logical name/path; 4 semantic artifact kind (`file`, `tree`,
`object`, `archive`, `shared`, `import-library`, `script`, `crt`, `loader`,
`native-sidecar`, `native-abi`, `export`, `package-link`, `action-record`, or
`action-result`);
5 optional expected `TypedDigestV1`; and 6 mode (`data` or `executable`). A local
source may omit tag 5 because analysis hashes it. A `cas`, external prebuilt,
toolchain, or sysroot reference must include it. A generated/package/provider
output gets its digest only from the declared predecessor output. Absolute host
paths are invalid.
`InputSlotRefV1`, `TemplateInputV1`, `ResolvedInputV1`, built-in/template/final
action-output records, and `ResultOutputV1` use that same closed semantic
artifact-kind enum; `GenerateDecl.OutputDecl` remains restricted to `file` or
`tree`. In schema 1, `file`, `object`, `archive`, `shared`, `import-library`,
`script`, `crt`, and `loader` require a blob digest. `tree` requires record kind
1, `native-sidecar` kind 15, `native-abi` kind 16, `export` kind 18, and
`package-link` kind 19, each at record schema 1. Schema-1 artifact-kind values 14
`action-record` and 15 `action-result` require record kinds 11 and 12,
respectively, at record schema 1. They are input-only and valid only for
`bootstrap.compare`; they are invalid in built-in, template, or final action
outputs and in `ResultOutputV1`. Any other digest domain, record kind, or schema
is invalid kind substitution.
The `graph` namespace has one exact form. Its consumer is `bootstrap.compare`,
the `TemplateInputV1` edge kind is `bootstrap-record`, and
`ArtifactRefV1.tag2` is the producer logical node. Tag 3 is the Identifier
selector `action_record` for artifact kind `action-record` or `action_result`
for artifact kind `action-result`; tag 5 is absent. `ArtifactRefV1.tag6` and
`TemplateInputV1.tag5` are `data`, `TemplateInputV1.tag4` repeats the
corresponding artifact kind, and `TemplateInputV1.tag6` is empty. No other
consumer, edge kind, selector, kind, expected digest, or mode is valid for this
namespace. These inputs and edges are bijective: each `graph` template input has
exactly one `bootstrap-record` `GraphEdgeV1`, and each such edge has exactly one
`graph` template input. The edge's consumer node is the enclosing template node,
its consumer input slot equals `TemplateInputV1.tag1`, its producer node equals
`ArtifactRefV1.tag2`, and its selector equals `ArtifactRefV1.tag3`.
`InputSlotRefV1` has tag 1 slot name and tag 2 expected semantic artifact type.
A final action record contains no `ArtifactRefV1`: every artifact-bearing field is recursively lowered
to an `InputSlotRefV1`. `TemplateInputV1` tags are 1 unique slot name, 2 edge
kind, 3 `ArtifactRefV1`, 4 expected semantic type, 5 semantic mode, and 6
optional origin package identity. `ResolvedInputV1` tags are 1 the same slot
name, 2 edge kind, 3 normalized logical name/path, 4 semantic artifact type, 5
semantic mode, 6 the resolved `TypedDigestV1`, and 7 optional originating
package identity. It contains no producer node, producer action key, action-
template digest, physical output path, or unresolved filesystem lookup. Thus all
content that a native plan, link plan, source-selection record, or tool closure can read is
also present exactly once in action-record tag 10 under a named slot.
`GenerateDecl` fields are fixed as follows: tag 1 name; 2 tool artifact/product
reference; 3 platform enum (schema 1 only `build`); 4 `TargetConstraint` or empty;
5 input map of `InputDecl`; 6 output map of `OutputDecl`; 7 ordered string argv;
8 literal string environment map; 9 `ResourcePolicy`; 10 reproducibility enum
`required` or `impure`. `InputDecl` is tag 1 kind (`file`, `tree`, `artifact`,
`tool`), 2 logical reference, 3 optional expected typed digest, 4 semantic mode.
`OutputDecl` is tag 1 kind (`file`, `tree`), 2 logical output path, 3 executable
boolean. `ResourcePolicy` is tags 1 max CPU count, 2 memory bytes, 3 output bytes,
4 process count; zero selects the toolchain's recorded bound, never “unlimited.”
| Record/tag | Field | Type/cardinality | Rule/default |
|---|---|---|---|
| `LockV1/1` | schema | uint/1 | `1` |
| `/2` | root-manifest | typed digest/1 | semantic manifest record |
| `/3` | toolchain | `ToolchainLock`/1 | exact closure |
| `/4` | modules | `ModuleLock`/* | sorted identity |
| `/5` | native-map | `LockedObject`/0/1 | empty |
| `ToolchainLock/1…5` | id, version, descriptor, bundle, origin | strings/digests | all required |
| `ModuleLock/1` | module | string/1 | identity |
| `/2` | version | string/1 | selected SemVer |
| `/3` | origin | string/1 | exact final archive URL |
| `/4` | archive | blob digest/1 | required |
| `/5` | tree | tree digest/1 | required |
| `/6` | manifest | record digest/1 | required |
| `/7` | signature | bytes/0/1 | empty |
| `/8` | provenance | string/0/1 | empty |
| `LockedObject/1…3` | origin, digest, signature | string/digest/bytes | origin+digest required |
`WorkV1` is tag 1 schema, tag 2 sorted `Use` records, tag 3 sorted local provider
overrides. `Use` tags are module, path, expected source-tree digest. A provider
override has slot, provider ID, product-platform constraint, contract digest,
artifact-tree digest, and provenance in tags 1–6. `VendorV1` is tag 1 schema,
tag 2 lock-record digest, tag 3 sorted entries `(module, version, source-tree
digest, vendor-relative path)` in tags 1–4. `NativeMapV1` is tag 1 schema, tag 2
exact product-platform descriptor digest, tag 3 sorted provider overrides, and
tag 4 signer/provenance record.
#### Profiles, templates, actions, results, and trees
A profile is toolchain data, not an open project map:
| Tag | `ProfileV1` field | Values |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | name | identity |
| 2 | optimization | `0`, `1`, `2`, `3`, `size` |
| 3 | debug | `none`, `line`, `full` |
| 4 | assertions | boolean |
| 5 | overflow | `trap`, `wrap` |
| 6 | panic | `abort`, `runtime` |
| 7 | sanitizers | sorted toolchain capability IDs |
| 8 | LTO | `none`, `thin`, `full` |
| 9 | relocation | effective `static`, `pic`, `pie` |
| 10 | code-model | exact target capability ID |
| 11 | TLS default | exact target capability ID |
| 12 | strip | `none`, `debug`, `all` |
| 13 | reproducibility | `required`, `impure` |
| Tag | `ActionTemplateV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | schema | `1` |
| 2 | kind/version | exact built-in kind or generate version |
| 3 | protocol record | language/compiler/export/object/runtime/manifest/lock; compiler protocol is distinct from compiler/backend byte identity |
| 4 | platform roles | B, H, optional T descriptor refs |
| 5 | selected tool closure | identity plus semantic closure digest/resources |
| 6 | profile | complete `ProfileV1` |
| 7 | logical identity/cwd | normalized identity; cwd exactly `/work`, path-independent |
| 8 | argv | ordered strings |
| 9 | environment | sorted literal map, no secrets |
| 10 | input slots | sorted `(name, edge kind, producer/output or source ref, type, mode)` |
| 11 | source selection | ordered selected membership plus reasons |
| 12 | native/link template | closed predeclared provider slots, concrete providers, and ordered link records |
| 13 | outputs | sorted name/path/type/mode/canonicalization |
| 14 | sandbox/reproducibility | exact policy/version/bounds/class |
`ActionRecordV1` has the same top-level tags, but tag 10 contains sorted
`ResolvedInputV1` records and every `ArtifactRefV1` elsewhere in the template is
replaced by the corresponding `InputSlotRefV1`. The tag-12 native/link value is
therefore a resolved plan; it cannot contain an unresolved artifact reference,
producer, physical path, or readable artifact locator/digest outside tag 10.
ABI/layout/contract digests embedded in a referenced sidecar or contract are
semantic verification values, not authority to read another object. No producer
action key substitutes for a content digest.
The tag-12 native/link record separately encodes the sorted predeclared provider
slots, concrete selected-provider declarations, and the optional ordered link
policy or resolved plan. A `ww.package` action contains exactly its
`PackageConfigV1` native-slot list and empty concrete-provider and link-policy/
plan values; finalization copies that slot list unchanged. Concrete provider
selection does not enter a package action merely because the provider satisfies
one of those slots.
Finalization interns every source, direct export, package/native object, archive,
shared library, header/sysroot tree, generated output, tool/resource, CRT,
loader, script, and init dispatcher into exactly one named template input.
For `bootstrap.compare`, it also interns every selected raw action record and
action result as a separate named input. Finalization erases the `graph`
namespace, producer node, and unresolved selector form. The corresponding
tag-10 `ResolvedInputV1` retains edge kind `bootstrap-record`, logical selector
`action_record` or `action_result`, matching artifact kind, `data` mode, and the
resolved typed digest; that digest is the sole authority to read the raw record.
Predecessor output and selected-record digests resolve those slots lazily. The
producer logical node, producer output path, producer key, and template digest
are graph/provenance facts only and do not enter the consumer's `ActionRecordV1`
or `K`. Two producers that deliver the same typed bytes to the same semantic
slot therefore produce the same downstream record and key.
`ActionResultV1` tags are: 1 schema, 2 the 32-byte action key, 3 typed
action-record digest, and 4 sorted `ResultOutputV1` records. `ResultOutputV1`
tags are 1 unique output name, 2 semantic artifact type, 3 mode (`data` or
`executable`), and 4 `TypedDigestV1`. `ObservationV1` separately uses tags 1 schema,
2 logical invocation, 3 optional action key, 4 exit status/signal, 5 stdout blob,
6 stderr blob, 7 timing/resources, and 8 physical runner metadata; it is never
an action result.
`TreeV1` tags are 1 schema and 2 ordered entries. `TreeEntryV1` tags are 1 name,
2 kind (`file`, `tree`), 3 executable boolean (false for tree), and 4 typed child
digest. `GraphSnapshotV1` tags are 1 schema, 2 logical root, 3 sorted
`GraphNodeV1` records, and 4 sorted `GraphEdgeV1` records. `GraphNodeV1` tags are
1 logical node ID, 2 typed action-template digest, 3 optional 32-byte action key,
4 optional typed action-record digest, and 5 optional typed action-result digest.
`GraphEdgeV1` tags are 1 consumer node ID, 2 consumer input slot, 3 producer node
ID, 4 producer output name, and 5 edge kind; edges sort by that five-field tuple.
Tag 4 is an ordinary producer output name except that a `bootstrap-record` edge
uses selector `action_record` or `action_result`. That branch resolves the
actual producer `GraphNodeV1.tag4` or tag 5, respectively; it never selects an
`ActionOutputV1` or `ResultOutputV1`. If the selected producer tag is absent,
the input remains unresolved and blocks finalization. The `source-input` kind is
invalid in `GraphEdgeV1`. Non-action source inputs live only in the consumer
template rather than invented graph nodes. The project index contains only its
typed graph-snapshot digest.
#### Target, toolchain, native, interface, and handoff records
| Tag | `PlatformDescriptorV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | schema | `1` |
| 2 | name | canonical lookup name |
| 3 | arch/vendor/os/environment/object format | five exact enums |
| 4 | endian/address spaces/pointers | complete integer-width map |
| 5 | integer/data-layout | widths, alignments, aggregate algorithm |
| 6 | C ABI/data model | exact IDs and calling-convention table |
| 7 | float/variadic/name decoration | exact ABI records |
| 8 | CPU baseline/features/atomics | baseline plus required/forbidden sets |
| 9 | minimum OS/SDK | typed version record |
| 10 | TLS/unwind capabilities | sets plus defaults |
| 11 | relocation/code capabilities | supported sets plus defaults |
| 12 | executable/shared/page rules | typed object-format rules |
| 13 | hosted policy | hosted/freestanding plus capability set |
| 14 | object/runtime ABI protocols | exact IDs |
`TargetConstraintV1` tags 1–17 are, respectively: optional exact descriptor
digest; arch; vendor; OS; environment; object format; hosted; C ABI; data model;
float ABI; CPU baseline; required feature set; forbidden feature set; minimum
SDK; relocation; code model; PIC requirement. Empty scalar/set means no
constraint. Matching is exactly section 8.4; no expression field exists.
`ToolchainV1` tags are: 1 schema; 2 ID; 3 version; 4 the same complete protocol
record used by action tag 3; 5 sorted `Tool` records; 6 sorted platform
descriptors; 7 sorted profiles; 8 sorted link policies; 9 runtime/provider
records; 10 bundle tree digest/signature provenance.
A `Tool` is `(name, bundle-relative path, executable blob digest, ordered dynamic
tool dependencies, resource-tree digests, adapter record)` tags 1–6. A link
policy is `LinkPolicyV1`: tag 1 product-platform descriptor; 2 product kind; 3
linkage; 4 profile constraint; 5 runtime selector (`hosted`, `minimal`, `none`,
or an exact provider slot); 6 one ordered link-policy token template; and 7
output ABI/install policy. Policies sort by the five-field selection key and a
zero/multiple match is an error. CRTs and scripts are `ArtifactRefV1` tokens,
not basenames. A dynamic loader is one restricted `dynamic-loader` token holding
both its artifact and runtime interpreter path; PE/COFF platform-image policy is
an ordered provider token rather than a fabricated loader artifact.
`SelectedToolClosureV1` deterministically
projects only the relevant tools/resources/platform/profile/policy into tags
1–7; that projection—not unrelated bundle members—is action-key input.
#### Native artifact and ABI subrecords
Compact manifest paths are lowered to `ArtifactRefV1` before WWAR encoding and
then to action input-slot references before execution. The native records are:
| Tag | `IncludeTreeRefV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | tree | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `tree` |
| 2 | class | `quote`, `user`, `system`, or `framework` |
| 3 | subdirectory | normalized tree-relative path; `.` default |
The provider's include list is ordered because header search order is semantic.
The same tree may occur more than once with another class or subdirectory.
| Tag | `NativeSourceV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | name | unique provider-local identity |
| 2 | source | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `file` |
| 3 | language | exact toolchain capability ID, such as `c11` or `gnu-assembly` |
| 4 | preprocessing | `none` or `c-preprocessor` |
| 5 | include-indices | ordered indexes into the provider include list; empty means all |
| 6 | defines | sorted literal macro map; duplicates with provider defines error |
Target, profile, relocation/PIC/code/TLS policy, tool, and dialect adapter come
from the enclosing `native.compile` record. Raw source flags do not exist.
| Tag | `PrebuiltObjectV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | name | unique provider-local identity |
| 2 | object | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `object` |
| 3 | sidecar | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-sidecar` |
| 4 | contract | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-abi` |
| Tag | `ArchiveV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | name | unique provider-local identity |
| 2 | archive | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `archive` |
| 3 | sidecar | archive-level `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-sidecar` |
| 4 | members | ordered `ArchiveMemberV1` list in physical order |
| 5 | contract | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-abi` |
`ArchiveMemberV1` tags are 1 member name, 2 member blob `TypedDigestV1`, and 3
object-sidecar `ArtifactRefV1`. Duplicate names are legal only at distinct
positions; member order is never sorted. The referenced archive sidecar records
the ordered member-sidecar record digests as well as the physical member facts.
| Tag | `SharedImportLibraryV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | name | unique provider-local identity |
| 2 | kind | `elf-shared`, `macho-dylib`, or `pe-import` |
| 3 | link-artifact | shared object/dylib/import-library `ArtifactRefV1` |
| 4 | link-sidecar | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-sidecar` for tag 3 |
| 5 | runtime-identity | exact SONAME, install-name, or DLL name |
| 6 | runtime-artifact | exact deployable shared object/dylib/DLL `ArtifactRefV1` |
| 7 | runtime-sidecar | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-sidecar` for tag 6 |
| 8 | contract | `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-abi` |
| 9 | runtime-requires | sorted `NativeRuntimeRequirementV1` list |
ELF and Mach-O tags 3 and 6 may resolve to the same bytes. For PE, tag 3 is
the import library and tag 6 its matching DLL. A platform image still supplies
tag 6 as a content-identified artifact within that image.
`NativeProviderV1` tags are therefore: 1 name; 2 provided slot; 3
`TargetConstraintV1`; 4 ordered `IncludeTreeRefV1`; 5 ordered `NativeSourceV1`;
6 sorted provider define map; 7 ordered `PrebuiltObjectV1`; 8 ordered
`ArchiveV1`; 9 ordered `SharedImportLibraryV1`; 10 sorted required slots; 11
ordered link-token templates; and 12 an `ArtifactRefV1` of kind `native-abi`.
Every ABI contract and sidecar is an independently encoded, content-addressed
record. In a resolved action, those records and every artifact field above are
`InputSlotRefV1` values; source/action/provider output digests live only in
action tag 10. A sidecar's internal artifact digest must equal the corresponding
object/archive/shared input-slot digest, and its contract digest must equal the
kind-16 `TypedDigestV1` of the referenced native-ABI input record.
Section/layout/provenance digests inside a sidecar are verification facts, not
locators from which the action may read undeclared content.
| Tag | `NativeABIContractV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | schema | `1` |
| 2 | slot | exact ABI-provider slot |
| 3 | platform | `NativeABIPlatformV1` |
| 4 | symbols | sorted `NativeSymbolContractV1` list |
| 5 | types | sorted `NativeTypeContractV1` list |
| 6 | runtime-requires | sorted `NativeRuntimeRequirementV1` list |
| 7 | features | `NativeFeatureContractV1` |
| 8 | minimum-platform | optional `PlatformVersionV1` |
| 9 | code | `NativeCodeContractV1` |
Its typed record identity is `record_id(16, 1, contract)` as defined in section
6.6. Every schema-1 digest identifying a complete `NativeABIContractV1` is the
corresponding record-domain, kind-16, schema-1 `TypedDigestV1`. WW computes it; a
supplied digest is never accepted in place of the record. Subordinate layout,
calling-convention, type-contract, and header-contract digests remain their
separately specified semantic values.
| Tag | `NativeABIPlatformV1` field | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | object-format | exact format capability ID |
| 2 | object-class | exact class/word-size ID |
| 3 | endian | `little` or `big` |
| 4 | machine-ABI | exact architecture object ABI ID |
| 5 | C-ABI | exact C ABI ID |
| 6 | data-model | exact data-model ID |
| 7 | data-layout | canonical layout digest |
| 8 | calling-conventions | canonical convention-table digest |
| 9 | float-ABI | exact ID |
| 10 | variadic-ABI | exact ID |
| 11 | symbol-ABI | exact decoration/versioning ABI ID |
| 12 | object-ABI | exact object protocol ID |
| 13 | runtime-ABI | required WW runtime ABI ID or empty |
`NativeSymbolContractV1` tags are: 1 exact external name; 2 exact version or
empty; 3 kind (`function`, `data`, `tls`, `ifunc`); 4 role (`define`, `require`);
5 binding (`strong`, `weak`); 6 visibility (`default`, `protected`, `hidden`);
7 calling-convention ID or empty; 8 canonical function/object type-contract
digest; and 9 optional byte size. Symbols sort by `(name,version,kind,role)`;
duplicate keys error.
`NativeTypeContractV1` tags are: 1 stable binding/header-qualified identity; 2
kind (`opaque`, `scalar`, `enum`, `struct`, `union`, `function`); 3 exposure
(`opaque`, `layout`); 4 canonical target-specific layout/signature digest; 5
optional size; 6 optional alignment; and 7 optional canonical header/macro
contract digest. Types sort by identity and duplicates error.
`NativeRuntimeRequirementV1` tags are 1 provider slot, 2 required ABI-contract
digest, 3 phase (`link`, `load`, `both`), and 4 optional SONAME/install-name/DLL
identity. They sort by `(slot,phase,runtime-identity)`; conflicting requirements
for one slot error. `NativeFeatureContractV1` tags are 1 CPU baseline or empty,
2 sorted required feature IDs, 3 sorted forbidden feature IDs, and 4 sorted
atomic-capability IDs; required and forbidden sets must be disjoint.
`PlatformVersionV1` tags are 1 version-family ID and unsigned 2 major, 3 minor,
4 patch, 5 revision. Versions compare lexicographically over tags 2–5 only after
tag 1 equality. `NativeCodeContractV1` tags are 1 PIC (`any`, `required`,
`forbidden`); 2 sorted TLS-model IDs; 3 unwind ABI ID or `none`; 4 sorted
personality/runtime symbols; and 5 sorted required/forbidden relocation records,
each record being tag 1 capability ID and tag 2 requirement (`required` or
`forbidden`).
`NativeSidecarV1` is evidence, not a second contract. Its tags are: 1 schema; 2
artifact `TypedDigestV1`; 3 evidenced `NativeABIPlatformV1`; 4 sorted evidenced
`SectionFactV1`; 5 sorted evidenced `SymbolFactV1`; 6 sorted evidenced
`RelocationFactV1`; 7 evidenced sorted architecture attribute/notes map; 8
evidenced `NativeMachineFactsV1`; 9 native ABI-contract digest; 10 sorted
`NativeRuntimeRequirementV1`; and 11 `ProvenanceV1`. An evidenced value is
`EvidenceV1`: tag 1 enum (`inspected` or `declared`) and tag 2 the value whose
type is fixed by the containing field. `NativeMachineFactsV1` tags are 1
`NativeFeatureContractV1` and 2 `NativeCodeContractV1`.
`SectionFactV1` tags are 1 name, 2 format type, 3 flag set, 4 size, 5 alignment,
6 optional content digest. `SymbolFactV1` tags are the nine
`NativeSymbolContractV1` fields plus tag 10 section and tag 11 value/offset.
`RelocationFactV1` tags are 1 section, 2 offset, 3 exact relocation ID, 4 symbol,
5 signed addend encoded as `(negative:boolean,magnitude:uint)`, and 6 target
section. `ProvenanceV1` tags are 1 producer/tool typed digest, 2 source/build
record typed digest, 3 attestation bytes, and 4 signer/policy ID. A frozen opaque
input requires accepted attestation for every `declared` value.
`LinkTokenTemplateV1` and final `LinkTokenV1` share tags: 1 kind; 2 artifact; 3
provider slot; 4 string value; 5 enabled boolean; 6 validated path; 7 runtime
path; and 8 ordered nested tokens. Tag 2 is `ArtifactRefV1` in a template and
`InputSlotRefV1` in a final action. Valid nonempty combinations are exactly:
object/archive/shared/linker-script/version-script/export-map/def-file use tag 2;
the template-only provider kind uses tag 3; group/whole use tag 8; as-needed uses tags 5 and 8;
runtime-search uses tags 4 and 6; install-name, entry, and retain use tag 4; and
dynamic-loader uses tags 2 and 7. Every other field encodes its empty/default
value. A final `LinkTokenV1` forbids `provider`; provider selection and its
ordered fragment are recursively expanded at that exact position before the
plan is final. Section 8.6 constrains valid nesting. A toolchain `LinkPolicyV1`
template additionally permits `splice` (tag 4 is exactly `product-objects`,
`init-dispatch`, `native-providers`, or `product-controls`) and
`script-slot` (tag 2 is an optional policy-default script). Those two kinds are
forbidden in project/native link declarations and in a final plan.
The selected policy template is flattened in list order. Each splice kind occurs
exactly once and expands to its already computed ordered product list;
the single required `script-slot` becomes one `linker-script` at the same list
position using the product's explicit script when present, otherwise the policy
default, and disappears only when both are empty. A product script therefore
replaces, never combines with, the default. Ordinary policy tokens—including CRT
objects, compiler runtime, dynamic loader, and system-provider slots—stay exactly
where declared. System providers are ordered template tokens, not a sorted set.
Each expands to its selected provider's concrete token fragment; dependencies
expand recursively, and a provider cycle is an analysis error. Every expanded
artifact, sidecar, and ABI contract is a tag-10 input. A provider such as a PE
platform image that adds no linker token instead contributes its resolved
contract slot to the plan's non-link policy field. After expansion no provider
or splice partition remains.
`LinkPlanV1` tags are 1 schema; 2 the exact product-platform/kind/linkage/
profile/runtime-policy selection record; 3 the single fully expanded ordered
`LinkTokenV1` stream; 4 selected linker/tool/resource slot refs; 5 selected
non-link platform/runtime/provider ABI-contract and sidecar slot refs; and 6
output ABI/install policy. Every file-bearing token and verification record
references action tag 10. Only
this resolved flattened plan enters the link action key.
`ExportV1` (the WWAR body after `.wwe` magic) tags are: 1 schema; 2 reader
capabilities; 3 language/type protocol; 4 product-platform/C/object/runtime ABI;
5 package identity/name; 6 sorted exported-surface origin/type contract table; 7
canonical type graph; 8 sorted exported declarations/constants/foreign symbols;
9 public initialization/ABI facts; 10 public-type digest; 11 public-ABI digest. Section 7.2
defines excluded non-semantic fields. `PackageLinkV1` (`.wwlm`) tags are 1 schema,
2 package identity, 3 platform/object/runtime ABI, 4 package-object digest, 5
defined/required foreign symbols, 6 predeclared provider slots/contracts, 7 init
symbol/dependency facts, 8 install/link requirements. Tag 6 contains exactly one
compiler-derived `ProviderContractV1` for each package action tag-12 predeclared
slot, and its sorted slot projection must equal that predeclared list. It cannot
add a provider slot or graph edge.
`InstallManifestV1` tags are 1 schema, 2 product identity/key, 3 sorted entries
`(artifact digest, mode, relative destination)`, 4 runtime-resolution policy, 5
sorted shared/runtime closure, 6 target/toolchain/ABI provenance. Absolute prefix
is deliberately absent. `BootstrapPlanV1` tags are 1 schema, 2 bootstrap-host
contract, 3 ordered source refs/digests, 4 portable-C compiler/output settings,
5 recorded host-C command/tool closure, 6 stage-1 outputs, 7 production toolchain
closure, 8 identical logical stage-2/3/4 action roots, 9 semantic fixed-point
output roles, and 10 raw-record fixed-point roles. No clause or executable step
exists beyond that closed plan.
These sections fix the architectural fields, but they do not make Phase 0 an
executable specification of every reference or key transformation. Phase 0
transcribes only their wire-visible record fields, tags, enum values, union
discriminants, encoded defaults, field order, record kinds, wrapper framing, and
digest preimage formulas into the checked-in compact schemas. Cross-field
validity, construction, resolution, projection, lowering, and failure behavior
belong to the executable phase that implements them. The Phase 0 generator and
golden vectors determine bytes, not future build-engine semantics. No phase may
silently add a wire field, renumber an assignment, change an encoded default, or
alter a frozen digest formula.
## 7. Interface and artifact protocol
### 7.1 Package outputs
Every `ww.package` action, including a root package, emits the same three named
artifacts:
```text
export.wwe deterministic binary export data
package.o one target object
link.wwlm deterministic package link metadata
```
These are names inside an immutable action result, not globally meaningful
filenames. The cache is keyed by digests and logical package identity, so there
is no `__root` special case and no dotted import path used as an artifact
basename. A root object and dependency object obey identical protocols.
`link.wwlm` declares the package object's target, object ABI, defined/required
foreign symbols, required native-provider slots, initialization ordering, and
runtime ABI. It attests facts/edges already present in the action-template DAG;
it may not introduce a provider, dependency, or action after compilation, and a
mismatch is a compiler/build-protocol error. It does not contain raw linker flags. Ordinary package objects are
fed directly to the product link. An archive exists only when an explicit
static-library product asks the `archive` action to combine its ordered declared
`members` (default: root package only). Transitive package/native dependencies
remain typed link requirements in the library's install manifest and are not
silently copied into multiple archives. A deliberately self-contained archive
must list every member explicitly and pass duplicate-symbol/provider checks.
Language initialization never depends on linker input order. `ww.init` consumes
all reachable `.wwlm` artifacts, topologically orders initialization by package
imports with byte-sorted ties, diagnoses duplicate/cyclic init facts, and emits
one dispatcher object. The link plan explicitly roots that dispatcher and every
referenced init symbol against section garbage collection.
### 7.2 WW Export Data 1 (`.wwe`)
`.wwe` is a cache/build protocol, not source text and not a long-term binary
distribution promise. It starts with the eight-byte magic `WWEX\0\0\0\1` and a
WWAR-encoded body. The magic is fixed framing that is reconstructed and verified
around the body; it does not create a second blob identity. The typed `.wwe`
identity is `record_id(18, 1, ExportV1)` over that body. The body contains:
1. export schema, language edition, type-system protocol, and required reader
capabilities;
2. target descriptor, C ABI, object ABI, and runtime ABI digests;
3. full package identity and declared package name;
4. a sorted table of originating package/type identities and declaration-level
public ABI digests actually referenced by the exported surface;
5. a canonical type graph sufficient for type checking, layout, calling
convention, and code generation of every exported declaration;
6. exported constants, variables, functions, methods, types, and explicit
foreign symbols; and
7. the public initialization/ABI facts needed by an importer.
Declarations are sorted by `(kind, exported name, stable overload discriminator)`;
type-graph nodes are assigned by deterministic structural traversal. Integer and
floating constants use canonical target-independent bit encodings until a
target conversion is part of their type. Function parameter **names**, source
locations, comments, unused imports, private function bodies, and declaration
order are not semantic and are omitted. Documentation/source mapping is a
separate optional artifact and cannot invalidate an importer.
Unmanaged layout sometimes depends on facts that are private at the source
level. An exported representation therefore records size, alignment, field/base
offsets, calling convention, niche/tag rules, and relevant private padding or
opaque-field descriptors without exposing private names. `@repr("c")` types
also record the exact C data model and layout algorithm version. Opaque types
record only the operations and layout promises permitted to clients.
### 7.3 Direct imports with deep public closure
An importer opens one `.wwe` for each direct import and no transitive interface
file. If a direct dependency's API mentions a type originating in a deeper
package, its `.wwe` embeds a canonical deep descriptor for the portion of that
type required to understand and lay out the direct API. The descriptor retains
the originating package/type identity and digest of that exact referenced
contract—not the originating package's entire public ABI. It does not pretend
the type belongs to the middle package.
This rule gives both correctness and bounded reads:
```text
source/package imports -> direct .wwe inputs
direct .wwe -> complete meaning of that direct API
link graph -> all reachable package objects
```
A public change in a leaf rebuilds direct reverse dependencies. Propagation
continues only while each rebuilt package's `.wwe` bytes change. A private leaf
change never enters an importer key. This replaces source-like transitive
interface prepending and its quadratic composed units.
This bounds interface **opens and reparsing**, not necessarily total descriptor
bytes: heavily re-exported type graphs can duplicate deep descriptors. Phase 1
measures total `.wwe` size and structural duplication on the real library graph.
Only if that is material may a later export-schema revision intern immutable
per-declaration descriptors; direct-import semantics do not change.
### 7.4 Public and ABI digests
The `.wwe` content digest identifies its complete target-specific bytes. It also
contains two domain-separated hashes:
- **public type digest** over names, types, constants, visibility, and language
semantics; and
- **public ABI digest** over target layouts, calling conventions, exported
symbol contracts, runtime ABI, and representation facts.
Compile actions normally depend on the whole `.wwe` content digest. Tools such as
documentation may depend only on the public type digest when their action kind
explicitly permits it. Link compatibility checks use the ABI digest. Digest
subsetting is protocol-defined; callers cannot choose arbitrary ignored fields.
### 7.5 Symbols and identity
Internal WW symbols are mangled from a protocol-versioned hash of the full
package identity plus declaration identity, never from a leaf name or artifact
filename. Resolver rules ensure only one source/version supplies that package
identity. An explicitly foreign symbol is exactly the source-declared spelling
and participates in duplicate-provider checks.
Package version and distribution origin are absent from mangling because they
are not identity. An incompatible major version has a different `/vN` module
identity and therefore different WW symbols. Native C symbols do not gain this
protection; their provider slots and link collision rules must reject
incompatible co-selection.
### 7.6 Compatibility and deterministic serialization
A consumer accepts only the exact export/type/object/runtime protocol combination
declared compatible by its immutable toolchain descriptor. A new optional record
still requires a new export schema and reader capability. Unknown records are
not silently dropped. Target descriptor and ABI mismatches are errors before a
compiler or linker runs.
Because `.wwe` is rebuilt from locked source, WW does not need an indefinitely
stable compiler-internal export format. A toolchain upgrade changes action keys
and may rebuild the graph. Public native-library ABI stability is a separate,
explicit provider contract. Release/bootstrap byte comparisons include `.wwe`,
objects, link metadata, action records, and executables.
## 8. Native integration and cross compilation
### 8.1 Complete target descriptors
A target triple is a user-facing alias. Before graph construction it expands to
an immutable target descriptor containing at least:
- architecture, vendor, operating system, environment, and object format;
- endianness, pointer widths/address spaces, integer/long widths, alignment and
aggregate-layout rules;
- C ABI/data model, calling conventions, name decoration, variadic convention,
TLS ABI capabilities/default, floating ABI, and unwind model;
- baseline CPU, required/forbidden CPU features, minimum OS/SDK version, and
atomic capability;
- supported/default relocation and code models, executable/shared-library rules,
and page constraints;
- hosted versus freestanding policy; and
- compatible object ABI and runtime ABI protocol identifiers.
The triple `x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` is insufficient by itself to identify CPU
features, sysroot, glibc, loader, or linker. Those are separate descriptor/input
digests. `--cpu` and `--feature` produce a new canonical expanded descriptor;
the host CPU is never probed to select target features unless the user explicitly
requests the impure alias `native`, which is rejected by frozen/shared builds.
The descriptor supplies ABI invariants plus supported/default policy values. A
profile/product selects the effective relocation, code, PIC/PIE, and TLS policy
from those permitted sets; the normalized effective values appear once in the
action record. A conflicting or unsupported selection is rejected, never
resolved by precedence between duplicate fields.
This follows the native facts exposed by LLVM data layouts and Clang's cross
compilation/toolchain documentation, while making their often-driver-selected
inputs explicit
([LLVM data layout](https://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html#data-layout),
[Clang cross compilation](https://clang.llvm.org/docs/CrossCompilation.html),
[Clang toolchain](https://clang.llvm.org/docs/Toolchain.html)).
### 8.2 Toolchain closure (`toolchain.wwt`)
An immutable toolchain bundle has a canonical `toolchain.wwt` descriptor with:
```text
ww-toolchain 1
id = "ww.org/toolchain"
version = "v1.4.0"
protocols = { language = "1", compiler = "1", export = "1", object = "1",
runtime = "1", manifest = 1, lock = 1 }
tool "wwc" { path = "bin/wwc", digest = "sha256:..." }
tool "cc" { path = "bin/clang", digest = "sha256:..." }
tool "as" { path = "bin/llvm-mc", digest = "sha256:..." }
tool "ld" { path = "bin/ld.lld", digest = "sha256:..." }
tool "archive" { path = "bin/llvm-ar", digest = "sha256:..." }
target "aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu" {
descriptor = "targets/aarch64-linux-gnu.wwt"
sysroot = { tree = "sha256:...", path = "sysroots/aarch64-linux-gnu" }
runtime = "runtime:aarch64-linux-gnu@1"
libc = "c:glibc@2.39"
link-policies = [
{ kind = "exe", linkage = "dynamic", profile = ["debug", "release"],
runtime = "hosted",
tokens = [
{ kind = "object", artifact = "sysroot:lib/crt1.o" },
{ kind = "object", artifact = "sysroot:lib/crti.o" },
{ kind = "splice", value = "product-objects" },
{ kind = "splice", value = "init-dispatch" },
{ kind = "splice", value = "native-providers" },
{ kind = "splice", value = "product-controls" },
{ kind = "provider", slot = "c:compiler-rt@1" },
{ kind = "provider", slot = "c:glibc@2.39" },
{ kind = "dynamic-loader",
artifact = "sysroot:lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1",
runtime-path = "/lib/ld-linux-aarch64.so.1" },
{ kind = "script-slot", artifact = "toolchain:lib/ldscripts/elf.lds" },
{ kind = "object", artifact = "sysroot:lib/crtn.o" }
] }
]
}
```
Every path is bundle-relative and every executable, shared tool dependency,
resource directory, built-in header tree, target descriptor, runtime, sysroot,
CRT, default script, and adapter is covered by the bundle's canonical tree
digest. The engine invokes exact paths and passes explicit target/sysroot/resource
arguments. A tool's compiled-in search outside the sandbox cannot resolve.
The compact `sysroot:`/`toolchain:` references in the example normalize to full
`ArtifactRefV1` records containing the individual typed digest obtained from
that authenticated tree; the shorthand itself never enters WWAR.
The whole bundle digest authenticates acquisition. An action key uses the
transitive selected descriptor slice/tool/resource/sysroot/runtime closure only;
adding an unused target or unrelated tool to a republished bundle does not cause
global recompilation. Changing any selected byte/protocol still changes the key.
Official bundles may use LLVM, GNU binutils, or another implementation per
target; the architecture does not expose that choice as project semantics.
Tool adapters translate WW's typed record to exact argv and declare all injected
inputs. A custom bundle must do the same and pass conformance/reproducibility
tests before frozen mode accepts it.
WW permanently owns the language compiler, export/object/runtime ABI protocols,
target descriptor schema, action engine, and official bundle definitions. It
does **not** permanently own the assembler, linker, archiver, C compiler, or SDK.
The current `w6a`/`w6l` may serve as migration inputs, then are removed once a
pinned external closure passes parity. This is the smaller long-term system.
### 8.3 C ABI and foreign declarations
Foreign declarations are explicit source contracts:
```ww
@abi("c") @symbol("write")
@provider("c:libc")
fn c_write(fd s32, data *u8, count usize) ssize;
@repr("c")
type Header struct { tag u32; length u16; };
```
The compiler checks that every type has a defined representation for the
selected C ABI and records symbol, calling convention, variadic status, layout,
and explicitly named provider slot in `.wwe`/`.wwlm`. `@provider` is mandatory
for each foreign declaration (a group annotation may supply it lexically), and
the owning package metadata must require that slot; WW never infers it from a
symbol spelling or link position. A foreign declaration with no provider, two
definitions of a strong symbol, incompatible calling conventions, or mismatched
layout digest is a pre-link diagnostic where possible and a mandatory link
failure otherwise.
C headers are not searched or parsed implicitly. Bindings are either checked-in
WW source produced by an explicit `ww bindgen c` command, or a declared
`generate` action whose inputs include the exact header trees, target descriptor,
preprocessor, macro map, include roots, and binding tool. The generated result
records the declared whole input-tree digests, observed include trace as
non-semantic audit metadata, and C ABI digest. The trace cannot add an input; a
future finer-grained scan would require a new built-in action still keyed by the
complete allowed include-tree digest. No build invokes ambient
`pkg-config`; `ww native snapshot-pkg-config` is an explicit, impure acquisition
command that converts one selected host configuration into a reviewable native
provider record and content snapshot.
### 8.4 Native declarations
Schema 1 uses two connected declarations. A package lists the ABI slots it
requires:
```text
package "compress/zlib" {
native = ["c:zlib@1"]
generated = ["action:zlib-bindings:ww"]
}
```
A provider declares exact target artifacts and dependencies:
```text
native "zlib-linux-aarch64" {
provides = "c:zlib@1"
when = { os = "linux", arch = "aarch64", environment = "gnu",
c-abi = "aapcs64", float-abi = "hard",
requires-features = ["neon"],
minimum-sdk = "linux:5.10.0.0" }
include-trees = [
{ tree = "native/zlib/include", class = "user", subdirectory = "." }
]
sources = [
{ name = "adler32", source = "native/zlib/adler32.c",
language = "c11", preprocessing = "c-preprocessor",
include-indices = [0], defines = {} }
]
defines = { ZLIB_CONST = "1" }
objects = []
archives = []
shared = []
requires = ["c:libc"]
link = [
{ kind = "object",
artifact = { namespace = "provider-output",
owner = "zlib-linux-aarch64",
name = "adler32", kind = "object", mode = "data" } }
]
abi = { file = "native/zlib.wwabi" }
}
```
Allowed provider fields are exactly `provides`, `when`, `include-trees`,
`sources`, `defines`, `objects`, `archives`, `shared`, `requires`, `link`, and
`abi`. `when` is a finite conjunction. It may contain exact
`descriptor-digest`, `arch`, `vendor`, `os`, `environment`, `object-format`,
`hosted`, `c-abi`, `data-model`, `float-abi`, `cpu-baseline`, `relocation`,
`code-model`, and `pic`; `requires-features`/`forbids-features` use subset/
disjoint-set matching; `minimum-sdk` matches only a product platform whose
declared minimum is at least that value. It has no general expression. All
matching candidates are retained: identical provider/artifact digests coalesce,
while multiple different matches require the product's explicit provider map
rather than a specificity guess.
The textual `abi = { file = PATH }` form parses `PATH` as one complete canonical
`NativeABIContractV1` subdocument, encodes it as top-level record kind 16, and
lowers the provider field to an `ArtifactRefV1` containing that typed record
digest; an inline complete record is equivalent. The local source blob and
parsed contract are both hashed. The file form is not a digest assertion or a
build-time include, and partial contracts are invalid.
`sources` entries support only toolchain-declared C language editions and
assembly dialects. Each source has an exact file digest and sees only the listed
include trees/defines and toolchain headers. `objects`, `archives`, and `shared`
name content-identified prebuilt artifacts plus their target/object/ABI records.
A local `path` is content-hashed during analysis; a literal expected digest is
needed only for an external/prebuilt record. A provider may mix source and prebuilt inputs, but every produced object is its
own `native.compile` action. There is no filesystem library search.
`abi` is not an opaque user assertion. It is the recomputed digest of a canonical
native ABI contract containing slot, product-platform ABI/data model, calling
conventions, symbol names/versions/kinds, referenced C layout/header-contract
digests, required runtime slots, CPU/features, minimum SDK, and PIC/TLS/unwind
requirements. Foreign bindings carry the expected contract or compatible
declaration-level subset. WW cross-checks the contract against compiled objects,
shared/import-library sidecars, and declared providers before link.
### 8.5 Assembly and object files
Assembly source declares an official external-tool dialect (`gnu`,
`llvm-integrated`, or another exact toolchain capability), preprocessing mode,
target, and CPU feature contract. The current `w6a` Plan-9-style dialect is a
migration input and is not accepted after cutover.
The selected assembler executable and resources are action inputs. A source for
one target cannot be selected for another by extension alone.
Prebuilt objects carry a sidecar native record with content digest, object
format, architecture, ABI, required CPU features, defined/undefined symbols,
PIC/TLS/unwind properties, and producer provenance. WW verifies the object
format/class/endian/machine header, sections, symbol table, relocations, notes,
and architecture attributes against every mechanically inferable sidecar fact;
the same inspection recurses into archive members and shared/import libraries.
Source-level C contract, libc/runtime compatibility, and provenance are not
fully inferable from object bytes, so frozen opaque prebuilts additionally need
a signature/attestation accepted by policy. A missing or contradictory record
is an error, not permission to ask the host linker what happens.
### 8.6 Static/shared libraries and ordered linking
Native `link` is an ordered list of typed template tokens:
```text
{ kind = "object", artifact = "object:NAME" }
{ kind = "archive", artifact = "archive:NAME" }
{ kind = "shared", artifact = "shared:NAME" }
{ kind = "provider", slot = "c:zlib@1" }
{ kind = "group", items = [...] }
{ kind = "whole", items = [...] }
{ kind = "as-needed", enabled = true, items = [...] }
{ kind = "linker-script", artifact = "file:NAME" }
{ kind = "version-script", artifact = "file:NAME" }
{ kind = "export-map", artifact = "file:NAME" }
{ kind = "def-file", artifact = "file:NAME" }
{ kind = "runtime-search", policy = "origin-relative", path = "lib" }
{ kind = "install-name", value = "@rpath/libname.so" }
{ kind = "dynamic-loader", artifact = "file:LOADER", runtime-path = "/lib/ld.so" }
{ kind = "entry", symbol = "_start" }
{ kind = "retain", symbol = "ww_init_abcd" }
```
Those are the complete schema-1 project/native template kinds. `provider` is
recursively replaced at its exact position by the chosen provider fragment;
the final kinds are every listed kind except `provider`. The toolchain-only
`splice` and `script-slot` kinds also lower away as specified in section 6.9.
Every file-bearing final token resolves
to a declared typed artifact and digest. Nested `items` contain only link tokens;
repetition is represented by repeating a list entry and is never deduplicated.
`group` contains archives or provider templates that resolve only to archives,
`whole` contains archives only, and `as-needed` contains shared inputs or
provider templates that resolve only to shared inputs; any other expansion or
nesting is invalid.
Runtime-search/install-name values are validated by the selected platform
adapter; frozen bundled policy permits only relocatable origin-relative paths.
Entry/retain tokens become the pinned linker's typed entry/undefined-root
mechanism. Raw flags exist only inside a content-identified custom toolchain
adapter.
The plan is not a set and is never alphabetically reordered. The selected
toolchain policy template determines global position: it can place start CRT
before the product-object splice and end CRT after runtime providers, rather
than relying on one universal ordering rule. Inside `product-objects`, WW
objects use stable package-identity order. Inside `native-providers`, fragments
use requester-before-provider topological order, which gives `libA` before the
`libB` it requires. `product-controls` carries the declared entry/retain/install
tokens; `init-dispatch` carries its single retained object when needed. Cyclic
static archives must be represented by one explicit `group`; an undeclared
provider cycle is an error. Repetition, whole-archive, as-needed, export maps,
and symbol-version scripts remain exact records in the flattened canonical plan.
An archive action preserves declared member order and canonicalizes header
timestamps, ownership, modes, and string tables. A shared-library input includes
its link-time artifact, SONAME/install-name, ABI digest, transitive runtime
requirements, and deployable runtime artifact digest. Merely finding the same
basename in a host directory is never equivalence.
The installation manifest also fixes runtime resolution. ELF bundled policy
copies the exact shared closure under a digest-namespaced relative `lib/` and
uses an origin-relative RUNPATH; Mach-O uses exact `@rpath`/install names; Windows
places named DLL artifacts in the declared application directory beside their
matching import libraries. A platform-image provider may instead bind an exact
loader/system tree. An OS-managed mutable shared library is an impure runtime
policy: link bytes can still be recorded, but WW does not promise that execution
will load a particular digest.
Linker scripts are declared content inputs. The adapter resolves/audits only
file-bearing directives such as `INCLUDE`, `INPUT`, `GROUP`, and `SEARCH_DIR`
for the pinned linker dialect; included files and permitted sysroot trees are in
the record. The pinned linker—not WW—interprets section placement, expressions,
symbols, memory regions, and target semantics inside the closed sandbox.
Unresolved `SEARCH_DIR`, absolute host paths, and implicit default scripts are
errors. GNU `ld` documents that scripts and archive order change link semantics;
WW therefore preserves rather than abstracts them away
([GNU ld scripts](https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/ld/Scripts.html),
[GNU linker](https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/ld.html)).
### 8.7 libc, CRT, SDK, loader, and freestanding products
A hosted platform entry names one exact sysroot/SDK and the available libc,
system, compiler-runtime, and WW-runtime providers; it does not name one
universal CRT sequence or loader. The selected toolchain link policy for
`(product-platform descriptor, product kind, linkage, profile, runtime
selector)` supplies the exact ordered token template containing CRTs, compiler
runtime, system-provider slots, script slot, and any platform-appropriate loader
contract. Compiler and linker
drivers run through no-defaults adapters and receive only that declared closure,
so they cannot fall back to B's `/usr`.
A product chooses a runtime policy:
```text
product "kernel" {
kind = "exe"
root = "kernel"
linkage = "static"
runtime = "none"
entry = "_start"
native = ["freestanding:boot@1"]
linker-script = "native/kernel.ld"
}
```
For an executable, `linkage` is exactly `dynamic`, `pie`, `static`, or
`static-pie`; shared-library products use `shared`. The toolchain maps
`(product kind, linkage, profile, product-platform, runtime selector)` to one
exact ordered policy template; selection never ignores `runtime`. Loader
presence follows the platform's executable rules. On an ABI with
an explicit program interpreter, `dynamic` and `pie` executables must name its
runtime path and exact provider artifact; `static` and `static-pie` must not. A
shared library has a runtime identity and dependencies but no executable program
interpreter. PE/COFF-style platforms without a separate interpreter bind the
exact platform-image/loader contract through system-provider policy rather than
inventing a pathname. Different product policies therefore cannot accidentally
share one CRT/loader sequence.
`runtime` is `hosted`, `minimal`, `none`, or a named provider. `none` supplies no
libc, CRT, loader, or WW runtime; compiler helper routines must be supplied by a
declared provider or rejected. `minimal` names an exact freestanding runtime.
Entry symbol, memory/linker script, relocation/code model, panic/stack policy,
and any boot image action are explicit. Kernel-style targets never inherit the
hosted target's defaults.
Schema 1 permits `none` only for object/static products and `static` or
`static-pie` executables. Its selected link template must contain no CRT,
dynamic-loader, libc, compiler-runtime, or WW-runtime token. `minimal` and named
providers declare their valid product/linkage set as capabilities; `hosted`
uses the platform's hosted set. A product/linkage/runtime tuple outside that set
is rejected during graph construction. The policy's single `script-slot` uses
the product's `linker-script` when present, replacing the default at the same
ordered position.
The target/toolchain declares the runtime capability required by every
compiler-emitted helper and language operation. During graph construction a
`none`/`minimal` product is rejected if selected source operations require an
unavailable allocation, panic, stack, arithmetic, TLS, unwind, or other runtime
capability; this is not deferred to an unexplained undefined linker symbol.
### 8.8 Provider conflicts and system substitution
One link namespace may select exactly one provider digest for an ABI slot such
as `c:zlib@1`, `c:libc`, or `runtime:ww@1`. Multiple requirements for the same
slot coalesce only if they resolve to the same provider and ABI digest. Different
providers, ABI major slots that export colliding unversioned symbols, and two
native modules claiming the same strong symbols are loud identity-collision
errors. WW never chooses whichever library appears first.
When more than one contract-compatible provider matches, the root product must
select one explicitly:
```text
product "hello" {
kind = "exe"
root = "."
linkage = "dynamic"
providers = [
{ slot = "c:zlib@1", use = "example.org/zlib#zlib-linux-aarch64" }
]
}
```
The provider ID is `(declaring module identity, native-clause name)`, rendered
with `#` only in metadata. Selection cannot change a dependency's required ABI
contract; the chosen provider must satisfy every declaration-level contract.
Two incompatible native versions can coexist only if they use distinct provider
slots **and** their symbols/runtime names are namespaced or versioned so the link
record proves no collision. Otherwise the build must adapt one behind a wrapper,
use dynamic isolation, or fail. Language-level multiple-version selection cannot
solve a C global-symbol collision.
A distro system provider is a normal provider record mapping exact logical
artifacts to content digests and ABI metadata. If those files live under `/usr`,
the mapping snapshots/re-hashes them before graph construction and changes the
key whenever they change. It is marked impure unless the directory tree itself
is immutable and content-identified. Raw `-L`, `-l`, `LD_LIBRARY_PATH`, compiler
defaults, and build-time `pkg-config` are not accepted substitutes.
A portable distributor substitution uses a closed `ww-native-map 1` file:
```text
ww-native-map 1
target = "sha256:product-platform-descriptor..."
provider "c:zlib@1" {
use = "distro.example/native#zlib"
contract = "sha256:..."
artifact-tree = "sha256:..."
provenance = "https://distro.example/provenance/zlib.jsonl"
}
```
`ww lock --native-map=FILE` records the map digest/origin in `ww.lock`; frozen
mode accepts only that exact signed/content-verified map. `ww.work` may contain
the same `provider` clause for local development, but it is an impure overlay and
frozen mode rejects it. This gives OS packagers an offline substitution mechanism
without changing imports or silently consulting `/usr`.
### 8.9 Cross-compilation behavior
All code-generating tools execute on B. WW/C/assembly compilation for the
requested ordinary product emits H objects using only H's target descriptor,
sysroot, headers, runtime, and native providers. A compiler-like product built
for H may later emit T code, but no T program executes during its own build.
Object headers and sidecars are checked before linking, so a host object cannot
silently enter a target product.
`ww test --target=H` always builds target test binaries. It executes them only
when `H = B` or the toolchain declares an explicit content-identified runner
(local emulator or simulator plus immutable image) as an invocation tool. Otherwise
it reports “built, not run” unless `--require-run` was requested, in which case
it fails. The runner and its platform image are action inputs; no ambient emulator
is discovered.
Remote hardware/device testing is a separate explicit
`ww observe test --runner=NAME` operation with declared endpoint/capability
authority. It may use network/devices but is a non-build observation: remote
state is reported, it never populates artifact/shared caches, and it is outside
byte-reproducibility claims. Ordinary `ww test` retains the no-network policy.
This model supports new targets without running a compiler on them: an existing
host toolchain adds a target descriptor, backend, object adapter, sysroot/runtime,
and native providers, then builds and tests through a declared runner or hardware
step. GNU's build/host/target distinction is useful vocabulary, but WW records
the complete descriptors rather than only triplets
([Autoconf triplets](https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/manual/autoconf-2.71/html_node/Specifying-Target-Triplets.html)).
## 9. Command-line design
### 9.1 The ordinary path
The default workflow is deliberately short:
```sh
ww init example.org/hello
ww build
ww run -- argument
ww test .
```
`ww init MODULE` creates `ww.mod`, a root `main.ww` only when the directory is
empty, and a lock selecting the currently invoked immutable toolchain. It does
not add a dependency. In an existing one-directory `main` package, `ww build`
works without `init`; the invoking toolchain and standalone source identity are
shown in verbose output.
`ww build [DIR|PRODUCT]` builds the default root product or one named product.
The default profile is the fully specified `debug` profile; `--profile=release`
selects the toolchain's immutable release profile. `ww run` first performs that
same build, then runs only a product with `H = B`; arguments after `--` are never
interpreted by the build.
There is no command that means “build and opportunistically download whatever is
missing.” If a locked source or toolchain is absent, the diagnostic names its
digest and asks for `ww fetch --locked`.
### 9.2 Tests, examples, docs, and installation
```sh
# Exactly one package.
ww test ./internal/codec
# Every package below the current module root.
ww test ./...
# Compile cross-target tests and require a declared runner.
ww test ./... --target=aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu --require-run
# Build an ordinary example product and render documentation.
ww build example:examples/packet
ww doc ./... --out=out/doc
# Materialize a named release product under a prefix.
ww install inspect --profile=release --prefix=/opt/ww
```
Test package discovery and result reporting remain deterministic under `-j N`.
Compilation is cached, but every selected test binary runs. An installation
manifest lists every copied artifact, digest, mode, runtime dependency, and
relative destination and is materialized as `<product>.wwinstall`. Installation never discovers libraries in the prefix and
never mutates the cache artifact.
### 9.3 Inspecting the graph and cache
```sh
ww graph --packages
ww graph --actions
ww graph --actions --format=json > graph.json
ww explain example.org/hello/internal/codec
ww explain --path --all product:hello
ww cache verify
ww verify reproducible --profile=release
```
`graph` performs analysis but no build action. A node whose producer output does
not yet exist has a known action shape and incoming edges but a `pending` key;
its final key is computed when predecessor content digests become available.
`explain` compares available current records with the project index and likewise
does not build. These commands never fetch.
### 9.4 Adding, fetching, updating, freezing, and vendoring
```sh
# Query the module's conventional source index, add a minimum, and lock closure.
ww add example.org/codec@v1.2.3
# The same operation with an explicit private or non-conventional origin.
ww add corp.example/codec@v1.2.3 --from=https://packages.corp/codec/
# Materialize exactly the existing lock without changing any project file.
ww fetch --locked
# Change one direct minimum and recompute the complete lock atomically.
ww update example.org/codec@v1.4.0
# Recompute after an intentional manifest edit.
ww lock
# Materialize the exact locked source closure in the project.
ww vendor --locked
# A frozen, offline build from already present locked inputs.
ww build --frozen --offline --vendor
```
`add` and `update` write `ww.mod` and `ww.lock` together through temporary files
only after the entire selection and integrity check succeeds. `lock` writes only
`ww.lock`. `fetch` and `vendor` never change selection. Without `--vendor`, WW
uses the immutable source store; with it, every vendor digest is reverified.
`add --from=URL` records that credential-free index as the requirement's
`source-index`; archive redirects/final origin remain exact lock metadata.
An ordinary non-frozen build still never updates an inconsistent lock: it fails
with the exact `ww lock` command. Frozen mode additionally rejects workspaces,
impure providers, noncanonical metadata, unlocked tools, and any source digest
not named by the lock. `--offline` is useful in automation as an assertion but
does not weaken or strengthen the normal build network denial.
### 9.5 Cross compilation and toolchain selection
```sh
# Select a product host platform (the familiar cross-build form).
ww build --target=aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu --profile=release
# Select exact CPU semantics rather than probing the build machine.
ww build --target=x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu \
--cpu=x86-64-v3 --feature=-avx512f
# Build a compiler that runs on H and emits code for T.
ww build compiler:wwc \
--host=aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu \
--target=riscv64-unknown-none-elf
# Acquire and lock an exact toolchain before building; only fetch uses network.
ww toolchain fetch ww.org/toolchain@v1.4.0
ww lock --toolchain=ww.org/toolchain@v1.4.0
ww build --toolchain=ww.org/toolchain@v1.4.0
```
The selected command toolchain must match the common ID, satisfy every minimum,
and equal the root lock's exact descriptor. A digest
selection is exact; an ID/version selection resolves only through the lock or
installed signed catalog and never during build. `ww toolchain list --targets`
shows descriptors and sysroot/runtime digests, not just triples. `ww lock
--toolchain` changes only the lock's exact toolchain selection when the chosen
version satisfies every manifest minimum; it does not rewrite those minimums.
### 9.6 Deliberately absent commands/options
There is no `ww build --fetch`, build-time package-manager hook, raw `-L`/`-l`,
global import search path, arbitrary compiler/linker environment injection,
manifest evaluator, or command that installs dependencies into a mutable global
source namespace. Expert escape hatches are explicit toolchains, native provider
records, and finite declarative actions; all remain visible in the graph/key.
## 10. Toolchain and bootstrap design
### 10.1 The durable stage-zero seed
The smallest credible recovery seed is:
```text
bootstrap/ww0.c generated portable C99 snapshot
bootstrap/bootstrap.plan canonical source/tool/output plan
bootstrap/SHA256SUMS expected seed and plan digests
```
`ww0.c` is generated at release time from the same compiler sources as the
production compiler, with a deliberately non-optimizing portable C backend and
the minimal support routines concatenated into one translation unit. It is not
a second hand-maintained compiler and is never used in ordinary production
builds. The resulting `ww0` retains that portable C-emission path: it contains
only enough compiler, export writer, C output, and fixed-plan execution to emit
stage-1 C from the enumerated source closure and have the named host C closure
compile it. It has
no resolver, network client, general manifest engine, cache, test coordinator,
or installation framework.
The release process regenerates `ww0.c` and fails if its bytes differ from the
checked-in snapshot. Keeping portable source rather than four opaque host
binaries permits recovery on a new architecture with a C99 implementation. The
cost of the simple C emitter is accepted because it bounds and exposes the seed;
it is a release backend, not another production path.
The bootstrap-host contract is narrower than “any C99”: hosted C99 with
`CHAR_BIT == 8`, exact `uint8_t/uint32_t/uint64_t`, two's-complement signed
integers, binary file I/O, at least 32-bit address space and the published source/
object size limits. The snapshot uses no host floating-point result or undefined
signed overflow. Compile-time assertions plus a tiny I/O/integer conformance
probe run before compilation. Supported implementation modes and required
headers are enumerated in `bootstrap.plan`; an implementation outside the
contract is not silently called portable.
### 10.2 Stage transitions and fixed point
Recovery uses these exact stages:
1. A named host C implementation compiles `ww0.c` to `ww0`. Its executable,
version output, command, headers, libc, assembler, and linker are recorded in
`bootstrap-host.wwar`; they are part of the trusted base, not silently blessed.
2. `ww0 bootstrap/bootstrap.plan` runs on B, emits portable C for the locked
production compiler/driver, and uses that same recorded host C closure to
produce **stage 1 with H = B**. Stage 1 must run locally; distributable cross
compilers are built only after the local fixed point.
3. Stage 1 uses the pinned production target/tool closure to perform a normal
frozen build of the same sources for `H = B`, producing **stage 2**.
4. Stage 2 repeats the identical logical build to produce **stage 3**.
5. Stage 3 repeats it to produce **stage 4**.
6. `bootstrap.compare` first requires stage-2 and stage-3 **semantic output
sets**—compiler/driver executables, export/object/runtime artifacts, and the
installed semantic bundle tree—to be byte-identical. Producer action records
and provenance are excluded because stage 2 was built by stage 1 while stage
3 was built by stage 2. Once those compiler bytes converge, it requires
stage-3 and stage-4 semantic outputs **and raw action/result records** to be
byte-identical; their producer compiler digests are then equal. Each raw
record is a separately named `action-record` or `action-result` input in
action tag 10; comparison metadata or a digest outside tag 10 is not read
authority.
Stage 1 need not equal stage 2: portable-C and production backends may generate
different code. Stage 2 MUST equal stage 3 semantically, and stage 3 MUST equal
stage 4 completely. A canonical stage semantic manifest lists only role/output
artifact digests, never its producer. A mismatch reports the first differing
output or action field and is a release failure. Two absolute roots and two
concurrency levels are used for the official fixed-point job.
This fixed point proves self-consistency and path/order reproducibility; it does
not by itself defeat Ken Thompson's trusting-trust attack. Official releases
also perform **diverse seed compilation** with two independently sourced host C
toolchains where available, publish both bootstrap-host records, regenerate the
C snapshot from the converged WW source/compiler, and compare converged semantic
outputs before signing. This is additional evidence, not a claim of formal
diverse-double-compilation proof.
### 10.3 Trusted-computing-base accounting
The bootstrap report lists, by content digest:
- `ww0.c`, `bootstrap.plan`, and their tiny C support layer;
- host C compiler/preprocessor, headers, libc, assembler, linker, loader, and OS
kernel used to create/run `ww0`;
- bootstrap assembler/linker/archive tools and their shared/resource closure;
- source/lock/toolchain descriptor trees; and
- the SHA-256 and signature verification implementations/keys.
That is the reproducible software/input closure. The operational trusted
computing base additionally includes CPU, firmware, memory/storage behavior,
kernel, and execution environment; the report names the available hardware/
firmware attestations but does not pretend a source hash removes physical trust.
Nothing is called “trusted” merely because it was found on `PATH`. A recovery
build with unpinned system tools may establish a new local fixed point but cannot
claim byte identity with an official release. An official reconstruction uses a
published content-identified host/bootstrap closure and compares its advertised
digests.
### 10.4 Toolchain distribution and selection
Each release publishes source plus locked-source-closure archive, `ww0.c`, lock
file, platform toolchain bundles, `toolchain.wwt`, stage-2/3/4 semantic and
action/result manifests, fixed-point report,
digests, signatures, and provenance. Binary bundles are conveniences verified
against the descriptor, not irreplaceable seeds. A user either selects the
project-locked toolchain or an exact command-line digest; WW never downloads a
new compiler while building.
Runtime ABI, export protocol, object ABI, and action-schema compatibility are
declared independently. A compiler refuses a runtime whose ABI it does not
support. Toolchain upgrades can retain source compatibility while intentionally
invalidating all relevant action keys.
### 10.5 New-architecture and no-compiler recovery
For a new H satisfying the bootstrap-host contract, compile `ww0.c`; `ww0` emits
the modified production compiler as portable C and the H C compiler builds the
locally runnable stage 1. Add/pin H's production object/assembler/linker closure,
then reach the stage-2/3/4 fixed point. Alternatively an existing B toolchain may
cross-build that H compiler, but it executes only through an explicit runner.
For a new T only, no target-local compiler is required: add the backend/target
descriptor, object tests, sysroot or freestanding runtime, and linker provider
to an existing B/H toolchain.
When no suitable WW compiler exists, the checked-in C seed is sufficient. When
no C compiler exists either, a platform must provide one previously built `ww0`
binary plus its exact source/digest, or bootstrap a C implementation; WW does not
claim a smaller physical trusted base than the machine can execute.
## 11. Current-system assessment
This section records the verified baseline at commit
`ca2cadeb4173e8190cd4c8bcc25e7da25bcdb0bc`. Line references describe that
commit and are implementation evidence, not requirements for the replacement.
### 11.1 Current invariants
- POSIX Make selects ambient `CC`, `AR`, optional `ccache`, and flags; builds the
Cstage tools; then uses the Cstage driver to build WWstage tools into separate
work directories. Make repeats manually enumerated transitive source
prerequisites for each self-hosted target
([Makefile](../Makefile), lines 7–20 and 105–279).
- `ww build` creates fixed-array package nodes keyed by dotted import spelling,
discovers imports with a hand-written scanner separate from the compiler
parser, rejects directory-package cycles, visits dependencies in
DFS postorder, and invokes packages serially. The graph is capped at 256
packages ([C driver](../cmd/ww/main.c), lines 333–370 and 670–700).
- An imported directory is a separately compiled package. An imported `.ww`
file is recursively folded into the importing unit and has no node, identity,
interface, object, or link artifact of its own. Inline package blocks can also
satisfy otherwise missing imports (C driver, lines 396–428 and 498–613).
- A directory package selects all immediate `.ww` files except `*_test.ww`, sorts
them by bytes, and has no target-specific selection rule (C driver, lines
239–301). The build path follows source symlinks while the test coordinator
rejects them.
- Resolution translates dotted imports to paths and performs a global
directory-before-file search over the entry root, `-I` roots, and inferred
source library. Thus a directory in a later root beats a file in an earlier
root (C driver, lines 152–224 and 966–1003).
- Every dependency emits source-like `.wwi`. Every importer receives the whole
transitive `.wwi` closure, tagged with out-of-band module comments and prepended
to a composed `.unit.ww`; the compiler reparses that unit (C driver, lines
702–809; [interface writer](../cmd/w6c/wwi.c), lines 1–24 and 505–570).
- The root compiles without compiler `-I`, emits no `__root.wwi`, bypasses the
dependency export-signature path, and receives special `main` handling; only
dependency nodes emit interfaces. `ww test` also injects the resolvable `test`
package as a synthetic root edge even when source has no such import, while
runtime is an implicit link edge. Imports do not fully describe even today's
complete graph (C driver, lines 1066–1083 and 1131–1146).
- `.wwi` records exported prototypes and direct import text but no compiler,
format, target, data-layout, object ABI, or runtime ABI identity. It includes
non-semantic parameter names and import spelling. The compiler's `-I` flag
both requests interface output and changes `main` symbol handling
([compiler entry](../cmd/w6c/main.c), lines 25–56 and 83–110).
- For `P` reachable directory packages including root, a normal driver build
launches `P` compiler processes, `P` assembler processes, and one linker.
It writes `P-1` dependency archives itself. The link is root object, dependency
archives in reverse topological order, runtime, then separately accumulated
`-L` and `-l` values, losing their original interleaving (C driver, lines
1095–1249 and 1368–1460).
- `-w DIR` is a caller-owned mutable reuse directory, not a cache. Freshness is
exact composed-unit bytes, copied driver/compiler/assembler bytes, a text mode
stamp, and artifact existence/nonzero size. The graph and units are rebuilt
in memory and the final executable is relinked on every invocation.
Publication through `.new` files with the unit committed last is usefully
atomic (C driver, lines 867–952, 1016–1059, and 1110–1213).
- Without `-w`, a build creates and deliberately retains
`<output-stem>.sepwork`; repeating while it exists fails. With `-w`, the caller
must create and serialize the directory. Normal driver products are always
root executables linked with the runtime; there is no library-only product
path, and `-S` merely stops after assembly.
- `ww test DIR` delegates to a separate coordinator. It groups same-package
`package p;` and external `package p_test;` tests from `*_test.ww`, excludes
dependency tests, composes generated source roots, and parallelizes independent
test binaries with deterministic reporting
([package coordinator](../internal/wwpackage/package.ww), lines 278–417,
508–648, and 725–1057).
- Explicit `ww test FILE` bypasses the directory `*_test.ww` classifier and
accepts an arbitrarily named source root. Universal directory packages delete
that distinct test mode.
- Current bootstrap is mixed C/self-hosted. Make keeps the C driver fixed, uses
self-hosted compiler stages to produce `ww2`, `ww3`, and `ww4`, and compares
`ww2 == ww3` and `ww3 == ww4`. The self-hosted driver itself is outside that
fixed-point chain. The planned four stage-zero binaries are absent; the
“no C compiler” route still uses host `ar` ([Makefile](../Makefile), lines
825–883; [bootstrap notes](../BOOTSTRAP.md)).
### 11.2 Conflated identities and accidental behavior
This table records the baseline that the implemented slices below replaced;
sections 11.6–11.18 are authoritative where they conflict with it.
| Concept that must be separate | Current conflation or accident |
|---|---|
| package identity | Before the local-package slices, dotted import spelling was simultaneously graph key, module/symbol prefix, artifact basename, and link identity. The implemented loader now separates source spelling, expanded canonical identity, physical directory, and storage locator. |
| declared name | Before section 11.18, imported directories required their declared name to equal the import-path leaf and `.wwi` retained only that leaf. The implemented compiler/export path now carries the declaration independently. |
| filesystem location | Ordered search roots silently choose/shadow a location; the same physical directory may be compiled under two import identities, while duplicate locations for one spelling produce no collision diagnostic. Paths are lexical, not content identities. |
| package versus file | Directories create separate-compilation nodes; files disappear into owners. The same `package` syntax means two compilation models. |
| artifact versus identity | `<dotted-path>.wwi/.s/.o/.a` names artifacts; root aliases to `__root`, which can collide with a real import. |
| public versus non-semantic interface | Parameter names and AST-preserved type/import spellings influence `.wwi` bytes and reverse rebuilds. Imports/declarations are otherwise canonically sorted; whitespace/comments and original declaration order generally do not. |
| compiler interface mode versus link identity | `w6c -I` both emits `.wwi` and classifies the package as a dependency for `main` mangling. |
| native dependency versus linker search | Raw `-L` and `-l` names carry no selected file, ABI, order relationship, target, or content identity. |
| cache location versus cache key | The explicit `-w` directory is both mutable namespace and freshness state; callers must serialize it. |
| source root versus command UX | Help historically describes `.` like a basename file, while implementation stats and builds it as a directory. |
Other accidental constraints include fixed 256/1024-byte name/path buffers. The
compiler parser silently truncates dotted full imports beyond 255 bytes, while
the C driver scanner can stop advancing and hang on an import identifier at that
limit; the dynamically sized WWstage scanner differs. There is no regression
test for this stage divergence. Compiler, assembler, and linker launches now use
structured argument vectors in both stages. Both drivers honor exact executable
paths in `WW_W6C`, `WW_W6A`, and `WW_W6L` and otherwise select their
stage-specific sibling tools. Both drivers distinguish the package-source root
selected by `WW_SRCLIB` from the runtime-artifact root selected by `WW_LIB`, and
apply the same empty-value and repository/install fallbacks. The two
implementations remain parallel production algorithms rather than one protocol
implementation.
Build and test disagree about source symlinks. External package tests are built
from a generated single-file root plus `-I`; an external import of a multi-file
production package can resolve and fold only its canonical same-named file rather
than the directory package. Test work-directory names flatten `/` to `_`, so
distinct lexical paths can collide. These are consequences of routing tests
around, rather than through, one package model.
`make install` copies only `ww`, `wwtest`, and `libwcc.a`, while the driver needs
sibling compiler/assembler/linker tools and `libwwrt.a`; the installed result is
not a self-contained functional toolchain outside the build tree.
### 11.3 Scaling, invalidation, and hidden inputs
The driver performs deterministic linear action interning but now grows every
package dependency vector dynamically (section 11.14). Every package compiler
reads exactly one interface per direct dependency; transitive dependencies enter
only the executable archive closure. Package compiler/assembler work within one
driver remains serial; Make gains parallelism only by launching independent
top-level driver builds.
The observed invalidation rules are:
- a private change in a directory dependency rebuilds that package and the
unconditional final link, but not importers;
- an exported change rebuilds direct importers and continues through an ancestor
only while the regenerated direct-dependency export bytes change, stopping at
the first byte-identical regenerated interface;
- a private change in a folded file import rebuilds its entire owner;
- a link-only option reruns the always-executed link but not package compiles;
- changing copied compiler or assembler bytes rebuilds every package; and
- nonzero corruption of `.s`, `.o`, `.a`, or `.wwi` may be accepted because
content is not rehashed.
Hidden or incompletely modeled inputs include `CC`, `AR`, `PATH`, `ccache`, Make
flags, compiler built-ins, assembler/linker defaults,
inferred `argv[0]` library locations, current working directory, file mode, runtime
archive, linker binary, native-library resolution, host libc/CRT/loader, SDK,
CPU, target, and environment. Make does not invalidate existing C objects when
the host compiler or C flags change. Persistent package workdirs now bind the
exact driver executable, conservatively covering its graph, unit, archive, and
commit semantics; the remaining ambient inputs are not thereby promoted into a
cache protocol. WW has no target triple, sysroot, conditional source, generator,
manifest, lock, source digest, or frozen/offline concept.
### 11.4 Measurements and disposable experiments
Measurements ran on Linux 6.12.76_1 x86-64 with eight logical CPUs, GCC 14.2.1,
binutils 2.44, and no `ccache`. They used successful clean builds and isolated
temporary source fixtures; no production migration was begun. Clean/full means
use two timed samples and representative cold means three, without CPU isolation
or OS-cache flushing, so they are observed baselines rather than universal
performance claims.
| Measurement | Result |
|---|---|
| clean `make all`, `-j1` | 24.847 s mean |
| clean `make all`, `-j8` | 15.515 s mean; only 1.60× speedup |
| warm `make all -j8` | 0.02365 s mean at Make level |
| clean tool trace | 69 package compiles/assembles in six driver workdirs; 71 `w6c`, 76 `w6a`, six `w6l`, 63 in-driver archives; package work inside each driver stayed serial |
| small / 8-package / 15-package cold driver build | 0.0103 / 0.1326 / 9.6706 s |
| same warm driver builds | 0.00814 / 0.01347 / 0.05302 s; each still linked |
| `out/` | 34,464,015 bytes, 398 files |
| six WW build workdirs | 28,609,092 bytes, 351 files; 9,954,428 bytes (34.8%) duplicate beyond the first content copy |
| 15-package root composed unit | 14 `.wwi` sections, 1,464,581 bytes; 62 interface insertions across graph, 1,928,898 composed-unit bytes versus 23,664 distinct interface bytes |
A three-package `root -> mid -> leaf` fixture confirmed that root consumes both
direct and transitive interfaces. A private leaf implementation edit rebuilt
only leaf plus link. Adding a compatible public leaf API rebuilt all three even
though `mid` emitted identical `.wwi`. A link-only `-L` change ran only the link.
Switching the compiler executable by byte content invalidated all packages.
Appending data to a nonzero cached `mid.s` was not detected; the old object was
reused and the build succeeded. This directly rejects artifact-presence caching.
Two builds from different absolute source roots produced the same 398 relative
paths and all sampled WW-generated executables/package artifacts were byte
identical. The full trees were not: 45 Cstage host objects/copied tools differed,
including GCC `DW_AT_comp_dir`. Thus current checkout-independent byte identity
holds for measured WW artifacts, not for the complete build.
Cstage and WWstage drivers building the same eight-package graph produced a
byte-identical final executable and all 38 non-tool artifacts, but took 0.138 s
and 0.356 s respectively. The audit also found that Cstage formerly returned
success after an ambient `chmod` lookup failed and left mode 0644, while WWstage
created mode 0755 directly. Cstage now calls `chmod(2)` on the exact output path
and reports failure, removing that host-tool and path-splitting asymmetry.
### 11.5 What survives and what is deleted
The replacement retains these sound concepts:
- explicit source imports, package clauses, exported/private declarations, and
loud directory-package-cycle errors, strengthened to every package after file
folding (whose cycles were merely visit-deduplicated) is deleted;
- directory package boundaries, made universal rather than optional;
- same-package and external `*_test.ww` semantics, dependency-test exclusion,
deterministic discovery/reporting, and always executing selected tests;
- deterministic sorting/serialization, atomic artifact publication, fixed-point
bootstrap checks, and byte-identity tests; and
- the ordinary `ww build`, `run`, and `test` user experience.
The replacement deletes these concepts rather than emulating them indefinitely:
- file imports, inline multi-package units, bare dotted imports, `-I` search
roots, directory-before-file precedence, and the `__root` artifact alias;
- `.wwi`, `//ww:module` wrappers, `.unit.ww`, transitive interface prepending,
source-prototype interchange, automatic per-dependency archives, and `-w`;
- raw ambient `-L`/`-l`, compiler/linker/sysroot defaults, and build-time
`pkg-config` discovery;
- separate C and self-hosted production drivers, the production Make graph, and
the separate source-composing test coordinator; and
- the current Cstage bootstrap path and permanently owned assembler/linker after
the generated C seed and pinned external tool closure replace them.
There will be no compatibility alias that silently translates an old import,
interface, workdir, or link search into the new model.
### 11.6 Implemented local package slice
The first executable package slice is intentionally smaller than the final
module design above. It is local, offline, and manifest-free. The supported
form is:
```sh
out/bin/ww build -I /work/acme -o app /work/acme/cmd/app
```
Every selected source uses the existing syntax:
```ww
package main;
import lib.math;
```
A source import is translated from dots to path separators, expanded through
the nearest eligible local `vendor` directory described in section 11.16, then
falls back to directory lookup through the entry package's directory, explicit
`-I` roots in command order, and the toolchain source-library root. A same-named
`.ww` file is neither a match nor a shadow for an import, so a later root
containing the directory wins over an earlier file decoy. There is no network,
manifest, or imported-file fallback. Explicit single-file CLI roots retain
their raw-unit compatibility path. The loader uses the compiler frontend's
imports-only parser, retains every real import occurrence with its owning
source file and position, byte-sorts and deduplicates the resulting canonical
direct edges, interns canonical directory actions, and reports self-imports and
stable cycle chains before compilation. Occurrence retention makes contextual
`internal` and `vendor` checks run at every import site; it does not duplicate
package actions or compiler inputs.
A directory package consists of its immediate `.ww` entries whose basenames do
not begin `.` or `_`: regular files and symlinks targeting regular files are
included under the entry name, while symlinks targeting directories are
ignored. The production variant excludes `*_test.ww`; each variant retains
byte-sorted filename order. Every selected production file must declare the
same package name, but that declaration is independent of the directory name
and every component of the canonical import path. A selected command directory
declares `package main` while retaining its complete canonical import identity.
A source import of a command package from a
different directory is rejected; the one same-directory exception is an
external `main_test` variant's canonical import of its effective augmented
test action. Two
ordinary logical identities for one physical directory are rejected rather
than compiled twice; section 11.16 records the deliberate exception for
distinct expanded vendor routes that converge through symlinks.
Packages compile serially in dependency-first postorder. The compiler emits the
existing deterministic `.wwi` interface for every directory-package action,
including an executable root. Its primary section contains that package's
byte-sorted direct imports and exported declarations. The compiler then appends
byte-sorted, origin-tagged sections for only the foreign type and constant facts
recursively reachable from the primary public signatures. Reachable owner-local
private nominal types are carried without `export`: they make the export
self-contained for type checking, but qualified source lookup still rejects
their names. Checked fixed array dimensions are emitted as numeric type facts,
so a public layout never requires exposing the private constant spelling that
produced its length.
A package compilation unit contains only that package's own byte-sorted sources,
deterministic `//ww:module-reset` separators, and sorted driver-private
resolution metadata; it never contains a dependency source body. Each
**direct** import is a separate
`--import <canonical-path> <dependency.wwi>` compiler input, sorted by canonical
path and deduplicated by the loader; a source spelling expanded through
`vendor` additionally receives the non-dependency `--import-map` described in
section 11.16. No transitive `.wwi` is passed.
Origin-tagged facts inside those direct artifacts are compiler data, not source
imports: a source qualifier is visible only in the source file that directly
imports it. The qualifier is the imported export's declared package name, not
the source spelling or import-path leaf. Private members, transitive-only
qualifiers, bare values, and bare types remain compiler errors. In `-c` package
mode the compiler parses each
export independently, then coalesces repeated exported type/constant facts with
the same origin, kind, and name, preserving one nominal type identity across
diamonds; raw non-package `w6c` retains its existing one-source behavior. The
source-like `.wwi` syntax remains a transitional export encoding pending the
binary `.wwe` format described above, but the separate direct-input ownership
boundary is live in production Cstage and WWstage compilers and drivers.
A selected production root is one normal package action. Its finalized
canonical import identity tags its owner-only unit; it receives only direct
exports, emits `.wwi`, `.o`, and a deterministic `.a`, and is compiled exactly
once. The declared package name is semantic package content but never validates,
shortens, aliases, or replaces that identity. After loading and identity
finalization, the
declaration also selects the terminal build action: `package main` is a command
and every other valid declaration is a compile-only library. A command root
receives the narrow compiler `--entry` flag, which controls bare `main` codegen,
then the linker receives that root archive first, the complete reachable
package-archive closure, and the runtime archive; it never receives `.wwi`. A
non-main root receives no `--entry` and never enters the linker. `main` validates
command kind but never replaces or truncates an identity such as `cmd.tool`.
The explicit package-less single-file compatibility path has no directory
package declaration to classify and remains a raw command unit; it does not
participate in canonical directory-package interning.
The package driver still uses the parser-only `--command-package` marker for
command test variants that must remain ordinary archive code. Neither marker
changes export identity, and imported interfaces retain independent canonical
owner and declared-name records. The linkers seed `main` before archive selection, so the existing
WWAR member protocol needs no special root object or format change.
Publication is separate from that semantic action choice. `ww build -o lib.a
DIR` or `ww build -I ROOT -o bar.a foo.bar` automatically publishes a non-main
root's deterministic archive and self-contained compiler export at
`FILE.wwi`, without invoking the linker; the latter retains `foo.bar.*` symbols.
Without `-o`, a non-main root and its dependencies are compiled in the selected
scratch or persistent work directory and no cwd product is invented. For a
command, `-o` continues to name the executable publication path. Output names,
request order, and whether publication was requested never enter package or
action identity. The historical action-selecting `-p` exception is removed and
rejected as an unknown build flag. Assembly-only `-S` still stops before object,
archive, publication, or link production. A literal directory is
reverse-resolved through the active source roots or receives the deterministic
local identity described below; its declaration can never invent or truncate
that identity. Two cold builds with identical inputs are required to produce
byte-identical requested products. Compiler intrinsics keep their package-mode
runtime ABI independent of transitive source interfaces (for example, `alloc`
lowers to the runtime allocator without requiring an `rt.wwi` compiler input).
This rule follows the pinned official Go 1.26.5 source at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`. `go/build.Package` stores source
directory, declared name, and import path independently, and defines a command
solely as a package named `main`
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 436–449](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L436-L449),
[`go/build/build.go`, lines 514–519](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L514-L519)).
The Go builder's `AutoAction` links only `main` and returns the archive compile
action for every other package
([`cmd/go/internal/work/action.go`, lines 450–456](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L450-L456)).
The build command invents a default output only for one `main`, applies an
explicit `-o` to either AutoAction result, and otherwise builds each requested
package without conflating publication and semantic kind
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 473–478](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L473-L478),
[`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 508–548](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L508-L548),
[`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 551–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L551-L558)).
Both WW stages represent the rule with the existing loaded declaration and
stable root action index; no package, dependency, ownership, locator, traversal,
or closure allocation is added. `ww run` adds only a command-kind requirement:
a successfully loaded, cycle-free non-main root produces the deterministic
`package PATH is not a main package` diagnostic before any compiler, assembler,
or linker invocation; package and graph failures retain precedence. Before a
non-main `-o` build invokes a producer, both stages validate the longest atomic
publication spelling, `FILE.wwi.new`, so an incomplete archive/export pair is
never caused by a late path-overflow failure. Package loading, cycle detection,
and closure validation retain diagnostic precedence over this publication-only
check, and `-S` does not validate a publication path it never consumes.
Build workdir format 14 and test workdir format 13 invalidate older unit
vouchers before reuse because source binding and vendor-directory identity now
participate in compiler argv and persistent unit semantics. Thereafter
an equivalent warm library build invokes no tools, a private dependency change
stops at its unchanged export, and an export change recompiles its direct
importer under the existing propagation rule.
### 11.7 Implemented directory package-test slice
Directory tests now enter that same local package loader and build path. The
supported manifest-free forms include `ww build DIR...`, `ww build DIR/...`,
`ww test DIR...`, and `ww test DIR/...`, with overlapping direct and recursive
roots. Test retains its existing `-run`, `-filter`, `-list`, `-timeout-ms`,
`-j`, `-c`, and `-w` forms. `ww test -c -o test.bin DIR` names the result when
the request selects one canonical directory, including a directory with both
same-package and external-package test sources. The coordinator rejects one
output name only when it would fan out over multiple directory products.
Explicit `ww test FILE` retains its compatibility path.
The test coordinator still discovers requested directories, classifies the
selected test package names, executes one binary per test-bearing canonical
directory, and emits captured results in byte-sorted directory order. It no
longer concatenates a
generated production/test root, resolves imports, or starts one package graph
per declared test package. Instead it sends one ordered build request containing
one product descriptor per selected directory, with optional production,
same-package, and external-package selectors, to the Cstage or WWstage command.
It also carries output destinations, coordinator-private completion paths,
import search roots, and the optional command-scoped work-directory policy.
The command owns source selection, package loading, substitution, compiler
inputs, archive construction, the single generated main, and linking:
- The ordinary production action selects the directory's byte-sorted non-test
files. A no-test request uses this action directly. Ordinary builds and
dependencies outside a tested closure continue to use it.
- The internal production-plus-test variant selects the byte-sorted production
files followed by byte-sorted matching `package p` test files. It is distinct
from production, exports declarations contributed by internal test files, and
replaces the ordinary action throughout the applicable tested closure.
- When production sources establish `p`, the external variant selects only
matching `package p_test` files, where `p` is the production declaration
rather than an import-path leaf. A test-only directory may establish its own
`p`, `p_test`, or valid `p`/`p_test` pair, matching pinned `go/build`
classification. The external action's import of the package under test binds
to the augmented internal action when it exists. Importers affected by that
replacement are copied and rewired transitively; an ordinary and augmented
instance of one canonical package never coexist in the linked test closure.
- Generated main is a separate package action whose owner-only generated unit
declares `package main` and imports every applicable internal/external target
plus test support. It consumes those direct `.wwi` files, emits its own
`.wwi/.o/.a`, and alone receives compiler `-T --entry`. Repeated byte-sorted
`--test-target-package <canonical-path>` arguments identify the target set.
Those compiler-private canonical qualifiers prevent declared-name collisions;
they are not user alias syntax.
The coordinator groups one test product by canonical directory, but physical
location is not a compiler/package identity. The authoritative action key uses
the finalized canonical dotted import identity, semantic variant, role, and,
for a copy made by recompile-for-test, the owning canonical directory product's
stable test identity. The semantic variants are production,
production-plus-same-package-test, external `_test`, directory generated main,
and recompiled-for-test. The declared package name, local import binding,
request spelling, path leaf, source filename, artifact basename, product
ordinal, output path, and discovery order are presentation or source-location
state and never substitute for that key.
A literal directory root may enter the interner before its full import spelling
is known. It is provisionally interned by canonical directory and variant, and
a later source import of that directory binds and reuses the provisional action.
After all source discovery, but before generated-main construction or any tool
invocation, each still-unbound directory is finalized by this exact algorithm:
1. For every import-resolution context that reached the directory, walk that
context's roots in its normal forward precedence: the selected package's
directory, explicit `-I` roots in command order, then `WW_SRCLIB` or the
selected toolchain source root. A request pattern never becomes an import
root and therefore cannot shorten, replace, or donate package identity.
2. Canonicalize each candidate root and require the package directory to be a
strict descendant. Every relative path component must be a non-keyword WW
identifier. Convert separators to dots, then resolve that relative spelling
again through the complete ordered context. Accept it only if ordinary
forward lookup selects the same canonical directory. Thus an earlier shadow
invalidates a name inferred from a later or nested root.
3. Bind the first precedence-valid candidate from each reaching context through
the command-global bidirectional interner. An identity supplied by successful
logical package lookup, such as `encoding.utf8`, is already bound and is
preserved exactly. That forward-selected identity is authoritative: reverse
derivation applies only to still-unbound literal roots, so a nested active
root cannot rename an explicitly resolved package.
4. If no active root can represent the directory, bind the reserved,
non-source-importable identity
`__wwlocal.p<escaped-canonical-absolute-directory>`. The
escape is injective and reversible over path bytes: ASCII letters and digits
are copied, `_` becomes `_u`, `/` becomes `_s`, and every other byte becomes
`_xHH` with lowercase hexadecimal. Source imports of `__wwlocal` or any of
its children are rejected, so this command-local identity creates no alias.
The selected full identity is never validated against the ordinary declared
package name. Production and internal variants retain the production
declaration; when production exists, an external variant is admitted only as
`<production-declared-name>_test`. A test-only directory instead establishes
one consistent test package declaration itself. The one command-kind rule is that a selected
command family declares `main`/`main_test` while keeping the finalized ordinary
identity unchanged. A source import of that command from another
directory rejects as a program before tools; a colocated external command test
may reuse the canonical production action. There is no fallback from an empty
import path to a declaration name. Relative, absolute, and symlink spellings
converge through the canonical directory; two unrelated local directories with
the same declaration therefore remain distinct. One bound import path mapping
to two directories and one directory acquiring two incompatible ordinary
import paths are command-global deterministic errors before any compiler,
assembler, archiver, or linker ambiguity. The same check spans variants: an
external action cannot hide a different directory's production package behind
its derived `_test` compiler path.
The derivation and diagnostics are implemented symmetrically in
`cmd/ww/main.c` and `selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww`. The package coordinator in
`internal/wwpackage/package.ww` supplies canonical selected directories and
variant descriptors, preserves an explicitly resolved identity only for one
direct request, and forwards a caller's `-w` semantic-action store unchanged.
It never derives identity or persistent layout from a pattern traversal prefix
and does not add that prefix to import search. `w6c` and `wcc` consume the
finalized dotted identity as export/symbol owner while reading the declared
name independently from export data; neither tool performs directory lookup or
introduces a package registry.
Artifact publication follows the semantic action instead of product order:
production uses the full finalized ordinary identity, internal appends
`-internal-test`, external appends `_test-external-test`, and the one
directory-owned generated main appends `-test-main`. Its package identity is
`__wwtestmain.<canonical-directory-product-base>.main`, independent of either
declared test name. Equivalent roots therefore converge on one directory
product and reuse already interned actions and persistent-workdir slots
regardless of discovery or request order.
The narrow raw single-file compatibility path alone retains `__root`.
A deterministic dependency-first traversal of the complete command union
invokes the compiler, assembler, and in-driver deterministic archiver once per
interned action. This is compile-time interning, not linker-argument
deduplication. Each canonical directory product is linked once from its single
generated-main root archive and the complete reachable archive closure. The
shared plan remains package-test-specific; it is not a generalized scheduler,
action schema, cache, or protocol.
Each selected directory retains the ordinary entry-directory-first resolution
context from the local package slice: its directory, explicit `-I` roots in
command order, then the toolchain source root. Same and external variants of
one directory share that context; unrelated directory roots never acquire
lookup precedence from their request order. When multiple contexts reach one
canonical production package, the loader verifies that every directory import
binding is identical before reusing its compile action. A different binding is
a deterministic package-resolution failure for the roots that reach it, rather
than a first-root-wins build.
A production action failure is attributed to exactly the roots that reach it,
but the complete command is one publication transaction. The driver may
continue enough of the already validated plan to retain deterministic action
and product diagnostics, but one failed producer, linker, status stage, or
commit suppresses every new action voucher, tool record, product, and status
from that request. The coordinator therefore runs no sibling test binary from
a rejected union build. After one successful union build, the completed test
products share the coordinator's existing `-j` process bound; captured output
is still emitted only in byte-sorted directory/package order.
Ordinary production loading never selects dependency `*_test.ww` files.
Imports that occur only in selected test files add edges only to the applicable
internal or external action. Recompile-for-test may create a product-scoped copy
of an ordinary transitive importer, but that copy retains the importer's
production source unit and changes only canonical dependency targets. Each
compiler unit contains only its action's owned source set, while its invocation
receives only the byte-sorted direct dependency `.wwi` artifacts as separate
inputs.
Variant compiles receive `--test-package`, which validates and retains private
`@test` declarations as compiler-only export metadata without synthesizing an
entry point. The distinct directory generated-main action consumes that
metadata from every direct target export and synthesizes one dispatcher with
`-T`.
The generated-main action, rather than the tested variant, owns the implicit
direct test-runtime support edge. The command-scoped plan compiles the common
support production package once for the complete test request. The command
resolves that edge from the selected toolchain source tree, not the user search
path; the support package's own imports are also loaded in that toolchain
context. Normally its graph
qualifier is `test`, so an explicit source `import test` coalesces with the same
canonical package. When a real user package occupies that identity, the command
presents the runtime edge to the compiler under the reserved `__wwtest`
qualifier. This keeps a production package named `test` available to external
tests. Explicit raw single-file `ww test FILE` fixtures retain the narrow fused
`-T` compatibility path because an anonymous multi-package raw unit is not a
canonical directory package; that path still consumes support as a direct
export and emits a root `.wwi/.a`.
The reserved support action and an ordinary source-imported package `test` may
coexist only because the former is explicitly rebound to the compiler-only
qualifier `__wwtest`. This is the sole role-based directory alias and cannot be
created by a source import. The separate expanded-vendor-route exception in
section 11.16 is canonical source-tree identity, not a role alias. All ordinary
and test actions use canonical action identity and the global bidirectional
import-path checks above. External self-import substitution changes the target
action, never the source spelling or file-local binding. There is no role-based
tolerance for duplicate ordinary import identities and no late product-closure
ambiguity to resolve.
Production, internal, and external actions may select source from one physical
directory, but the final directory test closure is strict: wherever the
augmented internal action substitutes for production, every affected direct and
transitive edge is rewired before tools. A closure containing both ordinary
`p` and its augmented `ptest` is rejected rather than hidden by initialization
or linker filtering. The external action therefore sees internal-test exports
through `ptest`, and the one linked process owns exactly one package state.
Variant-only archives never leak into an unrelated directory product. All
ordinary logical and physical package-identity collision checks remain
unchanged; only distinct expanded vendor routes receive the section 11.16
symlink-convergence exception.
Both stage linkers receive the generated-main archive first, followed by the
complete reverse-topological reachable package-archive closure, runtime, and
explicit `-L`/`-l` values through a structured argument vector. No `.wwi` or
special root `.o` appears in linker argv, and no fixed flattened command buffer
can truncate a large closure. WWstage emits joined `-Ldir` and `-lname`
arguments accepted by its native linker, while Cstage preserves the equivalent
split forms. Generated artifact paths are bounds-checked before any unit is
opened, so distinct root keys cannot alias by truncation.
Recursive discovery groups by physical directory before sorting filenames, and
one stable escape of the canonical discovery directory names the persistent
command work directory. It contains neither a declared package leaf nor a
product ordinal, so equivalent path spellings and reordered products select the
same request state.
Every selected `*_test.ww` package variant is built even when its files only
declare helpers and contain no `@test`, so its package clause and imports are
still checked; that is a real zero-test package and runs one empty combined
harness. A directory with no selected test files instead follows the no-real-run
path: validate/compile ordinary production as needed, publish status only, and
create no support action, generated main, link, binary, result, or process. The
coordinator alone emits its `[no test files]` report.
Persistent workdirs keep a global driver/compiler/assembler/stamp identity and
per-action committed units. When that global identity is stale, the command
forces every requested action cold while preserving the complete old generation
as rollback state. New tool records, artifacts, units, products, statuses, and
the new stamp become visible only in the request-wide commit after every product
has staged successfully. A rejected request leaves the old generation
byte-identical, and a retry cannot reuse any uncommitted work from the rejection.
Warm reuse compares the staged owner-only unit, committed artifacts, and the
actual bytes of each direct dependency export. A changed shared dependency is
compiled once; its direct importers are reconsidered once; and propagation
stops as soon as a regenerated importer export is byte-identical. Stable
semantic artifact keys make that behavior independent of which ordinary or
test product first discovered the action.
The completed topology and its pinned Go 1.26.5 evidence are specified in
section 11.22. WW borrows that command-global action boundary without adding
Go's build cache, import-configuration format, or module system.
### 11.8 Implemented exact package-tool invocation slice
The local package builder now launches the compiler, assembler, and linker as
an executable plus an argument vector in both Cstage and WWstage. No package
source path, work-directory artifact path, output path, test-support qualifier,
or link-closure member is flattened into a shell command. Paths containing
spaces therefore retain one argument boundary from the package coordinator
through compilation, assembly, and final executable linking.
`WW_W6C`, `WW_W6A`, and `WW_W6L` each name one exact executable path. They are
not shell fragments and are not searched through `PATH`. With no override,
Cstage keeps its `w6c`/`w6a`/`w6l` siblings and WWstage keeps its
`w6c_ww`/`w6a_ww`/`w6l_ww` siblings. The coordinator preserves these variables
when it starts the one command-scoped package build, so the same contract covers
ordinary directory builds, same-package tests, external tests, recursive test
requests, and persistent-workdir tool identity. A failed overridden compiler or
assembler remains attributed to its owning package in both stages. The Cstage
linker also sets executable mode with `chmod(2)` on the exact output path rather
than invoking an ambient command.
Source imports still own the graph, each directory is still one production
package, compiler actions receive direct dependency exports as individual
arguments beside an owner-only `.unit.ww`, and links receive the complete
per-root `.a` closure. Repository-native coverage wraps all three real stage
tools at executable paths containing spaces, records every argument boundary,
inspects `.unit.ww`, `.wwi`, `.a`, and root archive placement, runs the published
binary, compares repeated Cstage/WWstage artifacts and traces, and removes one
direct export at compiler entry to compare package-attributed diagnostics.
Go 1.26.5 keeps the same responsibility boundary: its work executor passes the
selected compiler or linker tool and a constructed argument slice to the
builder, while package loading and action construction remain separate
([`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go)).
WW adopts that exact-tool boundary without adding a command schema, generalized
action graph, scheduler, manifest, cache protocol, or package-manager behavior.
### 11.9 Implemented package and runtime library-root parity slice
Cstage and WWstage now apply the same two-root contract. A nonempty
`WW_SRCLIB` selects the toolchain package-source search root. It is appended
after the entry directory and explicit `-I` roots for every package context,
and compiler-generated test support is resolved from that toolchain root rather
than from a user package that happens to have the same name. A nonempty
`WW_LIB` independently selects runtime artifacts; executable and test links use
`$WW_LIB/libwwrt.a`. If that archive is absent, both stages pass their sibling
`start.o` and `syscall.o` runtime objects instead. Missing and explicitly empty
values use the same deterministic fallbacks in both stages.
Bare logical build and run targets search the current directory, explicit
`-I` roots, then one selected library root. That last root is a nonempty
`WW_SRCLIB`, else a nonempty `WW_LIB`, else an existing
`<selfdir>/../../lib`, else an existing `./lib`, else
`<selfdir>/../lib`. Once a target is resolved, its import graph retains the
ordinary entry-directory-first context and its separate source-root policy:
without `WW_SRCLIB`, that policy prefers the repository and `./lib` source
trees before falling back to the runtime root. This preserves Cstage's
existing distinction between locating a requested package and selecting the
toolchain source tree used by that package's imports.
The variables select local directories only. They do not add manifests,
dependency declarations, network lookup, package-manager behavior, or a second
graph: source `import` declarations still create every language edge, resolved
directories still intern to canonical package identities, compilers still
receive only direct `.wwi` exports, and final links still receive the complete
reachable `.a` closure. Directory tests continue to build same-package and
external-package variants through the same command-scoped package universe.
Repository-native coverage uses distinct source and runtime roots whose paths
contain spaces, resolves a bare logical target found only through `WW_SRCLIB`,
places a same-named decoy under `WW_LIB`, records exact compiler, assembler, and
linker arguments, inspects `.unit.ww`, `.wwi`, `.a`, diagnostics, binaries, and
runtime results, and compares both stages. It separately exercises the runtime
object fallback and explicitly empty variables. The package-test observer copies
the toolchain source library to a selected root, marks the compiler-generated
test-support source, and proves that both the marker and the selected runtime
archive reach real same-package test builds through the coordinator.
The ownership boundary follows the pinned Go 1.26.5 implementation: source
headers supply imports in
[`go/build/read.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/go/build/read.go#272),
the loader canonicalizes and reuses packages in
[`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#633),
tests remain real package variants in
[`cmd/go/internal/load/test.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#85),
and direct compile dependencies are expanded separately for linking in
[`cmd/go/internal/work/action.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#628).
### 11.10 Implemented persistent-workdir driver identity slice
The package driver is now an explicit content input to every persistent
`-w DIR` package action. Both stages copy the exact invoking executable to
`.wwtool.ww`, alongside `.wwtool.w6c`, `.wwtool.w6a`, and the mode/format
stamp. A warm invocation byte-compares all applicable live executables before
considering any committed unit reusable. A missing or changed driver copy
invalidates every `.unit.ww` voucher before compilation; old artifacts may
remain recoverable, but none can be reused without a freshly committed unit.
That slice introduced workdir format revisions 8 for ordinary builds and 9 for
tests. Later package-identity slices supersede those revisions; the current
formats are recorded in section 11.16.
This closes a real hidden-input boundary. The driver, rather than `w6c`, owns
canonical directory interning, source-derived graph construction, owner-only
unit composition, direct-export argument construction, deterministic dependency
ordering, single-member package archive serialization, and the artifact commit
sequence. Unit equality alone
cannot identify changes to those algorithms, and a manually maintained format
number can be forgotten. Exact driver bytes conservatively cover them during
the transitional plain-file reuse scheme. This may rebuild after an unrelated
driver change, but it cannot falsely reuse a package after a relevant one.
The linker remains outside the recorded package identity because persistent
reuse never skips a final link: each invocation reconstructs the complete
reachable `.a` closure, selects current runtime inputs and link flags, and runs
the selected linker. Thus a linker or runtime change affects the requested
binary immediately without forcing unrelated package compilation.
Repository-native coverage runs a three-directory import graph through copied,
independently mutable Cstage and WWstage drivers. Exact compiler, assembler,
and linker wrappers prove a cold dependency-first build, an unchanged warm
compile/assemble skip with a deliberate relink, and full package invalidation
after only the invoking driver's bytes change. The test inspects owner-only
`.unit.ww` inputs, separate direct `.wwi` arguments, `.a`, identity files,
transitive link order, diagnostics before tool execution, published binary
bytes, runtime exit, and stage equivalence.
Go 1.26.5 draws the same semantic line with a richer cache: its build action ID
binds compiler/assembler tool identities, configuration, selected source
content, and direct dependency content IDs in
[`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#261),
while its link action ID separately binds linker configuration and the package
closure in
[`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#1504).
WW adopts only the correctness boundary in its existing inspectable `cmp`-based
workdir. It does not add build IDs, hashes, a CAS, an action graph, a scheduler,
or a manifest.
### 11.11 Implemented directory-only source-import slice
Cstage and WWstage now use directory packages for every parsed source import,
including imports selected only by a package-test variant and real imports in
the test-support package. Source imports first probe the bounded vendor
candidates in section 11.16, then make one ordered fallback pass for
`<root>/<import-path>/`; they never probe `<root>/<import-path>.ww`. The
compiler-generated edge to test support remains synthetic. Unit composition
consequently writes only the owning package's byte-sorted source files and
never copies a dependency interface or imported source body. Missing imports
retain the importing source position and the same stable diagnostic in both
stages.
Root selection remains a separate compatibility boundary. A literal `.ww` CLI
target, or a bare CLI target found as `<root>/<name>.ww` after the global
directory search, can still create one raw single-file root. Its historical
inline package clauses may satisfy compiler-fixture bindings inside that raw
unit. Directory roots cannot use that exemption, and no filesystem source
import can reach it. This preserves low-level compiler fixtures without
weakening package-graph identity.
The self-hosted tools no longer depend on the removed behavior. `w6a/` and
`w6l/` are executable `package main` directories whose sorted source sets are
compiled once. The compiler backend is one `wcc/` directory package with a
narrow exported check/codegen façade; `w6c` and `wwdump` import that package
from its parent search root instead of importing its implementation files.
Legacy test fixtures were converted to directories, except for one intentional
compiler leaf-collision probe that now invokes `w6c` on an explicitly composed
raw unit. The Lisp example likewise imports a `lispcore/` directory package.
The focused native regression puts only `example/foo.ww` in an earlier import
root and a two-source `example/foo/` package in a later root. Both stages select
the directory, emit the exact sorted package-owned unit, consume its direct
dependency export, produce byte-identical deterministic `.wwi` and `.a`
artifacts, link and run a transitive archive closure, and repeat the resolution
through a real directory-package test. With only the file root present, both
stages reject the import with byte-identical package-attributed stderr. The
existing exact-tool observer remains the non-duplicated proof that each
canonical production action compiles once, compiler units contain only owned
sources, compile argument vectors contain exactly direct `.wwi` inputs, and
linker vectors contain the complete reachable `.a` closure and no `.wwi` path.
### 11.12 Implemented direct compiler-export input slice
Cstage and WWstage now share one small package-compiler convention:
`--import <canonical-import-path> <export.wwi>` may repeat before the one owning
source unit. It is valid only with `-c`; paths must be nonempty, strictly sorted,
and unique. Both compilers read and parse every export independently under the
supplied canonical identity before parsing the owner unit, then pass the merged
semantic declaration list through the existing checker, deterministic export
writer, and primary-only code generator. Missing export bytes therefore fail at
the compiler boundary as `w6c: import <path>: cannot read <file>`, followed by
the driver's stable owning-package attribution. No import configuration file,
manifest, schema, package database, or network lookup is involved.
Both drivers construct those arguments directly from the package node's sorted,
deduplicated outgoing edges. They never walk grandchildren for compilation.
Every `.unit.ww` contains the node's byte-sorted source files, reset separators,
and any sorted driver-private vendor/import-map voucher comments, but no
dependency body. When exact source spelling differs from a selected expanded
canonical identity, the drivers also pass sorted, unique
`--import-map <source-spelling> <canonical-import-path>` triples. A map must
target an ordinary direct `--import`; it adds no export input or graph edge.
The compilers rewrite only the matching primary import's canonical semantic key
before merging interfaces. They then obtain that target's declared package name
from its direct export and install it as the default qualifier in the owning
source file. Source spelling and position remain intact; generated/synthetic
imports use their explicit compiler-owned bindings. Executable linking
independently walks the full reachable package
closure and passes archives, never interfaces. The same path handles an
ordinary package, the production-plus-internal-test variant, the external test
package and its effective production-or-augmented self dependency,
compiler-generated directory test main, and
the reserved test-support package. Persistent workdirs compare a newly emitted
export with its committed predecessor before allowing a direct importer to
reuse owner-identical artifacts, retaining correctness without a new cache
schema or identity record.
The canonical-root regressions additionally prove the following in both
stages: a literal root under one import root publishes its complete dotted
identity; logical, literal absolute, equivalent, relative, and symlink routes
emit byte-identical `.unit.ww`, `.wwi`, and `.a`; root-only and combined
root/import requests emit those same bytes; dependency-first and root-first
discovery each compile the shared production action once; recursive `a/foo`
and `b/foo` directories declaring the same `package foo` publish distinct
`a.foo` and `b.foo` variants; and two outside-root `package foo` directories
coexist in one command under distinct reversible local identities. Equivalent
recursive spellings reuse the same persistent semantic-action store without new
compilation, while source imports of the reserved local namespace reject before
tool invocation. The exact-argv command root declares `package main` but keeps
its non-`main` canonical identity in the unit, export, archive, compiler argv,
and linker argv; the bootstrap self-rebuild independently proves the same rule
for the real `w6a` and `w6l` command directories. A focused command-test row
proves distinct production, internal, external, and generated-main actions,
colocated external-to-augmented substitution, parser-only command markers,
stage-equal unit/export/archive bytes, the one combined test binary's runtime
behavior, and pre-tool
rejection when another directory tries to import the command.
The exact-argv regression uses the real diamond
`base -> {left,right} -> root`. It proves one compile per node; no input for
`base`; only `base.wwi` for each middle node; only sorted `left.wwi` and
`right.wwi` for `root`; exact owner-only unit bytes; the complete four-package
link closure including the root archive; no link-time `.wwi`; exit status 42;
and byte-identical units, exports, archives, executables, and tool argument
vectors across two clean
Cstage builds and two clean WWstage builds. The existing directory-package
variant regression checks separate production, internal, external, and
directory-generated-main actions, exact generated-main direct target/support
exports, canonical recompile-for-test substitution, and one archive-only link
closure. It also reverses equivalent product descriptors and compares
exact compiler and linker trace bytes, then changes a shared direct export in
persistent workdirs to prove propagation through direct importers stops at the
first byte-identical regenerated export. Both stages compile and run those
actions with owner-only units and byte-identical artifacts.
The pinned official Go 1.26.5 tag (commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`) supplies the design boundary:
- `go/build` represents one selected directory package with its import path,
package name, ordinary files, internal-test files, external-test files, and
their imports ([`build.go`, lines 436–493](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L436-L493)).
Those fields remain separate in Go; WW's final-component/name equality is its
existing language validation layered on the canonical identity, not a claim
that Go conflates `Name` with `ImportPath`.
Its directory reader is required to return name-sorted entries
([lines 108–111](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L108-L111)),
and local directory loading reverse-derives a complete import path by checking
`GOROOT/src` first and then `GOPATH` roots in order. A candidate under a later
root is rejected when the same relative path resolves through an earlier root
to another directory; an outside-root directory remains without an ordinary
import path
([lines 612–665](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L612-L665)).
Forward import lookup selects one directory in search order
([lines 725–767](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L725-L767)),
and the selected directory alone is scanned
([lines 859–913](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L859-L913)).
The sorted scan assigns each accepted source to that package's ordinary,
internal-test, or external-test list
([lines 948–1036](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L948-L1036)).
- `cmd/go/internal/load` derives an outside-root local directory's deterministic
pseudo-import path from its slash-form absolute directory and establishes the
package-data cache/promise boundary around that resolved key
([`pkg.go`, lines 633–647](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L633-L647)).
WW uses the same reserved full-directory principle but a reversible byte
escape, strengthening it so two canonical directory spellings cannot collapse
merely through character sanitization. The Go loader expands source imports
before recording their canonical paths
([`pkg.go`, lines 658–669](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L658-L669)).
It resolves canonical path and directory before consulting the package-data
cache ([lines 833–842](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L833-L842),
[lines 863–911](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L863-L911)),
and the command-global package cache returns the existing package pointer for
a later root or import of the resolved identity
([lines 757–775](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L757-L775)).
Go keeps a command-line `Name == "main"` package as the selected command and
rejects an import from a different directory, while permitting the
same-directory test-loader edge
([lines 799–805](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L799-L805)).
The package's parsed import list becomes its direct package dependencies,
rather than a transitive flattening
([lines 433–440](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L433-L440),
[lines 2024–2047](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L2024-L2047)).
- `cmd/go/internal/work` keys its action cache by operation mode plus package
pointer ([`action.go`, lines 202–206](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L202-L206))
and returns the already-interned action for that key
([lines 437–447](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L447)).
A selected package whose independent `Name` is `main` receives a link action
([lines 450–455](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L450-L455))
while retaining its ordinary compiled archive action.
A compile action depends on only `p.Internal.Imports`
([lines 628–658](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L628-L658));
an executable link asks for that same cached root compile action
([lines 919–957](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L919-L957))
and separately expands the complete transitive link closure
([lines 1034–1068](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L1034-L1068)).
- The work executor derives compiler package mappings from those direct build
dependencies
([`exec.go`, lines 864–884](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L864-L884)),
compiles the package's own source list to `_pkg_.a`
([lines 928–935](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L928-L935)),
packs and publishes that package archive
([lines 1017–1033](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1017-L1033)),
and links the compiled main archive with mappings for every dependency
already expanded onto the link action
([lines 1592–1624](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1592-L1624),
[lines 1635–1647](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1635-L1647)).
- Go's test loader explicitly models production, internal
production-plus-test, external `_test`, and generated main, and states that
`ptest == p` when production can be reused
([`test.go`, lines 85–102](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L85-L102)).
Test imports use the ordinary load cache and compare canonical `ImportPath`
([lines 118–161](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L118-L161));
the internal copy is created only when needed
([lines 175–226](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L175-L226)),
while external and generated-main packages remain distinct
([lines 228–293](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L228-L293)).
Generated main receives its direct support and selected-variant imports
([lines 307–358](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L307-L358)),
and copy-on-write rewriting preserves the original package pointers/actions
for unaffected importers
([lines 421–472](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L421-L472)).
- Unified export production begins from the local package, re-exports required
dependency data, and prunes unnecessary detail
([`unified.go`, lines 147–168](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go#L147-L168)).
It type-checks the package's parsed sources and writes deterministically
ordered public/private roots
([lines 314–362](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go#L314-L362)),
then finalizes self-contained export data with sorted relocated declaration
and body indexes and a fingerprint
([lines 463–570](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go#L463-L570)).
- Compiler import handling canonicalizes each source import and rejects self
import ([`import.go`, lines 125–167](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/import.go#L125-L167)),
then independently opens and decodes each direct package archive/export
([lines 170–225](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/import.go#L170-L225)).
The complete unified section and linker fingerprint are read from that
selected package file
([lines 229–296](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/import.go#L229-L296)).
`ReadPackage` reconstructs a package from its public export root
([`ureader.go`, lines 28–62](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go#L28-L62)),
interns embedded package descriptors by canonical path and restores their
import lists
([lines 152–196](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go#L152-L196)),
and reconstructs declarations from relocated export records
([lines 391–468](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go#L391-L468)).
WW adopts those practical ownership and action semantics while retaining its
small direct CLI representation and existing self-contained `.wwi` encoding.
### 11.13 Implemented unbounded semantic package-identity storage slice
Canonical package identity is no longer stored in, derived from, or bounded by
one internal filesystem component. In both drivers every package action now
keeps these values separately:
- `path`: the complete compiler/import identity;
- `import_base`: the complete canonical ordinary directory identity;
- `canon`: the complete canonical directory location;
- `variant` and `role`: the semantic test/action tags; and
- `storage`: an internal scratch basename that is never passed as package
identity.
`canon` participates in command-local directory-action interning, diagnostics,
and storage-address derivation. The complete `path`, together with the
semantic `variant` and `role`, is the persisted/compiler owner carried through
source-import edges, module-reset and export ownership, compiler `--import`
arguments, generated-main construction, and symbol qualification; `storage`
participates in none of those identities. The reversible outside-root form is
`__wwlocal.p<escaped-canonical-absolute-directory>` and is
allocated to its exact length. It is neither truncated nor replaced by a
digest, and `__wwlocal` remains unavailable to source imports. Package
declarations classify package kind and contribute semantic export content; they
do not validate a path leaf, supply a missing identity, or alter a command
package's canonical path.
Short actions retain their established `.unit.ww`, `.wwi`, `.s`, `.o`, and
`.a` basenames when the basename plus `.unit.new` fits the 255-byte supported
filesystem component bound and the complete path fits the host pathname API.
An action that does not fit uses this bounded storage locator:
```text
__wwpkg.v<variant>.r<role>.h<lowercase-sha256>
```
The SHA-256 byte input is exactly:
```text
"ww-package-storage-v2:"
|| ASCII(<variant> ":" <role> ":")
|| complete semantic path
|| NUL
|| complete canonical directory
```
WW package paths and host paths cannot contain NUL, so that boundary is
unambiguous. Variant and role are present in both the digest input and the
visible locator tag. The digest is only an action-storage address: units still
begin with `//ww:module-reset <complete-path>` and may append deterministic
driver-private resolution comments, while exports begin with
`//ww:module <complete-path>`, compiler imports carry the complete path, and
qualified declarations use it in generated symbols. A selected executable
entry retains its intentional bare linker spelling. User-selected `-o`
publication paths bypass this derivation completely.
Storage assignment is command-global and finishes before any tool is invoked.
If two actions prefer the same legacy basename, every unhashed member is
readdressed through the complete-action formula instead of rejecting a valid
package graph. If two already-addressed, unequal complete actions ever produce
the same locator, both drivers issue the same full-identity storage-collision
diagnostic before compilation. A persistent workdir also validates every
existing regular `.unit.ww` voucher against the requested complete semantic
owner before stale-tool invalidation or reuse; a missing voucher is cold state,
while a malformed, non-regular, or wrong-owner voucher is a pre-tool error.
Thus ordinary preferred-name collisions are resolved, and a digest collision
cannot silently alias two live or warm package actions. That storage slice
introduced build version 10 and test version 11 so an older flat-layout voucher
was never accepted as current state. Section 11.16 records the current
superseding formats.
The persisted semantic owner is deliberately the complete canonical import
path, not the canonical host directory: host location must not enter compiler
artifacts. Variant and role are encoded in the locator itself. Canonical
directory remains part of command-local action interning and the digest input,
so distinct locations normally receive distinct slots. In the hypothetical
case that two locations with the same import path, variant, and role also
collide in SHA-256, they are still one semantic package identity: the freshly
composed owner unit must byte-equal the committed unit before reuse, so
different sources rebuild and identical sources produce the same deterministic
artifacts. A digest collision between different semantic paths fails the
existing complete-path owner check before tools. This preserves collision
checking without serializing machine-specific canonical directories into units
or exports and without a sidecar, registry, or new metadata protocol.
The package coordinator derives no persistent container from a request
directory or pattern. `-w DIR` names the driver's semantic-action store itself,
and the driver independently derives every action locator in that store from
the full semantic tuple above and validates each committed semantic owner.
Equivalent direct, logical, relative, absolute, dotted, recursive, duplicate,
and explicit-root-symlink requests that select the same canonical actions can
therefore reuse the same slots; request shape cannot split or alias persistent
state. For a delegated request only, a missing caller `-w` directory is created
after graph, identity, visibility, cycle, closure, and output preflight. An
explicit root symlink is followed and canonicalized; a source entry symlink to
a regular file is followed under the entry name, a source-shaped symlink to a
directory is ignored, and symlinked recursive children are not traversed.
The old `SEP_IMPORT_PATH_MAX` and all corresponding 255-byte WWstage import,
variant, local-identity, and generated-main checks are removed. Package names,
canonical identities, reverse-resolved dotted identities, generated-main
identities, compiler import paths, and Cstage assembler symbols now use exact
allocations. Cstage's assembler no longer copies a line, operand, `TEXT`, or
`DATA` symbol through 256-byte arrays, and the C checker no longer resolves a
qualified type through a 128-byte prefix buffer. `PATH_MAX` remains only at
actual host pathname and syscall boundaries; the 255-byte constant remains
only as the conservative internal basename component bound. The former
`SEP_MAXPKG`, `SEP_MAXPRODUCT`, and `SEP_MAXCONTEXT` action-count limits are
removed by the dynamically sized package-universe implementation in the next
section.
The existing native observers exercise the new boundary with ordinary dotted
identities over 255 bytes and punctuation-heavy reversible local identities
over 255 bytes. They inspect the complete owner in units and exports, exact
direct sorted/deduplicated `.wwi` compiler inputs, long mangled assembler
symbols, complete archive-only link closures, runtime results, and independent
Cstage/WWstage artifact bytes. Two deep outside-root directories declaring
the same leaf coexist under distinct reversible identities. A long command
package's internal, external, and one directory generated-main actions remain
distinct while retaining its canonical package identity. Logical and literal
roots, dependency-first and root-first
discovery, equivalent and symlink spellings, reordered products, and warm
requests reuse the same production action and persistent slot. The persistent
diamond observer also changes a shared dependency export, proves rebuilding of
its direct importers, and proves propagation stops when the regenerated export
is byte-identical.
This separation follows the pinned official Go 1.26.5 tag at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`, without adopting Go's cache,
build IDs, importcfg, module machinery, or scheduler:
- Source imports are expanded to canonical paths before being recorded
([`pkg.go`, lines 658–669](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L658-L669),
[`pkg.go`, lines 1150–1178](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1150-L1178)).
Local directories receive a deterministic pseudo-import identity derived
from the full directory while directory and import path stay separate
([`pkg.go`, lines 633–647](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L633-L647),
[`pkg.go`, lines 863–907](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L863-L907)).
Resolution/package caches retain and reuse those complete values
([`pkg.go`, lines 833–842](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L833-L842),
[`pkg.go`, lines 909–985](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L909-L985),
[`pkg.go`, lines 1008–1029](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1008-L1029)).
- `go/build` reverse-resolves directory ownership through ordered roots and
performs the matching forward lookup while keeping directory, import path,
declared name, and source lists separate
([`build.go`, lines 612–665](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L612-L665),
[`build.go`, lines 725–767](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L725-L767),
[`build.go`, lines 436–493](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L436-L493)).
- Go interns an action by operation and package pointer, returns an existing
action for repeated compilation requests, and attaches only direct package
dependencies
([`action.go`, lines 202–206](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L202-L206),
[`action.go`, lines 437–447](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L447),
[`action.go`, lines 628–658](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L628-L658)).
- Its `Action` keeps `Package`, `Objdir`, and `Target` as independent fields,
then assigns a short `bNNN/` object directory unrelated to import identity
([`action.go`, lines 84–109](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L84-L109),
[`action.go`, lines 383–394](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L383-L394)).
Direct dependency identities map independently to archive paths, and the
owner is compiled to fixed `_pkg_.a`
([`exec.go`, lines 864–884](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L864-L884),
[`exec.go`, lines 928–935](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L928-L935),
[`exec.go`, lines 1017–1033](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1017-L1033)).
- Linking reuses the compiled root action and separately expands the complete
reachable archive closure
([`action.go`, lines 919–957](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L919-L957),
[`action.go`, lines 1034–1068](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L1034-L1068),
[`exec.go`, lines 1592–1624](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1592-L1624),
[`exec.go`, lines 1635–1647](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1635-L1647)).
User `-o` separately controls the publication target
([`build.go`, lines 508–548](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L508-L548)).
- Go's test loader models ordinary production, internal production-plus-test,
external `_test`, and generated-main packages separately, reusing ordinary
production when possible
([`test.go`, lines 85–102](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L85-L102),
[`test.go`, lines 175–226](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L175-L226),
[`test.go`, lines 228–293](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L228-L293)).
### 11.14 Implemented dynamically sized command-global package universe
Package, dependency, resolution-context, selected-product, traversal, support,
order, and closure storage no longer has an arbitrary 256-element boundary.
This is a storage correction, not a new build abstraction: source imports still
form one command-global canonical package graph; each semantic package variant
still has one action; each compiler still receives exactly its direct exports;
and each executable linker still receives its complete reachable archive
closure.
The Cstage representation is exact and deliberately small:
- `sepgraph.pkg` is a dynamically allocated `struct seppkg *` with logical
count `n` and capacity `pkgcap`;
- `sepgraph.context` is a dynamically allocated `struct sepcontext *` with
logical count `ncontext` and capacity `contextcap`;
- each `seppkg.deps` is a dynamically allocated `int *` with `ndeps` and
`depcap`;
- each `seppkg.context_state` is a lazily extended, zero-filled
`unsigned char *` with `context_cap`;
- each package owns a dynamically grown import-occurrence vector recording
kind, source spelling, source file, line, column, and stable dependency
action index; its separate dependency vector remains sorted/deduplicated;
- parsed `sepproduct` values are a dynamically allocated vector, and each
product stores its support-action index directly; and
- package-load frames and topological-DFS frames are temporary dynamic vectors,
replacing recursion proportional to graph depth.
The WWstage representation is isomorphic. `sepgraph.pkg: []seppkg` and
`sepgraph.context: []sepcontext` use allocated slice length as capacity and keep
separate `n`/`ncontext` logical counts. Every `seppkg` owns a dynamically grown
`bindings: []sepbind`, a dynamically grown `deps: []i32` with `ndeps`, and a
lazily zero-extended `contextstate: []u8`.
Products, load frames, and topological frames use typed dynamically allocated
slices. `internal/wwpackage` continues to construct one union command for all
selected directory-test groups, but now checks the complete
`12 + 9*products + 2*includes` builder argument count before allocating or
starting the driver.
All graph and product growth starts at capacity 8 and doubles until it covers
the requested element count. Cstage clamps before `INT_MAX`, checks the element
count against `SIZE_MAX / sizeof(element)`, and publishes a `realloc` result only
after success. WWstage checks against the same signed 32-bit count boundary,
allocates a replacement typed slice, copies the live prefix, and publishes it
only after success. Context-state growth copies old bytes and explicitly zeros
the new tail. The shared deterministic failures are `ww: package graph is too
large` for an unrepresentable count and `ww: out of memory` for failed storage;
compiler and linker argument-count arithmetic is checked before allocation and
before any affected tool invocation. Each driver records allocation/size
failure during graph discovery and propagates it as a command-fatal load
result, rather than treating it as one product's semantic failure and starting
tools for a sibling root. The coordinator uses fallible dynamic storage for
discovered paths, source/folder/group/plan vectors, process handles, tool
environments, and complete builder/run argument vectors; it reports an
oversized product set or allocation failure before the corresponding
`exec.start` and cleans an already-created request temporary tree. Host pathname,
filesystem-component, process-argument, and available-memory boundaries remain
real host constraints; none is used as a disguised package-count maximum.
Vector growth never changes semantic references. Dependency edges, resolution
contexts, selected-product roots and variant roots, generated-main/support
edges, load/topological frames, order entries, and closure membership are all
stable `int`/`i32` indices. Code reserves a graph slot before taking an element
pointer and never carries an element pointer across a graph reserve. Capacity,
addresses, request order, product order, output names, and workdir location
therefore cannot enter action identity, sorting, diagnostics, storage locators,
or artifact bytes. Dependency lists retain byte-sorted insertion and duplicate
elimination. The iterative loader retains mark-before-child and post-child
command-import validation; the iterative tri-color DFS retains deterministic
postorder and the complete live path for cycle diagnostics.
No fixed package, product, context, action, support-map, traversal, order, or
closure cardinality remains in either driver. The unrelated `SEP_MAXLFLAGS ==
32` limit is retained solely for the existing `-L`/`-l` command-line interface;
it neither indexes nor bounds package actions. Compiler and linker tools already
allocate their import/input tables from `argc`; their genuine remaining process
boundary is the host's executable-argument limit.
The native package observers generate rather than commit large fixture trees.
The extended `long_shared_link_closure_is_complete` builds and runs a chain of
300 ordinary directory packages under independent cold Cstage and WWstage work
roots. Its command root directly imports all 300 packages and repeats one import,
proving an action beyond index 256 compiles, the root receives exactly 300
sorted/deduplicated direct `.wwi` inputs, every ordinary action receives only its
one direct export, every `.unit.ww` contains only its two byte-sorted owner
sources, and the linker receives the root plus all 300 archives exactly once and
no `.wwi`. A second command root imports only `p000`; it reuses all 300 ordinary
actions and its exact linker line still contains the root followed by the full
`p000` through `p299` transitive archive chain and runtime archive, proving that
closure construction—not the wide root's direct imports—crosses the old boundary.
The observer compares every unit, export, assembly, object, archive, and binary
across stages. A second equivalent request against the same persistent store invokes no compiler or
assembler. Changing `p257`'s export recompiles exactly `p257`, direct importer
`p256`, and the wide root, and stops before `p255` after `p256` regenerates a
byte-identical export. Closing the chain at `p299 -> p000` produces the complete
stage-identical 300-node cycle diagnostic with empty compiler, assembler, and
linker traces.
`dynamic_package_universe_crosses_former_boundary` selects 257 canonical
directory products in one direct request per stage. Fifty-two directories have
combined same/external tests and each produces `ptest`, `pxtest`, and one
directory `pmain`; 205 production-only directories take the no-test path. The
shared support closure brings the command-global universe to exactly 370
compile actions and 422 assembler invocations, with 52 generated dispatchers,
links, binaries, and results. The 205 no-test products have only ordinary
production actions and statuses: no support-owned target, main, link, binary,
or result. The observer reverses all directory descriptors between stages,
proves one compile per action, runs a boundary combined binary, validates
variant-owned units and external self substitution, and compares representative
action artifacts, normalized traces, and binaries byte-for-byte.
The same observer exercises the public `ww test <tree>/...` coordinator path
against that persistent action store. The coordinator passes exactly 257
directory descriptors in one driver request, prints 52 combined `ok` reports
and 205 no-test `?` reports, and performs no new compilation. An unchanged warm
request again invokes no compiler or assembler; the 52 real products follow the
existing explicit-output relink convention while no-test products still create
no linker work. Existing focused observers continue to prove
dependency-first/root-first canonical reuse, root-only/combined artifact
identity, exact reordered-product trace bytes, and request-shape-independent
persistent action reuse.
This representation follows the semantic separation and scalable action
construction in the pinned official Go 1.26.5 source, identified by
[`VERSION`, lines 1–2](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/VERSION#L1-L2),
at commit `c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- Go's loader states that repeated package lookup returns the same pointer
([`pkg.go`, lines 633–636](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L633-L636)),
resolves canonical path and directory before package-data lookup
([lines 863–911](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L863-L911)),
and reuses the package cached under the resolved `ImportPath`
([lines 757–768](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L757-L768)).
- A Go builder has one command-global action cache, while each action's
dependencies are a dynamically accumulated slice
([`action.go`, lines 38–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L38-L45),
[lines 84–89](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L84-L89)).
The cache key is operation plus canonical package pointer and returns the
existing action
([lines 202–206](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L202-L206),
[lines 437–447](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L447)).
- Go constructs an archive compile action and dynamically appends actions only
for the package's direct imports
([lines 628–659](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L628-L659)).
It separately interns a link action rooted in that cached compile action
([lines 919–958](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L919-L958))
and dynamically expands the complete transitive link closure
([lines 1034–1068](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L1034-L1068)).
Requested package actions are likewise accumulated with `append`
([`build.go`, lines 519–534](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L519-L534),
[lines 551–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L551-L558)).
- During execution, Go builds one package from its own source list
([`exec.go`, lines 721–790](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L721-L790),
[lines 928–935](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L928-L935)),
maps its direct action dependencies into compiler inputs
([lines 864–884](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L864-L884)),
and links the root archive with mappings for the complete link-action closure
([lines 1592–1647](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1592-L1647)).
- `go/build` keeps directory, import identity, declared name, and ordinary,
internal-test, and external-test file lists separate
([`build.go`, lines 436–493](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L436-L493));
`ImportDir` explicitly processes the named directory
([lines 521–525](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L521-L525)),
reads precisely that directory
([lines 859–900](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L859-L900)),
and assigns accepted files to the separate package-owned lists
([lines 948–1039](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L948-L1039)).
- Go's test loader explicitly returns generated main, internal production-plus-
test, and external-test packages, reusing production when valid
([`test.go`, lines 85–102](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L85-L102));
constructs the internal, external, and generated-main variants separately
([lines 175–293](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L175-L293));
dynamically appends, sorts, and deduplicates generated-main imports
([lines 315–376](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L315-L376));
and uses copy-on-write test variants while preserving unaffected package
objects
([lines 421–474](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L421-L474)).
WW adopts those package/action distinctions and scalable dependency
accumulation, but not Go's build IDs, module system, importcfg, cache/CAS,
preloader, parallel action scheduler, or network behavior. Normal local WW
builds and tests remain offline, manifest-free, registry-free, database-free,
CAS-free, and network-free.
### 11.15 Implemented internal-package import visibility
A source import whose complete canonical import path contains a directory
component named exactly `internal` is now contextual. Locate the final such
component. Its parent directory is the ownership boundary, and the import is
legal only when the importing source package's canonical filesystem directory
is that boundary or a descendant at a real path-component boundary. Thus
`domain.client` may import `domain.internal.secret`, while `outsider` and
`domainx.client` may not. `internalx` has no special meaning. For
`domain.internal.outer.internal.deep`, the final `internal` wins and the owner
is `domain.internal.outer`, not `domain`.
The complete dotted import identity determines whether the rule applies and
how many components comprise the final `internal` plus its following suffix.
WW removes those components from that source edge's resolved lexical target
route, canonicalizes the resulting owner directory physically, and compares it
with the already canonical physical importer directory. Stripping precedes
physical canonicalization because a symlink at or below `internal` may point to
a target with a different name or depth; an action spelling interned by an
earlier edge is never reused for this contextual calculation. Cstage obtains
directory canonicalization through `realpath`; WWstage uses its equivalent
`chdir`/`getcwd` canonicalization. For explicit single-file compatibility
roots, Cstage uses `realpath` and WWstage's component walker uses
`lstat`/`readlink` plus the same canonical current-directory representation;
both preserve component and trailing-directory semantics across symlinks. The
equality-or-`/`-boundary comparison never uses a raw string prefix. This
division is intentional: an unrelated physical
ancestor literally named `internal` does not impose visibility on an import
whose canonical identity has no such component, while a symlink spelling at or
below an import-path `internal` cannot move the effective owner or importer.
Explicit single-file compatibility roots use their canonicalized containing
directory as the importer context. Directly selecting an internal directory as
a command root remains legal because selection is not a source import.
Visibility is an import-edge property, not part of canonical package or action
identity. Both drivers resolve the complete target, intern or reuse its one
canonical production action, and then perform the importer-context check before
accepting the source binding or dependency edge. Consequently an allowed
importer may load and compile the target normally, but that cached action cannot
authorize a later forbidden importer. Reversing requested products or visiting
the forbidden importer first produces the same result. No declared package
name, leaf, output name, product ordinal, storage locator, hash, or test variant
participates in the decision. Legal edges therefore retain the existing
owner-only byte-sorted unit, exact sorted/deduplicated direct `.wwi` compiler
inputs, deterministic archive, and complete archive-only linker closure.
Cstage represents the rule with the bounded
`sep_internal_parent_count`/`sep_internal_import_allowed` helpers in
`cmd/ww/main.c`. WWstage has the isomorphic
`sepinternalparentcount`/`sepinternalimportallowed` helpers in
`selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww`. Neither adds a package field, fixed-size package
table, second action universe, or action-key input. A distinct
`SEP_LOAD_INTERNAL` result propagates through the iterative loader. On rejection
both stages emit the importing parser position followed by exactly:
```text
use of internal package <canonical-import-path> not allowed
```
The command returns immediately from graph loading, before directory-identity
finalization, unit composition, workdir owner validation, stale-voucher
invalidation, tool-identity recording, compiler, assembler, in-driver archive
production, linker, publication, or execution. A cold rejection therefore
commits no target/importer artifact or `.wwtool.*` state. A forbidden warm
request cannot use a previously committed target to bypass the check and leaves
the already committed target voucher and all tool records byte-unchanged.
Allocation or path canonicalization failure remains a deterministic
command-fatal pre-tool error; the visibility helper does not change stable
package indices or growth behavior.
Every selected source file reaches the same driver scan. The rule therefore
applies to ordinary production sources, same-package test sources in the
internal production-plus-test variant, external `_test` sources, and real
source imports inside the test-support package. Generated-main-to-variant,
generated-main-to-support, and coordinator product wiring remain synthetic
edges and are not retroactively treated as source imports. No coordinator
change is required: `cmd/wwtest` only dispatches, and
`internal/wwpackage/package.ww` only discovers and classifies source groups,
constructs the union request, and runs the driver; neither resolves a source
import or owns its importing position.
This follows only the pinned official Go 1.26.5 source at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `loadImport` resolves and reuses the canonical package first, then explicitly
checks the rule on every import because the result depends on the importing
code, and attaches the importing position
([`pkg.go`, lines 787–791](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L787-L791)).
- The rule is the tree rooted at the parent of the target's `internal`
directory
([`pkg.go`, lines 1463–1471](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1463-L1471)).
A package named directly on the command line is not an import
([lines 1498–1502](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1498-L1502)),
and the import-path boundary is located before filesystem containment
([lines 1505–1515](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1505-L1515)).
- Go's filesystem branch cleans the importer and owner, requires a
path-component-aware prefix, and retries with both paths symlink-expanded
([`pkg.go`, lines 1534–1546](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1534-L1546)).
Its rejection text is exactly the diagnostic above
([lines 1564–1571](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1564-L1571)),
and its exact-component search deliberately selects the final `internal`
element as the most restrictive rule
([lines 1574–1590](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1574-L1590)).
- Same-package and external test imports both pass through ordinary
`loadImport` with their own source positions before variant construction
([`test.go`, lines 102–161](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L102-L161)).
Generated test-main dependencies are synthesized separately
([lines 307–330](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L307-L330)).
- Go's downstream action cache keys canonical package actions independently
and consumes the already validated direct package imports, so visibility does
not belong in action identity
([`action.go`, lines 437–455](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L455),
[lines 628–657](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L628-L657)).
The focused native observer `internal_package_import_visibility` generates its
lexical package/import tree under a temporary physical ancestor also named
`internal`, while deliberate symlink destinations live outside that ancestor,
so that unrelated-host-path case is exercised rather than documented only. It
builds and runs allowed descendant, nested-final, `internalx`, and symlinked
physical-owner cases; rejects outsider, sibling-prefix, nested-final, and
symlink-escape cases at exact source positions with empty tool traces; maps an
internal target symlinked to a differently shaped physical path back to its
lexical owner's canonical directory; builds an internal package directly; and
reverses requested allowed/forbidden product-descriptor order around one reused
target. It checks ordinary, internal-test, and external-test
source imports, generated-main transitive-export isolation, owner-only source
order, direct export inputs, archive-only link closure, runtime results, warm
no-op package production, rejection-state preservation, and the primary
production chain's unit, export, assembly, object, archive, binary, and exact
normalized tool arguments across independent cold Cstage and WWstage work
roots. Test variants additionally compare their unit/export/archive bytes and
exercise byte-equivalent runtime output in both stages.
### 11.16 Implemented manifest-free local vendor-directory imports
The local package loader now expands only imports parsed from source. For a
source package whose resolved lexical route is `<root>/domain/app`, an import
of `lib.math` probes these directory packages in order:
```text
<root>/domain/app/vendor/lib/math
<root>/domain/vendor/lib/math
<root>/vendor/lib/math
<ordinary ordered-root lookup for lib/math>
```
The walk stops at that edge's applicable active source root. It never walks an
arbitrary filesystem ancestor and never acquires a boundary from another
requested product. Each resolution context carries the current package's
lexical route and source-root boundary. An explicitly identified root derives
the boundary by removing and round-trip validating exactly its dotted identity
components. An unbound literal root chooses the first precedence-valid strict
ancestor in its own ordered search roots, or the selected directory itself.
An ordinary child records the exact root that selected it; a vendored child
inherits the parent's boundary. These values are contextual resolution state,
not package/action identity.
Before source scanning, a literal directory whose lexical route is
representable below that boundary binds the complete relative dotted identity,
including any `vendor` components. A truly rootless literal keeps its reversible
`__wwlocal` identity and cannot be coalesced with a same-physical vendored
action. Thus selecting a vendored directory directly remains legal without
letting product order donate its action identity to or from a source import.
A candidate shadows outer and ordinary candidates only when its directory
contains an observed non-directory name ending in `.ww`. This deliberately
includes `_test.ww` and the bare name `.ww`, matching Go's suffix probe; an
actual subdirectory named `x.ww` and an unreadable candidate with no observed
source do not shadow. Once a candidate is selected, normal package enumeration
reports its real errors, including a test-only or otherwise production-empty
directory, rather than falling through.
Source retains only the effective spelling, such as `lib.math`. Selection
assigns the target the complete expanded canonical identity, such as
`domain.app.vendor.lib.math`, and separately canonicalizes its physical
directory. The target's declared name independently supplies the default
qualifier in each importing source file. The action key is that expanded
identity and canonical directory,
plus the existing variant/role. Different physical vendor copies are distinct;
different expanded vendor routes remain distinct even when symlinks converge
on one physical directory; repeated resolutions of the same pair reuse one
action. Source spelling, importer context, product order, output name, declared
leaf, and allocation/discovery order do not enter that key.
The final exact non-terminal dotted component named `vendor` determines the
effective suffix and owner. A nested path uses its final `vendor`; `vendorx` is
ordinary; and a path ending exactly in `vendor` names an ordinary package.
After resolution and action interning, every source edge first performs vendor
visibility and then verifies source spelling. An allowed importer that directly
spells an expanded path receives the source-position diagnostic:
```text
<expanded-path> must be imported as <effective-suffix>
```
An outside importer receives, with visibility taking diagnostic precedence:
```text
use of vendored package not allowed
```
Directly selecting a directory below `vendor` remains legal because a command
root is not a source import.
Visibility derives the owner from the current edge's resolved lexical vendor
route and only then canonicalizes that owner physically. It never strips
components from the already-canonical target, whose symlink shape may have a
different depth. The importer is its canonical physical directory. Equality or
a real `/`-component descendant is allowed; a raw string prefix is not.
Consequently an importer reached through a symlink is judged by its physical
containment, while a vendor target symlinked to a differently shaped physical
directory keeps the owner established by the lexical vendor route. The check
runs after intern/reuse on every source edge, so an action loaded by an allowed
importer cannot authorize a later forbidden spelling or importer.
Cstage represents the resolution with `route` and `source_root` in
`sepcontext`, the bounded `sep_resolve_source_import` and vendor helpers, stable
integer action references in typed source bindings, and transient
`{package,context}` loader children. WWstage uses the isomorphic `sepcontext`,
`sepresolvesourceimport`, typed bindings, and transient child vector. The
package-global dependency set remains the sorted/deduplicated canonical action
set used for compilation and linking; contextual child traversal never creates
a second universe or contaminates action identity. All new storage grows with
checked allocation, and package/context vectors continue to expose only stable
integer references across growth.
A compile still receives one sorted, deduplicated
`--import <expanded-path> <dependency.wwi>` triple for each direct dependency.
When source spelling differs, the driver additionally supplies the sorted,
unique auxiliary mapping:
```text
--import-map <source-spelling> <expanded-path>
```
Both compilers require the map target to be an existing direct `--import`,
require source keys to be sorted and unique, and require a matching import in
the primary source input. No leaf-equality condition exists. After parsing the
primary input and before prepending imported interfaces, the compiler replaces
its semantic import key while preserving source position and spelling. It then
reads the expanded target's declared name from the direct `.wwi` and installs
that name only in the declaring source file. Thus the map adds no dependency or
export input, expanded
identity flows into self-contained `.wwi` ownership and symbols, and direct
exports still have no transitive leakage. Linking remains independent: each
executable consumes its root archive and complete reachable archive closure,
never `.wwi` or import-map inputs.
Persistent units record resolution identity in ignored, deterministic comments:
```text
//ww:vendor-dir <hex-canonical-package-directory>
//ww:import-map <source-spelling> <expanded-path> <hex-canonical-target-directory>
```
Hex encoding keeps arbitrary legal filesystem bytes inside one comment. The
metadata makes ordinary-to-vendor changes and vendor symlink retargeting
invalidate the importer even when its source bytes and both already-warm export
bytes happen to match. It contains no dependency body and does not alter source
positions. The current workdir formats are build 15 and test 14. An equivalent
warm request remains a package-production no-op; an export change propagates
only through ordinary direct-export comparison.
Production, same-package internal-test, external `_test`, and real source
imports inside the test-support package all use this source-edge resolver.
Generated-main-to-variant, generated-main-to-support, and coordinator product
edges remain synthetic and receive no map or retroactive source legality.
`cmd/wwtest` remains a dispatcher. `internal/wwpackage` still discovers and
classifies source groups and submits one command-global union; it performs no
vendor resolution. It creates only its removable command-temporary coordination
tree. The private driver creates a missing delegated `-w` directory and a
requested output directory only after all semantic graph and output preflight
succeeds; a rejected request therefore leaves neither directory behind.
Resolution, identity collision checks, contextual legality, dependency-failure
propagation, cycles, command kind, publication paths, and action closures all
finish before cold scratch acquisition, tool identity staging, producer
execution, publication, or runtime execution. A request whose every product is
already invalid returns without acquiring scratch. If a later producer or
product fails, otherwise viable siblings may have been produced only into the
same transaction; none is committed or executed. A forbidden or otherwise
rejected warm request leaves committed vouchers, status files, tool records,
and products byte-unchanged.
This is only manifest-free local source-tree behavior. It does not implement
Go modules, module vendor mode, `go.mod`, `vendor/modules.txt`, importcfg, build
IDs, a package database, a CAS, registry access, or network lookup, and it is
separate from the future locked vendor store in section 4.6.
The rule follows the pinned official Go 1.26.5 source at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- source-derived imports are expanded and the expanded vendor path becomes the
canonical import path
([`pkg.go`, lines 658–668](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L658-L668));
- resolution and canonical package-cache reuse occur before the contextual
internal/vendor checks, which still run with the importing position on every
source edge
([`pkg.go`, lines 722–796](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L722-L796));
- vendor lookup walks importer ancestors nearest-first to the applicable root,
requires a source-bearing directory, and records the expanded identity
([`pkg.go`, lines 1213–1263](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1213-L1263));
- the source-bearing probe accepts any non-directory `.go` suffix and ignores
directory-read failure
([`pkg.go`, lines 1418–1429](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1418-L1429));
- command roots remain legal, while an expanded source spelling must use its
effective suffix
([`pkg.go`, lines 1593–1617](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1593-L1617));
- vendor ownership uses component-aware physical containment and symlink
expansion
([`pkg.go`, lines 1620–1667](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1620-L1667));
- the final exact non-terminal `vendor` component controls the rule
([`pkg.go`, lines 1670–1688](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1670-L1688));
- production, internal-test, and external-test imports retain distinct raw
source spellings/positions but each resolves canonically, while generated
test-main wiring is synthetic
([`test.go`, lines 85–173](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L85-L173),
[`test.go`, lines 175–266](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L175-L266),
[`test.go`, lines 272–373](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L272-L373),
[`go/build/build.go`, lines 415–493](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L415-L493)); and
- action caching consumes the already-resolved package graph, while output
publication remains a later concern
([`action.go`, lines 437–455](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L455),
[`action.go`, lines 628–659](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L628-L659),
[`build.go`, lines 470–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L470-L558)).
The native observer `vendor_directory_import_resolution` generates every source
tree temporarily and runs both stages from independent cold work roots. It
proves nearest/outer/root/ordinary selection and the active-root boundary;
source-bearing versus empty candidates; distinct and reused actions, including
same-physical symlink targets; exact spelling/visibility diagnostics and
product-order reversal; final-component, terminal-name, component-prefix, and
symlink behavior; direct vendored roots; production/internal/external/support
source imports and synthetic-main isolation; owner-only sorted units, exact
direct exports/import maps, archive-only link closures, runtime output,
stage-equal normalized argv/artifacts/binaries, warm no-op production, and cold
and warm rejection-state preservation.
### 11.17 Implemented manifest-free recursive local package-pattern selection
Build and test now share one local request selector. A positional spelling with
no `...` is one explicit directory root. In a spelling containing `...`, each
occurrence in a valid UTF-8 spelling has Go's regular-expression wildcard
semantics; an invalid UTF-8 pattern matches nothing, and a final `/...` also
matches the directory before that suffix. WW applies the local matcher to its
existing manifest-free `DIR/...` interface as well as `./...`, `../...`, and
absolute spellings. It does not interpret the non-filesystem portion as a
module or registry path. Multiple direct roots and patterns may be mixed in one
command.
For build, `--` before the first positional ends option parsing and every
following argument is a package selector, including a spelling that begins
with `-`. Once the first positional has already ended flag parsing, a later
`--` is itself another package argument.
Pattern expansion is request processing only. For each pattern, traversal starts
at the directory prefix before the first `...` and is bounded to that physical
tree. The selector never obtains a traversal or source-root boundary from
another product. It produces canonical physical directory roots; only imports
parsed from their real source files add dependency edges. The request spelling,
wildcard prefix, match membership, output name, request order, and discovery
order never become a package import identity or action key and never enter an
import search path.
The recursive eligibility rules are:
- Directory entries are read completely and byte-sorted before processing.
Every recursively encountered directory whose basename begins `.` or `_`, or
equals `testdata`, is pruned with its subtree. An explicit literal selection
bypasses these traversal exclusions, so those directories remain legal direct
roots.
- A directory owns only its immediate `.ww` directory entries. Basenames
beginning `.` or `_` are ignored. As in `go/build`, a source symlink whose
target is a regular file is read under the symlink entry's byte-sorted name;
a source-shaped symlink to a directory is ignored. A subdirectory never
donates sources to its parent.
- A directory with at least one production or `*_test.ww` source is eligible.
A recursively encountered source-empty directory is silently skipped. A
direct source-empty root is an error. A malformed source-bearing directory is
retained as a root and fails during ordinary package-clause or driver loading;
malformed files in excluded or source-empty trees do not poison the request.
- The traversal does not prune `vendor`. Instead a wildcard cannot consume a
non-terminal exact path component named `vendor`. Thus `DIR/...` may select a
code-bearing terminal `DIR/vendor` but not `DIR/vendor/x`.
`DIR/vendor/...` explicitly selects that vendor root and its descendants until
another non-terminal `vendor` becomes a barrier. `vendorx` is ordinary.
The explicit traversal root is opened after following a directory symlink, as
in Go. It may therefore name a target outside the lexical spelling, but the
target becomes the canonical traversal boundary. Directory symlinks encountered
below that root are never followed, so they cannot escape, create cycles, or
change selection. A cyclic explicit root is rejected while canonicalizing it.
Relative, absolute, dotted, and explicit-root-symlink spellings that reach one
physical package collapse to one canonical root. This physical interning is
WW's stronger command-global identity rule; it deliberately avoids Go's few
GOPATH cases in which different lexical import paths can retain distinct package
objects.
Raw requested spellings are byte-sorted first and each is then lexically cleaned
before traversal. Matched source paths are canonicalized, sorted by canonical
directory and filename, and deduplicated. Products are then byte-sorted by
canonical directory and variant. Duplicate patterns, overlapping patterns, and
canonical aliases therefore select one root/product and reuse one action. Go
itself processes patterns in argv order and suppresses later package objects; WW
performs the stronger final canonical sort required by its
request-order-independent command universe. Reversing request or product order
does not change roots, diagnostics, normalized tool arguments, artifacts, or
runtime output.
An unmatched pattern emits:
```text
ww: warning: "PATTERN" matched no packages
```
`PATTERN` is quoted with the pinned `strconv.Quote` rules, including
deterministic escapes for quotes, backslashes, controls, non-printing Unicode,
and malformed UTF-8 bytes. Warnings are emitted in the
sorted request order. With no remaining roots,
ordinary build without `-o` succeeds as an empty build, while test reports
`ww test: no packages to test`. A build with a non-directory `-o` reports no
packages to build; a directory `-o` reports no main packages to build. A
non-directory `-o` still requires exactly one production root. An existing
directory or spelling ending in `/` receives each selected command under its
canonical directory basename; non-main selected roots receive no named output.
Two commands with the same destination basename are rejected rather than
overwriting one another. All selection, canonicalization, package-clause,
duplicate-output, and unusable-request diagnostics precede producer execution.
Raw `-o` and `-w` spellings and every derived directory-fan-out output, cold
scratch name, persistent tool-record name, and package artifact are bounded and
validated symmetrically before tools; a raw spelling that fits but whose suffix
or command basename does not fit is rejected with the same Cstage/WWstage
diagnostic and no filesystem publication.
For a delegated multi-root or recursive `-S` build, `-w` is required so the
assembly outputs have caller-owned persistent destinations instead of vanishing
with the coordinator's temporary plan.
Build and test begin with the same eligible canonical directory set. Recursive
build removes a source-bearing root that has only test files; an explicitly
selected test-only directory remains an unusable build root and fails. Build
creates one production product per remaining directory. Test retains test-only
directories and, after selection, constructs the already specified isolated
production/no-test, internal production-plus-test, external `_test`, support,
recompiled-for-test, and one directory-generated-main action. Pattern expansion
does not create those actions; graph-owned substitution alone makes the
augmented package visible through applicable external and transitive edges.
Vendor selection remains distinct from vendor import resolution. Selecting a
directory below `vendor`, literally or through an explicitly vendor-rooted
pattern, keeps its complete canonical local identity; it is never shortened to
the suffix after `vendor`, and its declaration never renames it. A generic
recursive pattern does not expose vendored
descendants as ordinary short command roots. Independently, an allowed real
source import still searches nearest-first below local `vendor`, creates the
expanded identity described in section 11.16, supplies the required
`--import-map`, and performs spelling and visibility checks for that importer
even when the canonical action already exists.
The ownership split is exact:
- `cmd/ww/main.c` and `selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww` recognize recursive and
multi-root build/test requests symmetrically and delegate them. Their private
build route consumes production product descriptors in one command-global
package universe. It records library-root completion without linking and
links each command product independently. Recursive build forwards `-S`,
`-L`, and `-l` through the same private product route; assembly-only products
receive completion markers only after their producer pass succeeds. Both
stages allocate the same bounded delegation argv and inherit the existing
environment directly, so delegation adds no WWstage-only environment-copy
allocation or failure point.
- `internal/wwpackage/package.ww` owns pattern cleaning and matching, bounded
directory traversal, source-bearing eligibility, canonical root/product
sorting and deduplication, build-versus-test product classification, output
coordination, and deterministic reporting. It does not resolve a source
import and does not prepend a pattern root to `-I`.
- `cmd/wwtest` remains a dispatcher. The Cstage and WWstage drivers own package
enumeration, canonical identity, contextual import resolution, graph loading,
variants, compilation, archive construction, linking, publication, and
persistent reuse.
Consequently the existing action and tool contracts remain unchanged after
root selection. Every action unit contains only the owner's byte-sorted source
files. A compiler receives exactly the sorted, deduplicated `.wwi` exports of
direct source dependencies and any required vendor import-map binding. Each
executable link receives its root archive and complete reachable archive
closure, never a `.wwi`. Canonical duplicate roots reuse the same action; the
pattern text, declared qualifier, and product receiving an output do not affect
canonical or persistent action ownership.
Selection and package-clause validation finish before the coordinator creates
its removable temporary plan, and the coordinator never creates persistent
state. Driver graph, identity, visibility, cycle, closure, and output validation
finish before a missing delegated work or output directory is created and
before scratch, voucher, status, tool-state, publication, or producer mutation.
If later setup of another requested directory fails, both drivers remove every
empty path prefix created by that setup while preserving all pre-existing caller
directories. A cold rejected pattern leaves no partial request state. The same
rejection against an existing caller work root leaves its marker and every
committed artifact, voucher, and tool record byte-unchanged and invokes no
producer. A valid equivalent direct or recursive warm request remains a
package-production no-op; changed exports continue to propagate through direct
dependencies only.
This slice follows only official Go 1.26.5 source at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- local literal versus wildcard handling, the prefix before the first `...`,
explicit root-symlink following, recursive exclusions, source-empty omission,
and malformed-directory retention are in
[`cmd/go/internal/search/search.go`, lines 276–418](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/search/search.go#L276-L418),
and its quoted unmatched-pattern warning is at
[lines 424–429](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/search/search.go#L424-L429);
- wildcard syntax, the empty match for trailing `/...`, and the non-terminal
`vendor` barrier are in
[`cmd/internal/pkgpattern/pkgpattern.go`, lines 32–106](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/internal/pkgpattern/pkgpattern.go#L32-L106),
including invalid-UTF-8 rejection at lines 75–76,
with non-terminal vendor-element replacement implemented at
[lines 125–137](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/internal/pkgpattern/pkgpattern.go#L125-L137);
- manifest-free request expansion, canonical package loading, first-occurrence
deduplication, and pattern membership are in
[`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 2922–2965](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L2922-L2965),
while source imports alone recurse through package loading at
[lines 2024–2047](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L2024-L2047);
- build uses that common matcher, implements single versus directory `-o`, and
omits wildcard-selected test-only roots at
[`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 459–559](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L459-L559)
and
[lines 731–745](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L731-L745);
- test uses the same package request set, reports an empty set, and constructs
isolated test variants only afterward at
[`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 684–719](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L684-L719)
and
[lines 1133–1226](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1133-L1226);
- immediate directory ownership and hidden/underscore source-name exclusion
are in
[`go/build/build.go`, lines 859–914](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L859-L914)
(including regular-file source symlink following and symlink-to-directory
omission at lines 886–900),
parse-error retention and production/test classification are in
[lines 931–1036](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L931-L1036),
and `NoGoError` eligibility is in
[lines 1076–1082](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L1076-L1082); and
- child symlinks are skipped by `Lstat`-based directory walking and entries are
traversed in byte order at
[`cmd/go/internal/fsys/walk.go`, lines 14–59](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/fsys/walk.go#L14-L59)
and
[`os/dir.go`, lines 109–125](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/dir.go#L109-L125).
Build subcommand option termination is delegated by the Go command at
[`cmd/go/main.go`, lines 312–321](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/main.go#L312-L321),
with `--` termination implemented by
[`flag/flag.go`, lines 1074–1089](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/flag/flag.go#L1074-L1089),
and the parse loop stops at the first positional at
[lines 1153–1176](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/flag/flag.go#L1153-L1176).
Unmatched-pattern quoting uses the pinned `strconv.Quote` decoder and escape
rules in
[`strconv/quote.go`, lines 28–123](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/strconv/quote.go#L28-L123),
including the exported `Quote` entry at lines 117–123, and the `IsPrint`
algorithm at
[`strconv/quote.go`, lines 515–559](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/strconv/quote.go#L515-L559),
with its generated tables in
[`strconv/isprint.go`, lines 8–733](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/strconv/isprint.go#L8-L733).
No module cutoff, `go.mod`, module vendor mode, `vendor/modules.txt`, importcfg,
build ID, registry, database, CAS, or network behavior is copied.
The native observer `recursive_tree_discovery` generates every tree
temporarily and runs Cstage and WWstage from independent cold roots. It covers
ordinary and test-only roots, hidden/underscore/testdata exclusions and direct
exceptions, terminal and explicit vendor patterns, an imported expanded vendor
dependency at both package-local and ancestor vendor directories,
overlapping/reversed/duplicate patterns independently in each stage, root,
child-directory, regular-file, and directory-target source symlinks,
canonical aliases, source-empty and malformed directories, build/test variant
selection with an asserted common production-root set, middle-position and
valid-UTF-8 wildcard edge cases, byte-sorted quoted unmatched diagnostics,
multi-command directory output and duplicate-destination rejection, recursive
assembly/link-flag forwarding, build `--` termination, raw-versus-derived
output/scratch/work-path boundaries with zero producer calls, owner-only units,
exact direct exports and import maps, archive-only links, normalized stage-equal tool argv and
artifacts/binaries/output, warm no-op package production, and cold/warm pre-tool
rejection-state preservation. The existing
`vendor_directory_import_resolution` observer supplies the exact compiler
`--import-map` argv proof for imported vendor dependencies, and the existing
diamond and long-closure observers independently prove sorted/deduplicated
direct `.wwi` cardinality and archive-only reachable link closures.
### 11.18 Implemented canonical identity, declared-name, and file-import-scope slice
Directory-package identity and source naming are now independent throughout
local build and test. For example:
```ww
// canonical import identity: acme.codec
package wire;
```
is imported with the existing dotted syntax:
```ww
package main;
import acme.codec;
export fn main() i32 = { return wire.value(); };
```
The package action, exports, symbols, archives, dependency edges, persistent
storage ownership, and link closure remain owned by `acme.codec`. Only the
source-file binding is named `wire`. The path leaf `codec` is not installed as
another qualifier, and a sibling source file receives no `wire` binding unless
that file has its own import.
The implemented representation keeps six facts distinct:
1. source import spelling, including its source file, line, and column;
2. contextually expanded canonical import identity;
3. canonical physical directory;
4. the one declared package name read from eligible source clauses and `.wwi`
package markers;
5. the optional explicit alias written at that import occurrence; and
6. the effective source-file-local qualifier, selected from the explicit alias
when present and otherwise from the imported declaration.
Both drivers retain one dynamically allocated `sepbind` occurrence for every
real import site. The occurrence stores the source spelling and position plus a
stable action index. Contextual `internal` and vendor resolution is therefore
rechecked for every source import even if its target action already exists. A
separate package dependency vector unions those occurrences, deduplicates by
canonical action, and sorts by complete canonical identity/variant/role. That
vector alone supplies dependency traversal and compiler `--import` arguments.
Patterns, qualifiers, declared names, export closure facts, and generated edges
never create source dependency edges.
The owner-only composed unit preserves byte-sorted source boundaries with one
`//ww:module-reset <canonical-owner>` separator per file. Parser nodes carry a
source-section ID as well as canonical owner and declared package name. Each
real `N_USE` therefore belongs to one source section. `.wwi` emission repeats
canonical-owner/package markers as needed for contributing source sections and
retains imports only with the declarations from the file that owned them.
Interfaces remain source-like transitional data, but canonical owner and
declared name are no longer collapsed into one token.
`w6c` and `w6c_ww` validate every direct export's leading canonical owner
against its paired `--import` path. After all direct exports are parsed, they
build canonical-path-to-declared-name metadata from those interfaces, apply any
vendor `--import-map` only to canonical identity, and bind each primary source
import through its explicit alias or, when absent, the imported declaration.
The checkers and code generators select bindings by source-section ID and
canonical owner. Only a qualified lookup through that effective binding marks
the owning file's occurrence used; imported declarations are never a bare-name
fallback. Two files may consequently bind the same name to different canonical
packages, while the graph still contains one edge/action for each target.
Within one file, two imports that produce the same effective qualifier are a
redeclared binding; the later unused binding is also reported. An unused import
is reported at its own import position even if a sibling file uses the same
qualifier or canonical dependency. A package-scope declaration collides with
an equal import binding from any contributing file, matching Go's reconciliation
of package and file scopes. Conflicting production package clauses remain a
loader-owned deterministic error before producers. Compiler-owned scope or use
errors may invoke the compiler, but every action artifact remains staged under
an adjacent `.new` name. No completion/status marker is written and no product
is published after a failed compile. Once every action and product has staged,
the driver preserves each existing destination under a request-owned backup,
installs the complete new generation, and rolls all installed destinations back
if any installation fails. Unit vouchers and the global stamp are transaction
members rather than early invalidation markers. Thus a rejected or interrupted
request leaves the previous committed generation byte-identical and removes all
remaining stages; a mixed `.wwi`/object/archive generation is never reusable.
Package kind follows the declaration. `package main`, not a path component,
marks a command. A path ending in `main` remains importable when it declares a
different name. Any ordinary source import of a package declared `main` is
rejected as `package <canonical-path> is a program, not an importable package`,
regardless of its path leaf. The one pinned loader exception is an external
test's exact same-directory import of the command production: it is rewired to
the forced-library test copy. WW admits only that canonical colocated edge.
Test naming is likewise declaration-based. Production and internal-test
variants use the production declared name. When production files exist,
external files must declare `<production-declared-name>_test`; a test-only
directory may establish one consistent package name from its test files, as in
pinned `go/build`. External action identity remains the canonical production
identity plus the existing external variant suffix where that production
exists. Imports found only in internal or external test files belong only to
that action. Support and the directory generated-main retain isolated action
identities and archive closures. A generated dispatcher privately binds its
tested targets through repeated, byte-sorted
`--test-target-package <canonical-path>` arguments so a command variant declared `main`
does not collide with the dispatcher's own synthesized `main`; this is
compiler-generated wiring distinct from ordinary source aliases. A real
zero-test directory product marks all compiler-owned target/support metadata
imports consumed. Those private bindings are installed or marked consumed only in the generated
dispatcher's source section; an import from an earlier test-file section
neither supplies nor satisfies it.
Vendor expansion changes only canonical identity and physical selection. A
source spelling such as `lib.codec` can resolve to
`domain.app.vendor.lib.codec`, while the vendored package's declaration, for
example `package wire`, supplies the default file-local qualifier. An explicit
alias overrides only that qualifier. The driver emits one sorted semantic
`--import-map lib.codec domain.app.vendor.lib.codec` and one direct export input
despite repeated import occurrences in separate files. The expanded identity
continues to own symbols, `.wwi`, archive, voucher, and link inputs.
Canonical action interning remains the directory/path/variant model of sections
11.7 and 11.14. Independent file bindings never clone an action, and a declared
name or source alias never enters an artifact basename or storage locator.
Changing a dependency's declaration keeps the same action identity and causes
each direct importer to be reconsidered. A default-bound importer may then fail
because its old qualifier disappeared; an explicitly aliased importer keeps its
binding, regenerates a canonical semantic export, and stops reverse propagation
when those bytes are unchanged. An alias-only source edit rebuilds its owner but
likewise leaves canonical export identity unchanged. An identical warm request
remains a producer no-op. Build workdir format 15 and test format 14 prevent
reuse of older vouchers that lack these semantics.
Compiler argv still contains exactly the sorted, deduplicated `.wwi` exports of
direct canonical dependencies; no transitive `.wwi` and no qualifier-derived
path appears. Linker argv still contains only the executable root archive and
complete reachable archive closure plus runtime/native inputs. Publication and
completion occur only after the corresponding action/product succeeds.
Responsibility is intentionally split as follows:
- `internal/wwpackage` classifies production, internal, and external test files
from their declarations, derives the allowed external name from the
production declaration, expands request patterns, and submits variant roots.
It does not resolve imports, choose qualifiers, or create dependency edges.
- `cmd/ww/main.c` and `selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww` own per-site parsing and
contextual resolution, canonical directory/action interning, declared-name
consistency, imported-command rejection, sorted dependency union, exact tool
argv, variant/generated-main construction, persistence, linking, and
publication. Their storage, diagnostics, call positions, and allocation
failures are isomorphic.
- `cmd/w6c`/`cmd/wcc` and `selfhost/cmd/w6c`/`selfhost/cmd/wcc` own export
owner/name reading and writing, ordinary/aliased parse facts, file-local
binding installation, collision and unused-import diagnostics, name/type
lookup, canonical symbol ownership, and generated-dispatcher private
qualification. Cstage and WWstage emit byte-identical applicable interfaces,
assembly, archives, and binaries.
- `cmd/wwtest` remains only the test-command dispatcher.
The behavior follows pinned official Go 1.26.5 source at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `go/build.Package` stores `Dir`, `Name`, `ImportPath`, production files, and
test files independently, while package-clause consistency is checked during
file classification
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 436–493](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L436-L493),
[`go/build/build.go`, lines 939–1049](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L939-L1049)).
- The loader interns by resolved `ImportPath`, keeps `ImportPath` and `Name`
separate, constructs edges from source imports, and rejects an imported
package whose `Name == "main"` except for the exact same-directory test case
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 633–636](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L633-L636),
[lines 757–806](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L757-L806),
[lines 2024–2047](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L2024-L2047)).
- The test loader builds distinct production/internal/external/generated-main
packages, derives external `Name` from `p.Name + "_test"`, handles the
same-directory command self-import, and rewrites it to the library-form test
copy
([`cmd/go/internal/load/test.go`, lines 144–203](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L144-L203),
[lines 228–293](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L228-L293),
[lines 421–472](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L421-L472)).
- `go/types.Package` stores independent path and name. The resolver creates one
child scope per source file, uses the imported package's declared name when
no alias is present, inserts imports into that file scope, reconciles them
with package declarations, and reports unused imports
([`go/types/package.go`, lines 26–40](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/package.go#L26-L40),
[`go/types/resolver.go`, lines 237–350](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L237-L350),
[lines 463–480](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L463-L480),
[lines 701–735](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L701-L735)).
The production compiler mirrors those rules
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 223–335](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L223-L335),
[lines 473–486](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L473-L486),
[lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740)).
- Compiler export import reconstructs and interns package descriptors by
canonical path while restoring their independently encoded package names and
imports
([`cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go`, lines 152–196](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go#L152-L196),
[`go/internal/gcimporter/ureader.go`, lines 224–244](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/internal/gcimporter/ureader.go#L224-L244)).
- Work actions consume cached canonical package objects and direct imports,
while test execution builds and links the isolated test action graph
([`cmd/go/internal/work/action.go`, lines 437–455](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L455),
[lines 628–659](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L628-L659),
[`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1133–1226](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1133-L1226)).
Section 11.19 completes ordinary explicit aliases while retaining dotted,
unquoted paths. Section 11.20 adds blank side-effect imports without adding a
name. Grouped, quoted, and dot imports remain deliberately unimplemented.
The focused native observer
`declared_name_identity_and_file_import_scope` generates every tree
temporarily and exercises both stages from independent cold roots. It proves
the identity/name/qualifier split, file-local collision and unused behavior,
one-edge/action reuse, command and imported-command rules, all test variants,
vendor expansion, recursive/direct selection, owner-only units, exact direct
exports and archive-only links, warm no-op behavior, declared-name invalidation,
rejection-state preservation, normalized argv, artifact/binary identity,
allocation-bearing runtime behavior, and request/product-order independence.
### 11.19 Implemented ordinary and explicitly aliased file-scoped imports
WW now implements the two ordinary binding modes for its local dotted import
model:
```ww
import acme.codec; // effective qualifier is the declared package name
import stable acme.codec; // effective qualifier is exactly stable
```
If canonical package `acme.codec` declares `package wire`, the first form
exposes only `wire.Name`; the second exposes only `stable.Name`. Neither form
also exposes `codec.Name`, the unused alternative qualifier, or bare `Name`.
WW has no dot-import form, so an ordinary import never inserts the dependency's
exported declarations into unqualified lookup. Builtins, lexical declarations,
and same-package declarations retain ordinary bare lookup.
This is the dotted-path counterpart of Go's independent local name and quoted
path, without adopting quoted paths. The syntax AST stores the optional source
alias independently from the original dotted spelling, canonical expanded
identity, imported declared name, effective qualifier, owning source section,
and source position. `Sym.use_alias` remains the older checker coexistence bit
for a declaration that shares a leaf with a package qualifier; it is not the
source-language alias fact.
#### Pinned Go evidence
The reference is official Go 1.26.5 source at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `go/ast.ImportSpec` stores `Name` and `Path` independently, and `Pos` selects
the alias position when one exists
([`go/ast/ast.go`, lines 908–915 and 939–955](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/ast/ast.go#L908-L955)).
`parseImportSpec` parses the optional local name separately from the path
([`go/parser/parser.go`, lines 2509–2546](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/parser/parser.go#L2509-L2546)).
- `go/types` creates one child scope per source file, chooses an explicit alias
when present and the imported package's declared name otherwise, inserts one
ordinary package-name object, and inserts bare exports only for an explicit
dot import
([`go/types/resolver.go`, lines 237–350](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L237-L350)).
Package/file collisions and unused occurrences are handled at
[`resolver.go`, lines 463–480](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L463-L480)
and
[`resolver.go`, lines 701–735](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L701-L735).
The production compiler mirrors those rules at
[`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 223–335](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L223-L335),
[lines 472–489](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L472-L489),
and
[lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740).
- Qualified selection marks the exact file-local package-name object used;
bare imported declarations are associated only with the dot-import table
([`go/types/call.go`, lines 682–693](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/call.go#L682-L693),
[`go/types/typexpr.go`, lines 20–31 and 79–86](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/typexpr.go#L20-L86)).
Compiler diagnostics are stably sorted by source position before printing
([`cmd/compile/internal/base/print.go`, lines 70–92](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/base/print.go#L70-L92)).
- Official testdata permits one path under distinct names, including default
plus aliases, while keeping every occurrence independently subject to unused
checking
([`internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go`, lines 29–52](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L29-L52),
[`test/import.go`, lines 7–23](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/import.go#L7-L23),
[`test/import1.go`, lines 7–18](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/import1.go#L7-L18)).
- Canonical package path and declared name are independent in
[`go/types/package.go`, lines 26–40](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/package.go#L26-L40).
Unified export writes and restores canonical path and name independently
([`cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go`, lines 430–465](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go#L430-L465),
[`cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go`, lines 157–196](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go#L157-L196),
[`cmd/compile/internal/noder/reader.go`, lines 342–376](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/reader.go#L342-L376)).
- `go/build` keeps production, internal-test, and external-test files/imports
separate and constructs their source import sets
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 436–505](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L436-L505),
[lines 939–1040](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L939-L1040),
[lines 1061–1063](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L1061-L1063)).
`cmd/go` interns by canonical import path, performs internal/vendor checks at
every real site, rejects imported `main`, and builds distinct test variants
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 633–636](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L633-L636),
[lines 757–806](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L757-L806),
[lines 2024–2047](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L2024-L2047),
[`cmd/go/internal/load/test.go`, lines 175–293](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L175-L293),
[lines 421–484](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L421-L484)).
- Build actions are keyed by operation and canonical package object, consume
canonical direct dependencies, and link the reachable canonical closure
([`cmd/go/internal/work/action.go`, lines 202–206](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L202-L206),
[lines 437–447](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L447),
[lines 628–708](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L628-L708),
[lines 919–968](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L919-L968),
[lines 1034–1068](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L1034-L1068)).
Root construction and test execution retain those canonical production and
generated-test objects
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 495–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L495-L558),
[`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1133–1226 and 1297–1366](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1133-L1366)).
Go's dot-import branch is negative evidence only: it demonstrates that bare
foreign declarations require a distinct explicit mode. WW does not implement
that mode.
#### Scope, duplicate, collision, and usage rules
Every import occurrence owns its spelling, optional alias, position, source
section, and used bit. The effective qualifier is installed only in that
section. A qualified type, value, function, def, const, or variable lookup maps
the effective qualifier to canonical identity and marks that exact occurrence
used. A failed bare lookup marks nothing. A sibling file cannot use or satisfy
the occurrence, while two files may independently reuse one alias for different
canonical packages.
In one source file, equal effective qualifiers are duplicate bindings. The
later occurrence remains independently unused; at one source position the
duplicate diagnostic precedes its unused diagnostic. A later bare undefined
name is printed after the earlier unused-import diagnostic. Equal canonical
paths are otherwise not a conflict: distinct aliases, or default plus explicit
alias, are accepted when their effective names differ and each occurrence is
used. A package-scope declaration colliding with a file import is rejected in
the existing deterministic reconciliation pass. The unused wording follows
Go's leaf comparison: a binding equal to the path leaf says `imported and not
used`; any other binding, including an unusual default declared name, says
`imported as <name> and not used`.
`_` selects the no-binding side-effect mode completed in section 11.20. It is
never an ordinary effective qualifier and therefore neither collides with
another `_` occurrence nor receives an unused diagnostic. Grouped imports,
quoted paths, and dot imports remain deliberately deferred.
#### Graph, export, artifact, and persistence identity
The imports-only parser and full parser share one import-spec routine and retain
ordinary alias, blank mode, and dotted path separately. Both drivers sort and
resolve occurrences by the dotted spelling, perform contextual internal and
nearest-first vendor checks at every real site, and intern the expanded
canonical action. `sepbind` and `--import-map` continue to mean source dotted
spelling to expanded vendor identity; neither contains the alias or `_`.
Repeated occurrences remain separate file facts but form one sorted canonical
edge/action.
The compiler independently reads the direct dependency's declared name. It
installs the explicit alias when present or that declared name otherwise, while
keeping the canonical owner on declarations, symbols, and code generation. A
source alias cannot bypass imported-`main` rejection. Production, internal-test,
external-test, support, and generated-main identities remain isolated, and an
import found only in a test file reaches only its corresponding test variant.
The coordinator remains responsible only for package/test classification and
submitting those roots; it does not parse or rewrite imports.
`.wwi` data never exports a local alias as package identity. Qualified exported
type and constant references are normalized to a deterministic compiler-private
qualifier `__wwi_` followed by the lowercase hexadecimal bytes of the canonical
path. Matching import records still name the canonical path, and transitive fact
sections carry the same canonical private spelling. The reader restores the
real declared name from the direct owner's metadata while treating those
private names as semantic placeholders. Thus two source aliases for the same
canonical type produce the same interface bytes, even if two dependencies have
the same declared name.
The source/import and interface protocol change advances persistent build
workdirs to format 15 and test workdirs to format 14. Older unit vouchers are
invalidated before reuse, so an interface written with historical implicit-dot
or declared-name spelling cannot preserve a stale qualifier under the new
checker.
Compiler argv remains exactly one sorted `--import <canonical-path> <direct.wwi>`
pair per direct dependency plus the exact required vendor import maps. No
transitive `.wwi` is passed. Symbols, objects, archives, vouchers, stamps,
persistent directories, and product basenames remain canonical-action owned.
Linker argv remains root plus reachable archives and native/runtime inputs only;
it contains neither `.wwi` files nor alias-derived archive names.
A dependency declared-name change invalidates its semantic export and
reconsiders every direct importer. Default-bound unchanged source loses the old
qualifier and is rejected cleanly. Explicitly aliased source stays valid; after
its canonical interface regenerates unchanged, invalidation stops before
unaffected reverse dependencies. An alias-only source edit rebuilds the edited
owner but likewise cannot rename symbols or alter canonical export identity, so
unchanged semantic bytes stop reverse rebuilding.
Parser, identity, alias, declaration, binding, and scope failures occur before
publication. Compiler-owned failures may start the compiler, but staged unit,
interface, assembly, object, archive, voucher, stamp, status, and product state
is discarded under section 11.20's request transaction.
#### Stage and observer ownership
The C and WW parsers retain identical alias/path/position facts. The Cstage and
WWstage drivers resolve only the dotted path; the compiler mains restore the
declared name and choose the effective binding; the checkers own duplicate,
collision, usage, and file-scope lookup; the interface writers own canonical
normalization; and code generators consume checker-stamped canonical types and
module ownership. WWstage resolves all top-level function signatures in their
declaring package before checking bodies, matching Cstage and preventing a
consumer from reinterpreting a later declaration's bare same-package types.
The native `explicit_import_alias_binding_modes` observer owns the focused
ordinary/alias/bare-negative, duplicate, repeated-path, file-scope, canonical
artifact, `.wwi`, and rejection-state matrix. The existing
`declared_name_identity_and_file_import_scope` observer owns default-versus-
stable-alias invalidation and propagation. Existing directory, command-test,
vendor, recursive, exact-argv, link-closure, persistent-workdir, and
request-transaction observers retain their broader variant and action ownership.
Every applicable proof runs Cstage and WWstage from independent cold roots and
compares diagnostics, normalized tool arguments, artifacts, binaries, and
runtime output.
### 11.20 Implemented blank side-effect imports and package initialization
WW now completes the third file-local import mode and the package
initialization path needed to give it meaning:
```ww
import acme.codec; // qualifier from the dependency declaration
import stable acme.codec; // explicit file-local qualifier stable
import _ acme.codec; // no qualifier; initialization side effect only
```
A blank occurrence retains its dotted source spelling, owning file, line,
column, source section, and resolved canonical action, but creates no source
binding and is exempt from unused-import checking. It exposes neither
`wire.Name`, `codec.Name`, nor bare `Name`. Resolution always uses
`acme.codec`, never `_`: missing-package, self-import, cycle, final-`internal`,
nearest-first vendor, vendor-spelling, and imported-`main` checks run at every
blank site exactly as they do for a named occurrence. A vendored blank import
therefore keeps a source-to-expanded-identity `--import-map`; `_` enters no
map, action key, task symbol, artifact, voucher, stamp, variant, or link input.
Repeated blank imports of one path, in one file or several files, are valid.
A blank occurrence may coexist with the default binding or any explicit alias
of the same path. Every named occurrence remains independently subject to its
ordinary duplicate-binding and usage rules. All occurrences survive in the
owner unit and per-site validation data, while their package-wide union still
forms one sorted canonical dependency edge, one package action, and one direct
compiler export input.
#### Pinned Go evidence
The reference is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `ast.ImportSpec` keeps an optional local `Name`, including `_`, independent
from `Path`, and the parser reads that optional name before the path
([`go/ast/ast.go`, lines 908–915 and 939–955](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/ast/ast.go#L908-L955),
[`go/parser/parser.go`, lines 2509–2546](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/parser/parser.go#L2509-L2546)).
Function parsing treats `init` as an ordinary syntactic function name; its
special meaning is assigned later
([`go/parser/parser.go`, lines 2784–2842](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/parser/parser.go#L2784-L2842)).
- `go/types` creates an import object for each occurrence, inserts no binding
for `_`, exempts `_` from unused checking, and keeps a valid `init` function
out of package scope while checking its body and signature
([`go/types/decl.go`, lines 16–33](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/decl.go#L16-L33),
[`go/types/resolver.go`, lines 103–124](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L103-L124),
[lines 279–350](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L279-L350),
[lines 400–433](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L400-L433),
[lines 701–716](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L701-L716)).
The production compiler equivalent is
[`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 90–111](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L90-L111),
[lines 264–335](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L264-L335),
[lines 416–444](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L416-L444)
and
[lines 706–721](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L721).
- Official import testdata accepts repeated blanks and blank plus default or
explicit named imports of the same path, while diagnosing only the unused
named occurrences
([`internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go`, lines 9–31 and 43–52](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L9-L52)).
Multiple valid init declarations, invalid signatures, and direct
invisibility are pinned by
[`test/init.go`, lines 12–18](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/init.go#L12-L18),
[`test/noinit.go`, lines 315–326](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/noinit.go#L315-L326),
[`internal/types/testdata/check/decls0.go`, lines 40–46](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/decls0.go#L40-L46),
and
[`decls1.go`, lines 141–146](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/decls1.go#L141-L146).
- After constants, variable initialization chooses the declaration with the
fewest unresolved variable dependencies and uses source order as its tie;
references through functions are dependencies. Cycle reporting is
deterministic, and graph removal continues so later independent cycles are
also diagnosed
([`go/types/initorder.go`, lines 19–185 and 226–335](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/initorder.go#L19-L335),
[`cmd/compile/internal/types2/initorder.go`, lines 16–182 and 223–332](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/initorder.go#L16-L332)).
Source ties and calls are exercised by
[`go/types/api_test.go`, lines 1408–1619](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/api_test.go#L1408-L1619),
with cycle ordering in
[`internal/types/testdata/check/init0.go`, lines 22–89](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/init0.go#L22-L89).
- The compiler first attempts static initialization and serializes remaining
ordered assignments into a compiler-generated init function. It then emits
one package task whose dependency tasks are separate `R_INITORDER`
relocations and whose payload is an ordered function-pointer list
([`cmd/compile/internal/staticinit/sched.go`, lines 34–145](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/staticinit/sched.go#L34-L145),
[`cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go`, lines 2717–2773](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go#L2717-L2773),
[`cmd/compile/internal/noder/reader.go`, lines 3288–3345](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/reader.go#L3288-L3345),
[lines 3389–3416](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/reader.go#L3389-L3416),
[`cmd/compile/internal/pkginit/init.go`, lines 20–145](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/pkginit/init.go#L20-L145)).
The requested historical `cmd/compile/internal/walk/init.go` path does not
exist at this tag; the noder, `staticinit`, and `pkginit` files above are the
active implementation.
- The linker schedules ready tasks by canonical task symbol and emits each
exactly once, and the runtime executes those tasks before user main
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/inittask.go`, lines 19–39 and 104–180](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/inittask.go#L19-L180),
[`cmd/link/internal/ld/heap.go`, lines 56–99](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/heap.go#L56-L99),
[`runtime/proc.go`, lines 203–290](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/runtime/proc.go#L203-L290),
[lines 8049–8124](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/runtime/proc.go#L8049-L8124)).
The `issue31636` packages exercise imports written out of order, while the
linker queue above—not that fixture's stale comment—pins lexical ready-task
order
([`test/fixedbugs/issue31636.dir/main.go`, lines 7–17](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/fixedbugs/issue31636.dir/main.go#L7-L17)).
- `go/build` specifies sorted directory presentation; its default path obtains
byte-sorted names and then classifies production, internal-test, and
external-test files/imports separately
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 108–111 and 193–207](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L108-L207),
[`os/dir.go`, lines 109–125](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/dir.go#L109-L125),
[`go/build/build.go`, lines 948–1040](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L948-L1040),
[lines 1061–1063](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L1061-L1063),
[lines 1512–1518](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L1512-L1518)).
The test loader constructs and rewrites canonical internal, external, and
generated-main variants before work actions. In the internal variant it
presents the already-sorted production category first and the already-sorted
internal-test category second, rather than globally sorting the merge; its
effective-test-cycle rule is pinned by
[`cmd/go/internal/load/test.go`, lines 85–101, 175–293, and 421–550](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L85-L550)
and
[`cmd/go/testdata/script/list_test_cycle.txt`, lines 1–20](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/list_test_cycle.txt#L1-L20).
Compile/link action ownership remains canonical in
[`cmd/go/internal/work/action.go`, lines 437–455, 628–708, and 919–1068](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L437-L1068),
while `go test` rejects a bad test graph before creating those actions
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1185–1226](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1185-L1226)).
- Unified export data separates public objects from private bodies/init data;
a blank import declaration serializes no declaration, and import readers
consume the semantic package export independently of that local spelling
([`cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go`, lines 314–353](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go#L314-L353),
[lines 463–570](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/unified.go#L463-L570),
[`cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go`, lines 2742–2749](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/noder/writer.go#L2742-L2749),
[`cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go`, lines 41–62](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/importer/ureader.go#L41-L62)).
Together with the resolver's omission from package scope, that public/private
split is why another package cannot select `pkg.init`.
- Loader import checks, build-root action ownership, direct compiler import
inputs, and transitive linker inputs remain per canonical package rather
than per local import name
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 787–805](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L787-L805),
[`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 519–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L519-L558),
[`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`, lines 864–884](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L864-L884),
[lines 1592–1653](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1592-L1653),
[`cmd/go/internal/work/gc.go`, lines 136–177](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/gc.go#L136-L177),
[lines 590–672](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/gc.go#L590-L672)).
#### Declaration and package-variable semantics
`fn init() void = { ... };` is a special initializer declaration. It must have
a body, no parameters, no result, no `export`, and no attribute. Multiple valid
declarations are accepted in one file and across files. No declaration of
another kind may claim `init`; a rejected non-function form is not inserted
into scope, so later references still fail lookup. A valid init retains its
file, source section, and position, but is never installed as a callable
declaration: `init()` and `pkg.init` fail lookup, it is absent from `.wwi`, and
it cannot affect canonical package identity.
Mutable package-level `let` is WW's Go-variable analogue. An initializer that
the existing static-data emitter can represent remains static. Every other
otherwise valid expression—including calls, allocation, and supported nested
array, struct, tuple, and slice values—is evaluated once by a hidden
package-owned helper and assigned to zero-backed package storage. Runtime slice
literals use canonical writable backing storage rather than escaping a helper
stack. `def` and `const` retain their existing compile-time/static rules and are
not broadened by this implementation.
The checker orders all initialized mutable lets by their checked declaration
dependencies. References through package functions are transparent edges.
Among remaining declarations, the one with the fewest unresolved dependencies
wins and original declaration order breaks ties. Files arrive byte-sorted
inside each loader category; a combined internal-test variant presents its
production category before its internal-test category, and declarations retain
source order inside each file. A cycle is
reported on the same deterministic walk as the pinned type checkers; removal
continues to expose later independent cycles, but any cycle suppresses all init
lowering and publication. Runtime variable assignments execute in that order,
then every special init function executes in owner-file/source order.
Each semantic package action owns one hidden task symbol:
```text
__ww..pkg.p.<canonical-path>.v<variant>.r<role>.init
```
The reversible empty-owner form is likewise variant/role qualified. Neither a
declared package name, default qualifier, explicit alias, blank spelling, path
leaf, physical directory, request ordinal, nor output name contributes to this
symbol. Compiler argv supplies it with
`--package-init-symbol <symbol>`. Only an executable command root or generated
test main additionally receives `--init-dispatch-symbol __ww..dispatch`, and
its compiler-generated entry calls that dispatcher before source `main` or the
generated test main body.
#### Product graph, variants, artifacts, and persistence
Before any producer, the driver forms the effective reachable graph for each
product, including internal-test replacement, and rejects a cycle introduced by
that replacement. It repeatedly chooses the byte-lexically smallest ready
canonical path, then variant and role, while blocking every importer on its
dependencies. The resulting root-owned dispatcher calls each effective package
task exactly once. Thus dependencies precede importers, a shared diamond task
runs once per product, independent ties ignore source import order and linker
argv order, and the root task completes before user main or tests.
An ordinary library object/archive contains its hidden task but building the
library does not execute it. An executable or generated-main root archive has
two deterministic members, `pkg.o/` followed by `init.o/`; the second member is
the root-owned dispatcher. Dependency archives remain ordinary `pkg.o/`
archives. Both driver stages stream member bytes through the same bounded
transfer buffer instead of retaining archive-sized allocations. Existing
linker archive fixpoint extraction pulls the dispatcher and
all referenced package tasks without a new linker format or free-floating
artifact. Logical linker argv is still the canonical root archive followed by
the reachable archive closure and runtime/native inputs; no `.wwi`, alias,
blank spelling, or dispatcher sidecar appears.
Production, production-plus-internal-test, external `_test`, test support, and
directory generated main retain separate action identities. One canonical
directory product replaces colocated production with `ptest` wherever internal
tests augment it, rewires `pxtest` self-import and affected transitive importers
to that action, and includes test-only blank edges/init declarations exactly
once. Support is an ordinary dependency task; the one generated main owns only
the final dispatcher call and cannot duplicate a tested task. Test-file-only
imports, runtime lets, and init functions never enter production. A blank
import cannot bypass imported-`main` rejection, including through vendor
expansion.
`.wwi` contains neither blank-only spelling, init declarations/bodies, hidden
variable helpers, slice backing symbols, package tasks, nor dispatcher facts.
It continues to encode only semantic exported declarations and their canonical
reachable type/constant facts. Consequently an init-body-only edit rebuilds the
owning object/archive and relinks affected products, while unchanged `.wwi`
bytes prevent importer recompilation. Adding or removing a blank edge rebuilds
the owning source action and changes exactly the affected reachable dispatcher;
a dispatcher-only change rebuilds the root `init.o/` member/archive without
recompiling an unchanged root source object. Reverse propagation stops at the
first regenerated byte-identical semantic export.
The owner source voucher remains `<action>.unit.ww`; a linked product root also
owns `<root>.init.unit.ww` for its dispatcher unit, `.init.s`, `.init.o`, and
two-member archive. Current persistent formats are build 18 and test 19. Warm
consumers select a dependency's staged `.wwi.new` or `.a.new` when that exact
action changed in the same request. All action artifacts, init artifacts, tool
identity copies, stamp, library/executable publications, and test statuses are
then one rollback-capable request transaction. No destination changes unless
every product stages successfully; a compiler, checker, init-order,
dispatcher, assembler, archiver, linker, allocation, status, or installation
failure removes remaining stages and restores the complete prior generation.
Before scratch acquisition or producer execution, `lstat`-style no-follow
checks reserve every action, tool, product, interface, status, and rollback
name; a dangling staging or backup symlink is an occupied structural conflict
and is never followed or removed. A committed dispatcher voucher must itself
be a regular file before it can authorize reuse. Compiler assembly and
interface bytes are first generated through anonymous files with checked full
writes and then published as their own rollback group. A non-regular compiler
destination is rejected before preservation, except that an already existing
character-device sink such as `/dev/null` receives a checked passthrough and is
never renamed or treated as a persistent artifact. Installation—not cleanup
of a recoverable old backup—is the commit point. Cold rejection removes the
exact request-owned scratch tree. Stale init code, stale closure metadata, and
mixed committed generations therefore cannot be reused.
#### Stage and observer ownership
The shared syntax AST, C parser, and WW parser own blank/init facts and source
positions. Both imports-only driver scans resolve the dotted path and retain
per-site legality; neither treats `_` as an alias. The C and WW checkers own
special-init validation, invisibility, mutable-let dependency ordering, cycle
diagnostics, and runtime lowering. The interface writers omit initialization
implementation; the code generators emit static storage, runtime helpers,
package tasks, canonical slice backings, and the entry dispatcher call. The two
drivers own task identity, effective test graphs, global dispatcher ordering,
exact direct compiler inputs, archive membership, link closure, persistence,
and the request transaction. The assemblers consume the dynamically sized
canonical symbols. Both linkers are unchanged and use their existing iterative
archive extraction. `internal/wwpackage` and `cmd/wwtest` retain package/test
classification and execution coordination; they do not parse imports, invent
tasks, or call init manually.
The focused native `test/sep/sepinit_test.ww` observer generates every source
tree temporarily and proves runtime let/init order, dependency chains,
diamonds, independent lexical ties, aggregate and allocation initialization,
multiple-cycle diagnostics, special-init rejection, test-variant isolation,
canonical task/dispatcher/archive bytes, init-only invalidation, and warm
invalid-init rollback across independent Cstage and WWstage roots. Direct and
recursive test legs compare the one directory dispatcher/archive and observable
dependency, `ptest`, `pxtest`, then `pmain` order; every production and
dependency task runs exactly once. Exact task counts include support and the
single generated main. Rejection rows compare complete normalized diagnostics and prove cold
scratch absence. The observer also uses a repository-built `setrlimit` launcher
to find one shared bounded-memory ceiling at which both drivers fail before a
producer, and proves no-follow atomic rejection of dangling driver staging and
compiler rollback names, non-regular compiler destinations, and compiler
output-write failures. The extended
`explicit_import_alias_binding_modes` observer owns repeated blank/default/
alias/file-scope combinations and no-binding/unused behavior. Existing
internal, vendor, imported-command, recursive, exact-argv, link-closure,
persistent-workdir, rejection-state, byte-identity, and bootstrap observers own
their unchanged broader boundaries. Grouped imports, quoted imports, and dot
imports remain deliberately unimplemented.
### 11.21 Implemented Go platform filename eligibility
Directory packages now apply Go 1.26.5's OS/architecture filename rule before
a source can enter WW's production or test graph. This closes a loader-wide
divergence rather than adding a syntax feature: WW remains a local,
manifest-free toolchain with unquoted dotted imports and one supported target,
`linux/amd64`.
#### Pinned Go evidence and pre-fix divergence
The reference is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `Context.matchFile` first rejects leading-dot/underscore names and unrelated
extensions, calls `goodOSArchFile`, and only then joins and opens the source
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 1438–1509](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L1438-L1509)).
- `goodOSArchFile` cuts at the first dot, requires an underscore-prefixed
suffix, removes a final `test` token, gives a known OS/architecture pair
precedence over a final known single token, and treats every other suffix as
ordinary
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 1980–2027](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L1980-L2027)).
Its match operation is against the selected `GOOS`/`GOARCH`, with only the
documented Android/Linux, illumos/Solaris, and iOS/Darwin aliases
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 1933–1977](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L1933-L1977)).
- The exact past, present, and future filename-recognition sets are
`syslist.KnownOS` and `syslist.KnownArch`; they are intentionally broader than
currently supported targets and explicitly must not lose old names
([`internal/syslist/syslist.go`, lines 14–36 and 56–83](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/syslist/syslist.go#L14-L83)).
- `go/build` requires sorted directory presentation, its ordinary reader uses
byte-sorted names, and package classification consumes that order
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 108–111 and 193–207](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L108-L207),
[lines 859–914](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L859-L914),
[`os/dir.go`, lines 109–125](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/dir.go#L109-L125)).
- The official `TestMatchFile` table accepts `android.go`, `plan9.go`, and
`plan9_test.go` as whole-name ordinary files, accepts matching architecture
and Android/Linux aliases, and rejects a mismatching `foo_darwin.go`
([`go/build/build_test.go`, lines 381–425](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build_test.go#L381-L425)).
Command testdata independently proves that a selected Linux suffix contributes
its file and import on `linux/amd64` and both disappear on Darwin
([`cmd/go/testdata/script/list_constraints.txt`, lines 1–29 and 57–60](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/list_constraints.txt#L1-L60)).
An explicit package whose files are all excluded is rejected
([`build_no_go.txt`, lines 1–17 and 31–41](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_no_go.txt#L1-L41)).
Before this slice, both drivers accepted every visible `.ww` entry apart from
the production/test partition, and `internal/wwpackage` discovered every such
entry recursively. They opened and parsed candidates in raw filesystem order.
On Linux/amd64, a malformed `bad_windows.ww` therefore rejected the request;
an otherwise valid `platform_windows_arm64.ww` could add imports, actions,
direct `.wwi` inputs, archives, linker inputs, initialization, and runtime
behavior; wrong-target internal and external tests ran; a directory containing
only `only_windows.ww` was selected recursively; and editing an ineligible file
recompiled its owner. Cstage and WWstage agreed with each other but were both
wrong.
#### Final source and graph ownership
The basename predicate is exact and allocation-free. It examines the stem
before the first dot, removes final `_test` for suffix analysis, then recognizes
only the pinned Go `KnownOS`/`KnownArch` sets. A recognized pair must be
`linux_amd64`; a recognized final single must be `linux` or `amd64`. Unknown or
misplaced tokens remain ordinary. There is no alias-, declared-name-, path-leaf-,
physical-directory-, artifact-, or request-order input to this decision.
Both drivers first collect every visible `.ww` basename in checked dynamically
grown storage, byte-sort the names, then apply target and production/test
eligibility before source stat/open/parse and package validation. This removes
the former filesystem-order diagnostic race and adds no fixed file bound. The
shared coordinator already sorts directory entries; its source predicate now
removes a mismatching basename before it is appended to discovery or grouped
into a package/test product. A recursive pattern skips a directory with no
eligible sources. An explicit directory with no eligible production source
retains WW's stable `directory contains no WW package sources` rejection.
Eligibility owns whether a source occurrence exists. For a selected file, the
parser and checker retain its exact file-local imports, aliases, blank
occurrences, positions, and declarations, and the package graph deduplicates
their resolved canonical targets exactly as before. For an excluded file there
is no occurrence to resolve: missing, self, cycle, final-`internal`, vendor, and
imported-`main` validation do not run, and the file contributes no canonical
dependency or action. This is source/file ownership before package-graph
ownership, never another identity dimension.
#### Build, test, artifacts, and execution
Production sees all matching non-test sources. The internal-test variant sees
that production category followed by matching same-package `*_test.ww` files;
the external variant sees only matching external `*_test.ww` files. The suffix
rule therefore removes wrong-target test-only imports and initialization before
variant construction, support generation, or generated-main generation.
`plan9_test.ww` remains ordinary because the suffix has no nonempty prefix;
`x_plan9_test.ww` is excluded; first-dot and pair-precedence cases behave like
the pinned Go table.
No checker, interface writer, assembler, archiver, or linker protocol changed.
The drivers simply stop excluded bytes before those owners. Each selected
package unit still contains its category-ordered source files and exact import
occurrences. The compiler still receives one byte-sorted direct `.wwi` input per
canonical edge; `.wwi` still contains only semantic exports; archives still
contain only their canonical package action (plus the command root dispatcher
member where applicable); and the linker still receives the root plus reachable
archive-only closure. An import found only in an excluded file therefore
creates no `.wwi`, object, archive, init task, dispatcher edge, linker argument,
binary effect, or test execution.
#### Persistence, rejection, and stage responsibility
Persistent formats are build 18 and test 19 so a pre-slice workdir performs one
complete reachable-action refresh under the new membership contract. Thereafter
an excluded-file add, removal, or content edit changes no unit voucher, `.wwi`,
assembly, object, archive, dispatcher, test status, or reverse action. Existing
product policy may still relink an explicitly requested executable from its
unchanged archives. A selected private implementation edit rebuilds its owner;
if its `.wwi` is byte-identical, reverse compilation stops and only affected
products relink.
Wrong-target malformed sources and wrong-target structural import sites are
ignored without producers. Selected structural failures are reported in
byte-sorted filename order before producers. Any later selected-source compiler
failure remains inside the existing request transaction: staged dependency
changes are discarded, all prior actions/tool records/stamps/publications stay
byte-identical, no `.new` generation survives, and no mixed package or test
result is published.
`cmd/ww/main.c` and `selfhost/cmd/ww/main.ww` mechanically mirror direct
enumeration, sorting, target filtering, and checked allocation. The shared
`internal/wwpackage/package.ww` predicate owns recursive build/test discovery.
The compiler/checker/writer consume only selected units and require no special
case; `w6a` and `w6l` remain unchanged. The focused native
`platform_filename_source_selection` observer generates independent cold and
persistent Cstage/WWstage work roots and proves exact suffix edge cases,
sorted diagnostics, direct and recursive build/test selection, production/test
isolation, repeated-edge canonicalization, exact compiler/assembler/linker
argv, archive-only closure, artifact/assembly/binary equality, reversed-root
independence, runtime results, ignored-edit reuse, `.wwi`-stable reverse
propagation, and late-failure rollback. Existing dynamic-allocation,
no-follow, byte-identity, bootstrap, internal, vendor, and imported-command
observers retain their broader ownership.
Source-level `//go:build`/`+build` equivalents, arbitrary tags, cross-target
selection, grouped/quoted/dot imports, modules, manifests, registries, and a
programmable build language remain deliberately unsupported. Go's `UseAllFiles`
escape is also not exposed. Section 11.22 closes the formerly separate
directory test-product topology divergence without changing these filename
eligibility boundaries.
### 11.22 Implemented one canonical directory package-test product
`ww test` now owns one practical test product per canonical selected directory,
not one product per declared test package. Production, augmented internal test,
external test, support, recompiled dependency, and generated-main actions stay
separate compilation units; only their execution/publication ownership is
unified. This is the applicable Go 1.26.5 topology for WW's local, dotted,
manifest-free package model.
#### Pinned Go evidence and pre-fix divergence
The reference is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `TestPackagesFor` defines one `pmain` test binary running `ptest` and optional
`pxtest`, with `ptest` equal to production plus same-package test files
([`cmd/go/internal/load/test.go`, lines 85–101 and 175–226](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L85-L101)).
- External self-import is recognized before the external package is formed and
is rebound to `ptest`, not ordinary `p`
([lines 144–161 and 228–266](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L144-L161)).
- One `pmain` receives both applicable targets, one sorted import set, and then
`recompileForTest` copy-on-write rewires every affected transitive importer
from ordinary production to the augmented package
([lines 272–293, 342–376, and 421–490](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L272-L293)).
- The generated source scans both target classes into one function set and one
`testing.MainStart`/`Run`
([lines 595–638 and 790–860](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L595-L638)).
- A directory with no selected test files takes the early ordinary-production
compile path and creates no test support, generated main, link, executable,
or subprocess; its print action reports `[no test files]`
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1133–1170 and 1524–1557](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1133-L1170)).
- A real test package creates one generated source, one link action, and one
output-copy/install or run action, including `-c`/`-o`
([lines 1200–1364](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1200-L1364)).
- Go's action cache distinguishes cloned package objects even when their import
paths match, compiler inputs come from the selected action's direct
dependencies, and the link closure selects one archive per import path
([`cmd/go/internal/work/action.go`, lines 202–206, 437–447, and 628–658](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L202-L206),
[`exec.go`, lines 410–438 and 864–884](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L410-L438)).
- `go/build` classifies same-package and `_test` external files independently
and accepts directories containing only either class
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 948–953, 1005–1036, and 1076–1082](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L948-L953)).
Official command testdata closes the observable cases. `test_empty.txt` lines
3–24 and 30–53 accepts production-only, internal-only, external-only, combined,
test-only internal, test-only external, and mixed test-only directories
([source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_empty.txt#L3-L24)).
`vendor_test_issue11864.txt` lines 8–9 and 64–80 proves an external test can use
an export declared only in an internal test source
([source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/vendor_test_issue11864.txt#L64-L80)).
`list_test_imports.txt` lines 3–21 proves transitive rebuilding when a helper
imports the package under test
([source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/list_test_imports.txt#L3-L21)).
`toolexec.txt` lines 27–50 observes distinct `ptest`, `pxtest`, and `pmain`
compiles but one main and linker call
([source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/toolexec.txt#L27-L50)).
`test_no_tests.txt` lines 1–14 uses a panicking production initializer to prove
that no-test reporting does not execute a test process
([source](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_no_tests.txt#L1-L14)).
Before this slice WW constructed one generated main, link, binary, result, and
report for each declared same/external test package. A combined directory ran
two processes, initialized production state twice, hid internal-test exports
from the external package, and made `-c -o` fail as a multi-product request.
Even a directory with no selected tests manufactured support, a main, a link,
and a temporary executable merely to print `[no tests]`. Test-only external
directories were mislabeled, a valid mixed test-only directory was rejected,
and a transitive importer was compiled against ordinary production.
#### Final product and action topology
For canonical directory product `P`, the action graph is:
- `p`: ordinary production sources only;
- `ptest`: production plus same-package selected `*_test.ww` sources;
- `pxtest`: external-package selected `*_test.ww` sources only;
- product-scoped recompiled actions: unchanged source units whose direct target
set was rewritten by the `p -> ptest` substitution;
- support: one command-global production support action (or the reserved
`__wwtest` compiler binding when user `test` occupies that spelling);
- `pmain`: one directory-owned generated-main action importing every applicable
target and support.
The source shapes produce these reachable roots:
| Directory shape | Test closure and externally visible product |
| --- | --- |
| production, no selected tests | ordinary `p`; no support/main/link/run/output/result |
| production + internal | `ptest` + `pmain`; one binary/result |
| production + external | unaugmented `p` + `pxtest` + `pmain`; one binary/result |
| production + both | `ptest` + `pxtest -> ptest` + `pmain`; one binary/result |
| test-only same package | `ptest` + `pmain`; one binary/result |
| test-only external package | `pxtest` + `pmain`; one binary/result |
| test-only same + external | `ptest` + `pxtest -> ptest` + `pmain`; one binary/result |
A selected helper-only `*_test.ww` file is still a real test source: it is
loaded and may yield an empty harness. The no-real-run branch is specifically
the absence of selected test files after platform filtering. Ordinary
`ww build` excludes test filenames before reading even their package clauses,
so malformed test-only content and test-only imports cannot affect production.
The coordinator in `internal/wwpackage/package.ww` classifies all selected
files into one directory group. Classification is production-name-relative,
so a legitimate production package literally named `foo_test` has external
name `foo_test_test`; without production, a valid `p`/`p_test` pair is retained
as same/external rather than blindly stripping every suffix. The private driver
descriptor is an ordered directory record:
```
--ww-package-test KIND FAMILY PRODUCTION INTERNAL EXTERNAL DIR OUTPUT PUBLICATION STATUS
```
Missing action selectors and absent publication are `-`. `OUTPUT` is the
request-private runnable, while optional `PUBLICATION` is its caller-visible
retained copy. One descriptor owns at most one output, publication, and status.
Canonically duplicate products and pairwise output/publication/status/staging
collisions reject before producer execution. Declared names and output stems do
not identify products or actions.
The Cstage and WWstage drivers first load and validate the ordinary production
root. They form `ptest` and `pxtest` as separate source actions, bind external
self-import to `ptest`, seed `p -> ptest`, and copy/rewrite the affected
dependency closure. Both deduplicated dependency edges and every original
file-local import binding target are rewritten through action identity. The
strict closure validator rejects any leaked ordinary/augmented duplicate; no
initialization or archive-order fallback can hide an incomplete substitution.
`pmain` stores a checked, byte-sorted unique target action set. Its generated
unit imports each target once plus support. The compiler argv repeats
`--test-target-package` in that same order, followed by the exact byte-sorted
direct `--import PATH WWI` set. Thus a combined shape has the essential form:
```
w6c --test-package ... -I PTEST.wwi -o PTEST.s PTEST.unit.ww
w6c --test-package ... --import P PTEST.wwi ... -I PXTEST.wwi ...
w6c -T --entry --test-support-module test \
--test-target-package P --test-target-package P_test \
--import P PTEST.wwi --import P_test PXTEST.wwi --import test TEST.wwi \
-I PMAIN.wwi -o PMAIN.s PMAIN.unit.ww
```
Actual arguments also contain action-owned init and dispatcher symbols. The
assembler receives one source object per compiled action and exactly one
`pmain.init.s -> pmain.init.o` dispatcher. Test target archives contain only
their deterministic `pkg.o` member; the main archive contains `pkg.o` then
`init.o`. Link argv is root plus reachable archives only:
```
w6l -o OUTPUT.new PMAIN.a [PXTEST.a] [PTEST-or-P.a] ... TEST.a libwwrt.a
```
No `.wwi`, source filename, standalone semantic object, or linker-order choice
participates. Both native linkers already resolve archive members by symbols;
they required no topology-specific change.
#### Import, export, initialization, and execution ownership
Default, explicit-alias, and blank imports remain file-local source
occurrences. The package graph still uses one canonical edge per target and
preserves every occurrence for usage and legality diagnostics. Substitution
changes only the chosen canonical action. Consequently an external source
continues to spell `import P`, but its direct compiler export input is
`ptest.wwi`; an exported helper in an internal test source is ordinary augmented
package export data and needs no special reader format. Per-owner `@test`
metadata in `.wwi` remains sufficient. The writer/reader format did not change.
`cmd/w6c/main.c`, `cmd/wcc/ww.h`, and `cmd/wcc/check.c`, with their self-hosted
twins, changed singular generated-target state into a target set. Every target
import is marked used, and every imported `@test` declaration receives its
canonical target qualifier. The coordinator controls target order; the checker
does not resolve directories. `wwdump` passes an empty target set on its
non-test path.
One dependency-first dispatcher is generated from the substituted closure.
Each reachable canonical action contributes one initialization task; `pmain`
is the sole entry package that calls the dispatcher. A combined directory
therefore initializes dependencies, augmented production, external tests,
support, and main exactly once in one process. Filtering and listing operate on
the single deterministic enumeration containing both target sets; output has
one accounting block and one directory report. `ww test -c -o OUTPUT DIR`
publishes the one directory binary even when both target classes exist.
#### Artifacts, persistence, invalidation, and rejection
Semantic action artifacts remain separate: `.unit.ww`, `.wwi`, `.s`, `.o`, and
`.a` for each production/test/recompiled/main/support action, plus main init
unit/assembly/object. The directory product alone owns the binary, status, and
result. Test persistent-work format is `19`; semantic package storage is format
`3` and includes the product-scoped `for_test` identity for recompiled actions.
There is still no cache, CAS, manifest, registry, database, or result cache.
Warm reuse compares owner-unit bytes and exact direct export bytes. An internal
helper body edit with stable `.wwi` rebuilds only `ptest` and relinks; external
and reverse compilation stop. An external body-only edit rebuilds only
`pxtest`. Adding or changing an exported internal helper changes `ptest.wwi`,
then rebuilds exactly affected recompiled importers, `pxtest`, and `pmain`.
Adding or removing a target class changes only the owning directory product and
newly reachable actions. Request/root order and equivalent directory spelling
do not change action bytes, target order, output, or reuse.
Loader-owned source classification, import legality, canonical-product,
duplicate-closure, cycle, command-kind, and publication-path errors reject
before compiler, assembler, linker, support, or main work. Production failure
is diagnosed once even though an augmented action would contain the same
sources. Later compiler, assembler, generated-main, archive, link, staging, or
commit failure remains one request-wide transaction: no sibling product runs,
no status/result/binary or mixed generation is published, prior committed
bytes remain unchanged, and every staged `.new` is discarded. Both drivers use
checked dynamic allocation and transactional clone construction; allocation
failure cannot publish a partial action or leave cleanup to traverse
uninitialized storage.
The native proof is primarily
`directory_package_graph_variants`,
`multi_directory_shared_package_plan`,
`empty_and_invalid_package_classes`,
`dynamic_package_universe_crosses_former_boundary`,
`platform_filename_source_selection`,
`vendor_directory_import_resolution`, and
`test_variant_initialization`, with late transaction ownership in
`sibling_test_variant_failures_are_isolated`. Together they compare
cold/persistent Cstage and WWstage units, exports, assembly, objects, exact
archive members, mains, binaries, diagnostics, runtime order, literal and
normalized compiler/assembler/linker argv, both root orders in each stage,
precise body/export and target-removal/re-addition invalidation, combined-graph
allocation failure, repeated late internal/external/main/link rollback, and a
complete work-directory sweep for staged residue.
At completion of this earlier topology slice, deliberately unchanged or
unsupported behavior included the raw single-file compatibility path, the
then-current `[no tests]` presentation text, Go modules and build cache, network
resolution, manifests, coverage/vet/fuzz/benchmark generation, source-level
build expressions, quoted/grouped/dot imports, and targets other than the
separately specified fixed `linux/amd64` filename selection. Section 11.35
subsequently closes only that presentation-text gap. None is used to define
canonical package or directory-product identity.
### 11.23 Implemented case-fold collision preflight
This slice pins the collision semantics to Go 1.26.5, tag commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`. The official command loader uses
an exact import cache at `src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go:633-636,757-775`,
performs contextual and vendor resolution before cache lookup at
`:840-911,974-1005`, owns one command-global folded import table at `:1725`,
and rejects a second fold-equivalent import spelling at `:1950-1959`. Its
selected-name collision is over `Package.AllFiles` (`:149-194`) and is applied
at `:1991-2000`. `src/cmd/go/internal/str/str.go:32-89` defines the pinned
`ToFold` and `FoldDup` algorithms; the direct, transitive, and filename
expectations are in
`src/cmd/go/testdata/script/list_case_collision.txt:1-41`. Filename discovery
and package/test classification are ordered by
`src/go/build/build.go:859-914,1005-1036,1076-1082,1450-1469`.
Before this slice, a Linux case-sensitive filesystem let distinct directories
such as `domain.Foo` and `domain.foo`, expanded vendor identities, and selected
files such as `File.ww` and `file.ww` build as unrelated packages or sources.
Both Cstage and WWstage did so byte-identically. A symlink making the two import
spellings reach one directory happened to trip the older exact
directory/identity check, but that host-physical consequence was neither the Go
diagnostic nor the required package-graph rule.
#### Exact identity and request-only folded keys
Canonical package identity remains the exact, case-sensitive effective dotted
identity. It is still the key used by action interning, source import maps,
`.wwi` ownership, mangled symbols, storage digests, archives, diagnostics, and
link closure. Default bindings, explicit aliases, blank imports, declared
package names, path leaves, artifacts, and physical directories do not replace
it. Exact repeated occurrences therefore continue to form one canonical edge
and one package action.
The loader graph additionally owns a checked, dynamically grown, request-only
table from a simple-fold key to the first exact package representative. Every
ordinary effective identity registers after contextual local/vendor expansion
and before exact action reuse or physical-directory conflict checks. Exact
reuse succeeds. A distinct spelling with the same key rejects as
`ww: case-insensitive import collision: "A" and "a"`; WW byte-sorts the two
exact spellings so root, request, import, and discovery order cannot select a
different diagnostic. It never stores, interns, looks up, or publishes the
folded spelling as package identity.
WW dotted import components are ASCII by construction: the C lexer/parser
accept them through `cmd/wcc/lex.c:53-63` and
`cmd/wcc/parse.c:1318-1353`, and the self-hosted syntax path mirrors that in
`lib/ww/syntax/lex.ww` and `lib/ww/syntax/decl.ww`. Context-derived identities
are revalidated, and arbitrary local filesystem bytes are escaped into ASCII.
The general Unicode fold routine is nevertheless shared with filename
preflight; for package identities its observable domain reduces exactly to
ASCII case folding.
Vendor imports register the fully expanded canonical identity, not the short
source spelling. Thus `lib.Foo` and `lib.foo` reached below one vendor owner
collide as, for example, `domain.app.vendor.lib.Foo` and
`domain.app.vendor.lib.foo`. Reaching one physical directory through two such
identities changes neither ownership nor the diagnostic. The physical
directory remains a resolution fact, never a substitute identity.
Production, same-package test (`ptest`), external test (`pxtest`), and
product-scoped recompiled actions share their one exact ordinary package
representative and do not re-register as different packages. External
compiler identity may still carry `_test`; that action path is not the folded
package key. Copy-on-write clones copy exact identity and do not register.
Generated main has no ordinary import identity and does not register. Ordinary
toolchain package `test` registers like any real package; only the reserved
synthetic `__wwtest` role stays outside the ordinary representative table.
#### Selected source basenames
Directory enumeration first excludes leading-dot, leading-underscore,
wrong-platform, and variant-ineligible files, validates the selected regular
sources, and byte-sorts their names. Before delegation, the coordinator performs
its required package-clause classification and parses selected production files
to reject `@test` declarations outside `*_test.ww`. The delegated driver then
registers each selected basename in a second request-only table scoped by
canonical physical directory. Repeated views of the exact same selected
basename across `p`, `ptest`, or `pxtest` are accepted. Distinct fold-equivalent
basenames reject as
`ww: case-insensitive file name collision: "File.ww" and "file.ww"` before the
driver's graph-import scan or any producer. The preflight is not an earlier
replacement for the coordinator-owned source validation parse.
One `ww test` request shares that directory scope across production,
same-package test, external test, same-only, external-only, and mixed test-only
actions while preserving their separate compilation units. This catches a
collision crossing classifications, such as production `X_TEST.ww` and test
`x_test.ww`. An ordinary `ww build` excludes `*_test.ww` before registration.
Hidden, underscore-prefixed, and wrong-platform files never register and
therefore create no collision or invalidation.
This last ordering is WW's explicit applicability boundary rather than a claim
that every upstream `AllFiles` member is selected here. Go includes test files
and some ignored Go files in `AllFiles`, so its ordinary build can diagnose a
broader set. WW intentionally follows its existing fixed-target source
eligibility and build/test isolation: files it does not load have no graph or
persistence effect.
Filesystem basenames are arbitrary non-NUL bytes, so their fold keys reproduce
the pinned Unicode 15.0 `unicode.SimpleFold` minimum-cycle behavior without
locale or normalization. Each malformed UTF-8 byte contributes one U+FFFD to
the temporary key, as Go string ranging does; diagnostics preserve the exact
original byte and quote it as `\xNN`. Printable Unicode remains UTF-8, other
nonprinting runes use Go-style `\u` or `\U` escapes, and composed/decomposed
Unicode spellings are not normalized.
#### Tool, artifact, transaction, and persistence ownership
The coordinator owns initial eligibility and production/test classification;
the delegated driver loader owns both fold checks. The language parser still
owns the exact import occurrence and qualifier. The driver owns per-site self,
internal, vendor, and imported-main structural legality, while the compiler
checker owns file-local binding, use, and visibility. The export writer/reader
owns exact canonical `.wwi` data. Compiler, assembler, archiver, and linker
protocols did not change. Successful neighboring units, `.wwi`, assembly,
objects, archives, generated mains, binaries, and exact tool argv therefore
remain byte-identical in Cstage and WWstage.
All root and reachable dependency loading, fold registration, and final exact
identity binding finish before scratch acquisition, support or generated-main
producer work, compilation, assembly, archive construction, or linking. A
collision invokes none of those tools and creates no unit, `.wwi`, assembly,
object, archive, main, binary, result, status, voucher, stamp, or `.new` stage.
Request-wide publication remains transactional: committed sibling and
dependency bytes survive a newly introduced collision, and removing the
colliding source restores precise warm reuse.
The fold tables live only for one command and are freed at graph teardown.
Entries become live only after every owned string and vector allocation
succeeds, so allocation failure cannot publish a partial table or make cleanup
traverse uninitialized entries. Successful action/unit/storage content did not
change; build workdir format stays `18`, test workdir format stays `19`, and
semantic storage stays `3`. A format bump would only discard valid exact-key
artifacts and is therefore not used.
Native proof extends `package_graph_diagnostics_are_stable`,
`platform_filename_source_selection`, and
`vendor_directory_import_resolution`, with command-global allocation failure
retained in `allocation_failure_is_command_global`. The matrix covers direct,
transitive, reversed, recursive, same-directory, and vendor-expanded imports;
exact-repeat acceptance; reversed vendor import and product order;
production/internal/external/test-only filenames; reversed creation and
direct/recursive collision-diagnostic parity; cross-classification, Unicode,
invalid UTF-8, ignored files, and absence of normalization; zero-tool
rejection; multi-product publication isolation; cold/warm add-remove reuse;
exact artifact preservation; and Cstage/WWstage diagnostic and byte identity.
### 11.24 Implemented package-source test execution directory
Every coordinator-executed directory-package test product now runs its one
generated binary from the canonical physical source directory of the selected
package. The child also receives the corresponding effective `PWD`. This is
runtime metadata for the directory product, not canonical package or action
identity.
#### Pinned Go evidence and pre-fix WW behavior
The authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `go test` documents that each listed package is tested by a separate binary,
that `testdata` is ignored by package discovery so it can hold ancillary
files, and that a command-run binary executes in the corresponding package
source directory
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 64–75 and 411–440](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L411-L440)).
The same text says that a generated test binary invoked directly may require
the user to enter that directory first; the source directory is not embedded
in the executable.
- `runTestActor.Act` creates the command, assigns
`cmd.Dir = a.Package.Dir`, clips the original environment, appends `PATH`,
calls `base.AppendPWD(env, cmd.Dir)`, assigns the environment, attaches
output, and runs the command
([`test.go`, lines 1661–1697](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1661-L1697)).
The run action retains the original package rather than deriving a directory
from `ptest`, `pxtest`, or `pmain`.
- `AppendPWD` requires an absolute directory and appends `PWD=<dir>` without
replacing inherited entries
([`cmd/go/internal/base/env.go`, lines 15–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/base/env.go#L15-L27)).
Go's `os/exec` applies last-value-wins duplicate elimination to an explicit
environment by scanning backward, retaining the last key, and restoring the
surviving order
([`os/exec/exec.go`, lines 1246–1308](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/exec/exec.go#L1246-L1308)).
On the pinned Linux boundary, all inherited exact uppercase `PWD=` entries
are therefore superseded by the appended package value. Keys remain
case-sensitive; `pwd=` and malformed non-key entries are not `PWD`.
- Loader `Package.Dir` is the source directory and remains a separate field
from `ImportPath`; the command loader copies it from `go/build.Package.Dir`
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 63–76 and 395–402](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L63-L76)).
`go/build` likewise owns source location separately from import identity
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 436–451, 521–525, and 612–624](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L436-L451)).
- Official scripts use files, directories, and executable fixtures relative to
the tested package and mutate ordinary data between test invocations
([`test_cache_inputs.txt`, lines 57–98 and 194–305](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_cache_inputs.txt#L57-L98));
exercise recursive discovery from a symlink root without following nested
directory symlinks
([`list_symlink_dotdotdot.txt`, lines 1–20](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/list_symlink_dotdotdot.txt#L1-L20));
and keep multi-package compile-only output separate from execution
([`test_compile_multi_pkg.txt`, lines 3–38](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_compile_multi_pkg.txt#L3-L38)).
Before this slice, both WW stages ran directory products from the coordinator's
invocation directory. With deliberately duplicated inherited entries,
`getcwd` returned that caller directory while WW's first-match `os.getenv`
returned the first unrelated `PWD`. `data.txt` and `testdata/input.txt` were
therefore read from the caller, and relative writes from parallel products
collided there. Production and test-only dependency initializers inherited the
same incorrect process context. Direct, recursive, redundant, absolute, and
root-symlink spellings already converged on one product but did not use its
stored directory for execution. Cstage and WWstage had identical pre-fix
output and binaries.
#### Directory-product ownership and identity separation
The package coordinator already canonicalizes each selected source directory
to one absolute, symlink-free physical spelling, rebuilds its selected source
paths below that directory, sorts and deduplicates them, and stores the result
as `pkggroup.dir`. Relative, absolute, redundant-component, direct, recursive,
reversed-root, filesystem-order, and root-symlink requests that reach one
package therefore retain the same physical product directory. WW's deliberate
applicability boundary differs from Go only where Go preserves a loader-owned
symlink spelling: WW uses its already specified canonical physical spelling.
That directory is an execution-context field. Exact case-sensitive dotted
package identity still owns graph interning, import bindings, mangled symbols,
`.wwi` ownership, action and storage keys, archives, diagnostics, and link
closure. Declared package name, source alias, path leaf, filename, artifact
basename, output path, test action name, and physical-directory equality do
not become canonical identity. No physical path was added to a unit, export,
symbol, archive, generated main, action digest, product name, status, voucher,
stamp, or persistence key.
One `pkggroup` owns the process for production plus internal tests,
production plus external tests, the combined shape, internal-only,
external-only, and mixed test-only directories. Production `p`, augmented
`ptest`, external `pxtest`, product-scoped recompiled actions, support, and
generated main remain separate actions and derive no independent cwd. The one
directory product supplies its `dir` to the one executed binary.
#### Child cwd, environment, and concurrency
Only `pkgstartrun` sets the existing `exec.command.dir` to `pkggroup.dir`.
`lib/os/exec` opens the absolute stdout/stderr captures in the parent, copies
argv and environment, forks, and calls `chdir` only in the child immediately
before `execve`. The executable, `argv[0]`, captures, product scratch, and
coordinator publication paths are absolute, so the child directory cannot
reinterpret them. No runtime coordinator-global `chdir` was added; its cwd and
`PWD` remain unchanged.
Each started product also receives a newly allocated run environment. Section
11.36 supersedes this slice's former test-process locale and temporary-directory
policy: the vector is now a Go-like original-environment snapshot. It keeps the
first occurrence of each normal case-sensitive key, omits later normal
duplicates and raw empty entries, preserves nonempty malformed entries, excludes
inherited uppercase `PATH` and `PWD`, and then appends the selected toolchain
`PATH` and `PWD=<pkggroup.dir>`. Caller `LC_ALL` and `TMPDIR` therefore reach the
user test; build-plan tools retain their separate pinned values.
The vector, normalization table, and generated strings are product-local,
dynamically sized, and published only after every checked allocation succeeds.
Partial failure frees only initialized owned storage and never frees borrowed
inherited strings. The normalization table is gone before launch. `exec.start`
synchronously deep-copies the command before returning, after which the
coordinator frees its run vector, generated `PATH`, generated `PWD`, generated
`-package` argument, and argv vector. Concurrent children therefore hold
independent fork snapshots; no shared environment vector or process-global
state is mutated.
All dependency initialization occurs inside that product process. A production
or test-only dependency reached by package `p` sees `p`'s directory. If the
dependency is separately selected as its own test product, that second process
sees the dependency's directory. Filters, no-match filters, and list mode use
the same binary and context whenever they execute. With multiple products and
`-j N`, each child independently observes its own directory and fixture names;
emission remains byte-sorted and identical to `-j 1`.
#### Nonexecution paths, tools, and direct binaries
`ww build` starts no test process. Directory `ww test -c`, including
`-c -o`, builds or publishes but never enters `pkgstartrun`; no execution cwd
or run environment is allocated. A published binary subsequently invoked by
the user bypasses the coordinator and inherits the user's cwd and environment.
The raw single-file test compatibility route retains its caller cwd, `PWD`,
stdin, and stream behavior, but section 11.32 applies the test-process `PATH`
rule at its driver-owned launch. A directory with no selected test source still
creates no support, generated main, link, run, result, or execution-context
state.
Build-plan commands retain `dir=""` and their existing tool environment.
Compiler, assembler, in-driver archiver, linker, support generation, and
generated-main construction therefore retain their exact prior cwd, argv, and
environment. The directory cwd rule required no `lib/os/exec`, compiler,
checker, writer, assembler, linker, or driver change; the later test-only PATH
rule is isolated at launch and changes neither build-plan environment nor those
tools.
Independent Cstage/WWstage compile-only products remain byte-identical, and
changing only `data.txt` or `testdata` changes no unit, `.wwi`, assembly,
object, archive, generated-main, or binary bytes.
#### Failure, cleanup, persistence, and proof
A missing product directory after a successful build fails the child's
`chdir`. The executor reports the positive errno through its setup marker as
`termination.ERROR`, distinct from a program exit 127. The coordinator emits
`FAIL DIR [package] (test harness error ERRNO)`, treats it as execution/setup
failure rather than loader failure, retains successful compilation, continues
independently schedulable siblings, and removes its owned captures and scratch
under the existing execution-failure contract. It never changes the parent or
a sibling's cwd/environment.
Execution cwd and `PWD` are request-time process metadata. There is no test
result cache, and runtime failure does not invalidate already committed build
artifacts. A warm persistent request still performs the established final
relink, but no compiler or assembler work; changing only fixture data causes no
additional producer work or persistent-byte change and the next always-run
test immediately observes the new data. Build workdir format remains `18`,
test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage remains `3`.
The focused native owner is
`directory_test_execution_working_directory` in
`test/package/package_test.ww`. It creates only disposable source trees and
compares Cstage and WWstage across duplicate and large environments; exact
`getcwd`, effective/count/position of `PWD`; absent, empty, nonempty, and
duplicate inherited `PATH`; ordinary data, `testdata`, and
relative writes; all production/internal/external/test-only shapes;
production and test-only dependency initialization; recompiled external
self-import; direct/recursive/redundant/absolute/symlink roots; reversed roots
and creation order; `-j 1`/parallel execution; filters/list/no-match; failure
and timeout; no-test and build paths; `-c`, `-c -o`, running retained tests,
direct binaries, and raw single files; original test variables and exact tool
cwd/argv/locale/TMPDIR/PATH; persistent data-only reuse and
artifact/binary identity; and a deterministic post-build directory removal
where the affected product reports `ENOENT` while its sibling succeeds.
Checked command-global allocation-failure parity remains owned by
`allocation_failure_is_command_global`; the focused observer additionally
crosses the former fixed environment-size boundary and verifies that no
partial execution environment or staged `.new` state is published.
### 11.25 Implemented null standard input for captured actions
Every process launched through WW's captured asynchronous executor now receives
an explicit fd 0. An empty `exec.command.stdinpath`, which is the production
default, opens the null device read-only; a nonempty value opens that exact path.
Consequently every coordinator-executed directory test product observes
immediate EOF instead of inheriting and consuming the invoking terminal, pipe,
or file. Captured directory build plans and the compiler, assembler, and linker
processes that inherit their stdio receive the same noninteractive boundary.
#### Pinned Go evidence and pre-fix WW behavior
The authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `runTestActor.Act` constructs an `exec.Cmd`, assigns its package directory,
environment, stdout, stderr, cancellation, and wait delay, and invokes
`Run` without assigning `Stdin`
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1661–1697](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1661-L1697)).
- `Cmd.Stdin` specifies that a nil value reads from `os.DevNull`;
`childStdin` opens that device and retains the file for the child; and
`Start` installs it as the first child file before process creation
([`os/exec/exec.go`, lines 193–206, 531–538, and 710–738](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/exec/exec.go#L193-L206)).
- The ordinary build-command path has the same default. `Shell.runOut` creates
an `exec.Cmd`, assigns output, directory, and environment, and runs it without
assigning `Stdin`
([`cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go`, lines 600–663](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go#L600-L663)).
- Official `os/exec` tests define a `cat` helper that copies stdin to EOF and
require that helper to terminate successfully when run with no `Stdin`
assignment
([`os/exec/exec_test.go`, lines 201–204 and 416–459](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/exec/exec_test.go#L416-L459)).
The command testdata separately exercises deliberately supplied stdin-pipe
lifetime and closure for orphaned test descendants
([`cmd/go/testdata/script/test_timeout_stdin.txt`, lines 1–21 and 39–88](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_timeout_stdin.txt#L1-L21));
that script is adjacent stream-lifetime evidence, while the default null-fd
conclusion comes directly from the implementation chain above.
Before this slice, `lib/os/exec.start` redirected only stdout and stderr. A
directory driver invoked with a nonempty stdin file passed the same open file
description through the top-level inherited-stdio handoff, the package
coordinator, its captured builder, and the generated product. Serial products
could consume caller data; parallel products raced on the shared file offset;
a test that waited for input could wait on an interactive caller. Direct
measurement with a one-byte pipe made the same directory `@test` fail under
both Cstage and WWstage because its first read returned that byte. The raw
single-file route also read the byte and failed, but that route intentionally
remains inherited-stdio compatibility behavior.
#### Descriptor ownership, action boundaries, and concurrency
`exec.start` validates `stdinpath`, selects `/dev/null` for the empty value, and
opens the input before creating either output capture. `safefd` moves all three
standard streams above fd 2 when a caller had closed a standard descriptor.
After fork, the child maps the owned input to fd 0 before mapping the captures
to fd 1 and fd 2; setup failures travel through the existing close-on-exec
marker. The parent closes its input copy immediately after fork. Every
pre-fork error path closes every successfully acquired descriptor.
The package coordinator does not read or mutate its own fd 0. Each captured
build or run child opens an independent null descriptor, so `-j N` products
share neither readable caller data nor an input offset. Production, internal,
external, recompiled-for-test, support, and generated-main actions still form
the same graph and the one directory product still owns one process. Package
and test-only dependency initialization observes EOF inside that process.
Filters, list mode, no-match execution, failure, and timeout use the same
boundary.
Standard input is request-time process metadata only. It does not enter
canonical dotted identity, declared-name binding, actions, units, exports,
symbols, archives, generated main, executable bytes, product names, storage
keys, or diagnostics. The source path accepted by `stdinpath` is an executor
resource, not a package or filesystem-identity input.
#### Inherited-stdio routes, failure, persistence, and proof
`exec.runstdio` remains unchanged. The top-level driver therefore preserves
inherited stdin for raw single-file tests and runs, and a published test binary
invoked directly receives its invoker's fd 0. Directory `ww test -c`, including
`-c -o`, starts no product; the compiled binary acquires no embedded stdin
policy. No-selected-test packages likewise start no product. Directory build
and compile-only plans are captured actions and therefore noninteractive, but
their output, cwd, environment, graph, and publication rules are unchanged.
Failure to open an explicit input path or the default null device is a
pre-fork `termination.ERROR` with positive errno. Because input opens first,
neither output capture exists. A child-side `dup2` or close failure is reported
through the setup marker, distinguished from exit 127, and follows the existing
process-group cleanup path. Test failures, timeouts, post-build directory
removal, sibling isolation, transaction rollback, and scratch removal retain
their prior contracts.
No test-result cache exists. Caller stdin bytes never affect source actions or
persistent artifacts, and changing only the explicit proof input causes no
compile or assemble work beyond the established warm final relink. Build
workdir format remains `18`, test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic
storage remains `3` because no persisted byte schema changed.
The focused native owner remains
`directory_test_execution_working_directory` in
`test/package/package_test.ww`. It now drives every relevant command with a
known nonempty input file and requires EOF across all directory action/test
variants, production and test-only dependency initialization, serial and
parallel products, filters/list/no-match, recursive and equivalent roots,
failure, timeout, persistent cold/warm/data-only runs, and post-build child
setup failure. Tool wrappers require EOF without changing cwd, argv, locale, or
`TMPDIR`. Direct published and raw single-file binaries must instead read the
supplied data. The observer also proves input-open failure creates no captures,
source-class rejection creates no persistent state, Cstage/WWstage diagnostics
and output match, compile-only binaries are equal, persisted artifact bytes do
not change, and no `.new` residue survives.
### 11.26 Implemented combined ordered test-product output
Every coordinator-executed directory-package test product now maps its standard
output and standard error to one product-local open capture. The coordinator
emits that capture on stdout after the product completes, preserving the order
in which writes from either descriptor reach the shared output. Runtime and
child-setup status lines are stdout product diagnostics. WW no longer drains
two captures and emits all stdout before all stderr.
#### Pinned Go evidence and pre-fix WW behavior
The authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `runTestActor.Act` selects one output writer for the test action: direct
stdout, JSON conversion, stdout plus a buffer, or a private buffer
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1436–1499](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1436-L1499)).
- It assigns that same writer to both `cmd.Stdout` and `cmd.Stderr`, then runs
the test binary
([`test.go`, lines 1661–1697](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1661-L1697)).
Success and runtime-failure status text is written through `cmd.Stdout`
([`test.go`, lines 1712–1769](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1712-L1769)).
- `os/exec.Cmd` documents its shared-writer rule; `childStderr` returns the
already prepared stdout child file when the writers compare equal; and
`Start` installs the returned files as descriptors 1 and 2
([`os/exec/exec.go`, lines 208–225, 565–606, and 710–738](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/exec/exec.go#L565-L606)).
- Official command testdata has test mains write only to `os.Stderr`, requires
those bytes on `go test` stdout in buffered and streaming forms, and requires
command stderr to remain empty
([`cmd/go/testdata/script/test_fail_newline.txt`, lines 3–35 and 42–65](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_fail_newline.txt#L3-L65)).
The adjacent orphan-I/O test forwards a descendant's stderr through the test
process and likewise requires the bytes on command stdout
([`test_timeout_stdin.txt`, lines 9–21 and 39–82](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_timeout_stdin.txt#L9-L82)).
The output destination is explicit in the pinned implementation and official
testdata. The ordering conclusion is source-derived: equal writers reuse one
child file or pipe instead of two independently drained pipes. No installed
host Go behavior is authority.
Before this slice, `pkgstartrun` supplied distinct `test.stdout` and
`test.stderr` paths. `exec.start` opened independent files, and
`pkgemitgroup` later emitted the entire stdout file followed by the entire
stderr file on different coordinator descriptors. A direct both-stage probe
that wrote `OUT-1`, `ERR-1`, `OUT-2`, `ERR-2` by alternating syscalls therefore
reported `OUT-1`, `OUT-2` on stdout and `ERR-1`, `ERR-2` on stderr. Cstage and
WWstage had byte-identical pre-fix behavior.
#### Descriptor and product ownership
The reusable captured executor owns only the descriptor mechanism. When
`stdoutpath` and `stderrpath` are byte-equal, it opens the path once with the
existing exclusive mode and obtains a close-on-exec duplicate from the same
open file description. The child maps those owned descriptors to fd 1 and fd 2.
Distinct paths retain independent exclusive opens and their prior behavior.
Path equality here selects an executor resource; it creates no filesystem,
package, import, action, symbol, artifact, or persistence identity.
The package coordinator owns the policy. One `pkggroup` now allocates one
`runoutput`, supplies it for both child paths, reads it once, and writes it to
coordinator stdout. Production, internal, external, recompiled-for-test,
support, generated-main, and test-only actions retain their exact topology and
one directory product still owns one process. Dependency initialization and
test bodies share the product descriptors naturally; no source rewriting or
manual stream forwarding exists.
Individual writes by one process retain syscall order. Descendants inheriting
the descriptors share the same open output, with ordinary kernel scheduling for
concurrent writers. Different products never share a capture. `-j N` may run
products concurrently, but the coordinator still waits for completion and
emits complete captures in canonical group order, so serial and parallel
command byte streams remain identical.
#### Diagnostics, nonexecution, and inherited routes
Successful and failing test-binary bytes, including bytes written to fd 2, are
emitted on stdout. A nonzero product, signal-classified test, timeout, or child
setup failure appends the existing `FAIL DIR [package] (test ...)` status on
stdout. Loader, source, compiler, assembler, linker, build-action, allocation,
capture-read, and cleanup diagnostics keep their established stderr channel;
captured build-plan stdout and stderr remain separate.
`ww build`, directory `ww test -c` (including `-c -o`), and a directory with no
selected test source start no product and allocate no run capture. A published
test binary invoked directly and the raw single-file compatibility route bypass
the coordinator, inherit fd 1 and fd 2 independently, and retain the caller's
stream destinations. `exec.runstdio` is unchanged. An arbitrary
`exec.command` with distinct output paths is also unchanged.
#### Failure, persistence, cleanup, and proof
Input still opens before any output. A merged output open failure creates no
child and no second capture. Duplicate, fork, descriptor-map, `chdir`, and
`execve` failures use the existing checked setup marker and close every owned
descriptor. Product failure does not erase successfully committed compilation;
sibling products retain independent output, process groups, and cleanup. The
coordinator removes its product captures with the existing temporary root, and
rejection or rollback publishes no partial result or `.new` state.
Output routing is request-time process metadata. It changes no unit, export,
assembly, object, archive, generated main, binary, action/storage key, tool
record, stamp, or persistent byte. There is still no test-result cache. Build
workdir format remains `18`, test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic
storage remains `3`.
The executor-level native proof in `test/wwfixture/process/main.ww` requires
distinct captures to stay distinct and equal paths to preserve alternating
fd-1/fd-2 bytes through one file in both compiler stages, including when the
caller closed stdout and stderr. The package owner
`directory_test_execution_working_directory` alternates real writes through
production and test-only dependency initialization; production/internal,
external, combined, recompiled, and test-only products; filters, list, and
no-match execution; success, assertion failure, signal, timeout, and post-build
`chdir` failure; serial/parallel and equivalent-root requests; cold/warm/data-
only persistence; and direct/raw boundaries. It requires Cstage/WWstage output
and diagnostics to match, failure/setup trailers to use stdout, successful
outer stderr to be empty, direct/raw stderr to remain separate, artifacts and
binaries to remain byte-identical, and every temporary or staged path to be
cleaned.
### 11.27 Implemented Go-like directory test-binary retention
Directory-package `ww test` now separates the request-private executable that
the coordinator may run from the optional caller-visible executable it retains.
`-c` means retain without running; `-o` means retain at the requested location
and still run unless `-c` is also present. Output naming, directory fan-out,
duplicate-name preflight, exact null-device discard, executable mode, and
no-test behavior follow the applicable Go 1.26.5 contract.
#### Pinned Go evidence and direct pre-fix measurements
The authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `CmdTest.Long` directly states that `-c` writes `pkg.test` in the current
directory and does not run it, while `-o` saves a copy and still runs unless
`-c` is present; a trailing slash or existing directory receives
`pkg.test`
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 150–168](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L150-L168)).
- `testNeedBinary` makes nonempty `-o` an independent retention request
([`test.go`, lines 631–646](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L631-L646)).
`runTest` recognizes an existing directory or trailing separator, rejects a
multi-package non-directory output, and preflights every selected package
for duplicate test-binary names before builder execution, except when the
output is the null device
([`test.go`, lines 771–804](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L771-L804)).
- `builderTest` takes the ordinary production-only branch when no test files
exist, creating no test link or retained binary
([`test.go`, lines 1133–1169](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1133-L1169)).
A real test first links into its action object directory; `-c` or binary
retention adds an install action, only `-c` selects the no-op print action,
and the non-`-c` run action depends on the original build action rather than
the installed copy
([`test.go`, lines 1200–1313](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1200-L1313)).
- `testBinaryName` explicitly uses the final import-path element rather than
the declared package name; its command-line-files exception uses the source
package name
([`test.go`, lines 2287–2300](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L2287-L2300),
[`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 1727–1769](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1727-L1769)).
- `BuildInstallFunc` creates parents and installs a linked executable with mode
`0777` filtered by the process umask
([`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`, lines 1904–2000](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1904-L2000),
[`cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go`, lines 119–220 and 283–301](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go#L119-L220)).
On the pinned Unix target, only exact `/dev/null` is the null spelling
([`cmd/go/internal/base/path.go`, lines 81–92](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/base/path.go#L81-L92)).
- Official `test_compile_multi_pkg.txt` requires missing nested output
directory creation, default current-directory output, rejection of a
non-directory multi-output and duplicate names, `/dev/null` acceptance, and
`-o DIR` retention while tests still run
([lines 3–38](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_compile_multi_pkg.txt#L3-L38)).
The separation between saved and executed paths is a conclusion derived from
the pinned action dependencies: the run consumes the temporary link action,
not the install action. Duplicate names are likewise a materialization
collision, not package identity. Section 11.31 completes the later install
dependency: compile-only products retain the request transaction, while a
running retained product installs independently only after its successful run.
No installed host Go behavior was used as authority.
Before this slice, direct native measurements of both Cstage and WWstage showed
that single-package `-c -o FILE` retained and did not run, but `-o FILE`
without `-c` exited 2 with `-o needs -c for a package target`; multi-package
`-c -o FILE` exited 2 with the older unconditional fan-out rejection. Default
multi-package `-c` scattered `<declared-package>.test` binaries into their
source directories. Those measurements used the public driver route and
observed exits, diagnostics, files, executable behavior, and stage-equal bytes;
they were not conclusions drawn from WW source.
#### Coordinator policy and identity boundaries
`internal/wwpackage.packagecommand` is the sole owner of public output policy.
It resolves the invocation directory, computes each visible
`<import-leaf>.test` name, recognizes output-directory and `/dev/null` forms,
rejects non-directory fan-out and duplicate names, omits publication for
no-test products, and schedules execution according to `-c`. A contextual
dotted request uses its exact final component; a local path request uses its
directory leaf as the manifest-free presentation equivalent. Neither becomes
declared-name or physical-directory identity.
Every actual test product still links to `package.test` below its private plan
root. The private descriptor carries that `OUTPUT` plus an optional absolute
`PUBLICATION`. The Cstage and WWstage drivers implement only this symmetric
mechanism; they do not independently decide names or CLI policy. The
coordinator always executes `OUTPUT`, so `-o` cannot alter executable argv,
cwd, environment, null stdin, combined output, filters, action topology, or
test outcome.
Visible basename, publication path, private runnable path, declared family,
physical source directory, production/internal/external/recompiled/support/main
variants, symbols, `.wwi`, archives, action identity, and persistence keys
remain distinct. A duplicate basename rejects only the requested
materialization. It never merges, renames, folds, or rekeys either canonical
package. Compiler inputs, exported interfaces, generated main, archive order,
and linked bytes are otherwise unchanged.
#### Publication, execution, failure, and cleanup
Without explicit `-o`, `-c` retains each binary in the invocation directory.
An existing directory or a path ending in `/` receives one visible name per
selected package; missing parents are created with `0777` subject to umask. A
non-directory destination accepts exactly one selected package. Exact
`/dev/null` suppresses retained copies, permits duplicate visible names, and
does not suppress execution unless `-c` is also present. A no-test package
performs ordinary production validation, reports `[no test files]`, and creates
no binary or otherwise-unused output directory. Successful test-bearing
compile-only products are silent, matching Go's no-op print action.
For `-c`, the driver copies the private runnable bytes to a distinct `.new`
inode opened with executable mode `0777` subject to umask. Temporary runnable,
retained copy, statuses, changed persistent actions, tool records, and stamp
then enter the existing one-request transaction. All producers and linkers
complete before installation. Any load, compile, assemble, archive, link,
stage, or install failure preserves old retained binaries and persistent bytes,
discards all stages, removes cold scratch, and rolls back only output prefixes
created by that request. Occupied or dangling `.new` paths reject before tools
and are never overwritten.
For running `-o`, the build transaction commits only the private runnable,
status, and semantic actions. The coordinator executes that runnable and, on a
successful result, invokes the selected driver stage's public install action.
Assertion failure, signal, timeout, interruption, or child-setup failure skips
that action and preserves any prior binary. Successful parallel products
install independently after their runs; canonical result emission order stays
unchanged. Direct invocation of a retained binary continues to inherit caller
cwd, environment, and separate standard descriptors.
`-c` and `-o` can accompany `-w`: the workdir owns only semantic actions while
the invocation/output path owns only the retained copy. Unchanged actions are
reused, changed source invalidates the applicable test actions, and the
always-run link refreshes the private runnable and retained copy. Only `-c`
suppresses execution. This is build reuse, not a result cache.
No persisted byte schema changed. Build workdir format remains `18`, test
workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage remains `3`.
The focused native owners are `compile_artifact_naming` and
`test_binary_publication_transaction` in `test/package/package_test.ww`. Their
Cstage/WWstage matrix covers single/default/directory/nested/multi/null output;
declared-name versus import-leaf naming; executable mode and direct execution;
temporary argv versus retained path; no-test omission; duplicate and
non-directory rejection; occupied stages; serial and parallel sibling
publication; injected late-link rollback over old files and newly created
parents; runtime-failure preservation; persistent cold/warm/invalidation
behavior; diagnostic equality; retained binary byte identity; and absence of
`.new` residue. Existing package tests continue to own all action/test variants,
graph identity, output ordering, cwd/environment/stdin, timeout, and broader
transaction behavior.
### 11.28 Implemented Go-like build-output permissions
Newly published build outputs now use Go 1.26.5's output-kind permission and
caller-umask contract. An ordinary linked command starts from `0777`; a
non-link archive starts from `0666`. The kernel filters either base permission
through the invoking process's umask when the request-private publication inode
is created. WW's required adjacent interface sidecar is data like its archive
and uses the same `0666` base. Assembly-only builds create neither kind of
public output.
#### Pinned Go evidence and direct pre-fix measurements
The authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `runBuild` routes explicit single and directory `-o` products through
`ModeInstall`, after deciding the caller-visible output path
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 459–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L459-L558)).
- `BuildInstallFunc` begins with permission `0666`, changes it to `0777` for an
ordinary link action, creates the output parent, and gives that permission to
`moveOrCopyFile`
([`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`, lines 1904–2000](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1904-L2000)).
- On its rename path, `moveOrCopyFile` creates a destination-adjacent dummy with
the requested permission, observes the caller-filtered mode, removes the
dummy, applies that mode to the linked source, and renames it. Its copy
fallback creates the destination with the requested permission and therefore
receives the same kernel filtering
([`cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go`, lines 119–220](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go#L119-L220)).
- Official `build_output.txt` asserts executable default, explicit-file,
nested-file, trailing-directory, and existing-directory command outputs
([lines 7–44](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_output.txt#L7-L44)).
`build_multi_main.txt` exercises directory fan-out for two main packages and
a local command-line package
([lines 1–16](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_multi_main.txt#L1-L16)).
The testdata anchors directly specify that the public command routes produce
executables. The exact `0777`/`0666` bases and caller filtering are implemented
by the pinned source. Therefore the resulting mode formula is source-derived;
it is not an observation of the installed host Go toolchain.
Before this slice, fresh public-driver measurements of one byte-identical
command gave mode `0755` from both stages under umask `000`. Under umask `077`,
Cstage still gave `0755` while WWstage gave `0700`. The C linker created through
`fopen` and unconditionally applied `chmod(0755)` after emission; the WW linker
created with base `0755`. Thus both discarded permitted group/other write bits,
and Cstage additionally reintroduced bits forbidden by a restrictive mask.
The non-link branch had a separate stage mismatch under the same official rule.
With umask `000`, Cstage published a byte-identical archive/interface pair as
`0666` while WWstage published it as `0644`; both became `0600` under umask
`077`. Cstage's fresh `fopen` data stage already had base `0666`, while
WWstage's data-copy stage explicitly used base `0644`.
#### Ownership, publication, and identity boundaries
The C and WW linkers now open every fresh linked output with base `0777`. The C
linker emits through the resulting descriptor instead of applying a fixed mode
afterward; the WW linker uses the same creation base. The WWstage driver's
archive/interface copy now uses `0666`, matching Cstage's existing data-file
creation. No driver independently reads or stores a umask.
For public build routes, the coordinator has already rejected an occupied or
dangling output `.new` before the selected linker or copy owner opens the
request-private stage. Creation therefore receives the current child process's
umask exactly once. The established transaction renames that same inode to the
caller-visible destination, so neither the final name nor replacement of an old
destination changes its mode. A failed compiler, assembler, archiver, linker,
stage, or installation preserves the old destination's bytes and mode and
removes all request stages. Directory fan-out gives each independent command
the same request-local rule; concurrent driver processes retain independent
umasks and publication paths.
Permission bits are presentation metadata, not semantic inputs. Package and
action identity, graph edges, declared names, physical directory metadata,
compiler/assembler/archive/link argv, `.wwi` contents, artifact bytes, and
persistence keys are unchanged. An unchanged warm request may reuse every
semantic action but still relinks or copies the requested public product so its
mode reflects the current invocation. Source invalidation changes the applicable
artifact bytes without changing the formula. Retained test-binary copying
remains a distinct output-policy path and already uses the same `0777` linked-
executable rule. No Go-style dummy is needed and no `-go-tmp-umask` residue is
created because WW links or copies directly into its already-private fresh
stage.
No persisted byte schema changed. Build workdir format remains `18`, test
workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage remains `3`.
The WW-native owner `build_output_permissions_follow_umask` uses a test-only
exec launcher to arrange exact process umasks. It covers both Cstage and
WWstage; cold, warm, and invalidated persistent builds; explicit, default,
raw-file, and multi-command directory outputs; `0777`, `0700`, `0750`, and
`0770` command results; `0666` and `0600` archive/interface results;
assembly-only omission; retained test-binary non-regression; direct execution;
injected late-link request rollback over old files and modes; occupied-stage
rejection; simultaneous builds with different umasks; diagnostic parity;
artifact and binary byte identity; and absence of `.new` or umask-probe residue.
### 11.29 Implemented exact null-output discard for builds
Exact `ww build -o /dev/null` now removes output installation while preserving
the ordinary load and action graph. It is not a request to create an archive,
executable, interface, or scratch tree at the null-device pathname.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `runBuild` loads packages and reports load errors first, then recognizes the
null output and clears `BuildO` before any output-directory, multi-package,
or install-action branch. It finally constructs ordinary `ModeBuild` actions
for every selected package
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 459–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L459-L558)).
- `AutoAction` maps a main package in that ordinary mode to a link action and a
non-main package to a compile action
([`cmd/go/internal/work/action.go`, lines 450–455](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/action.go#L450-L455)).
- On the pinned Unix target, `IsNull` accepts exact `os.DevNull`, which is
`/dev/null`; its only additional spelling rule is the Windows-only
case-insensitive `NUL` exception
([`cmd/go/internal/base/path.go`, lines 81–92](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/base/path.go#L81-L92)).
- The test builder treats a nonempty `-o` as a binary-retention request, exempts
the null device from multi-package output rejection, and makes a null target
use the private build action instead of an install action
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 631–646, 771–804, and 1259–1294](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1259-L1294)).
- Official `devnull.txt` requires `go test -c -o $devnull` and a non-main
package `go build -o $devnull` to succeed without changing the device
([lines 3–25](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/devnull.txt#L3-L25)).
`build_dash_o_dev_null.txt` requires a command-line source build to succeed
without its default executable
([lines 1–12](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_dash_o_dev_null.txt#L1-L12)).
`build_cache_link.txt` requires a cold null build to compile and link and an
unchanged warm null build to skip compilation but link again
([lines 4–22](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_cache_link.txt#L4-L22)).
`TestRemoveDevNull` requires cleanup never to remove the device
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build_test.go`, lines 22–35](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build_test.go#L22-L35)).
The load-before-output order, exact spelling, absence of installation, normal
command link, normal non-command compile, cold/warm link behavior, raw-source
behavior, and device preservation are directly implemented or asserted by the
pinned sources above. Acceptance of multiple mixed package roots and an empty
matched set is derived from clearing `BuildO` before the output-cardinality
branches and then iterating the ordinary package action list. That conclusion
applies to WW's manifest-free local package set without importing Go's module,
cache, or distribution model. No installed host Go behavior is authority.
#### Direct pre-fix measurements
Fresh public-driver probes measured both stages before production edits:
- raw source, one command directory, and one non-main library directory each
failed with exit 1 and `ww: cannot create scratch /dev/null.sepwork`;
- a two-command-plus-library request failed with exit 2 and
`wwtest package: cannot use -o with multiple packages`;
- a persistent command request reached the linker but failed through
`/dev/null.new`: Cstage reported `w6l: cannot open /dev/null.new`, WWstage
reported `w6l: cannot open output`, and both left the caller workdir empty;
- raw `ww test -c -o /dev/null FILE` and its running form failed at the same
adjacent-scratch acquisition, while directory `test -c` and running test
requests already built privately, discarded the retained copy, and preserved
their compile-only versus run distinction;
- a blank import of a missing package produced the same positioned
`cannot find package missing.pkg` diagnostic in Cstage and WWstage before
output setup; and
- `/dev/null` remained the same character device, mode, device/inode, and size
throughout the failed probes.
Those are directly measured WW facts. The externally observable gap was thus
the build/raw-driver interpretation of exact null as an artifact stem, plus the
coordinator's ordinary multi-output rejection, rather than a loader, compiler,
linker, or device-write defect.
#### Ownership, actions, publication, and identity
`internal/wwpackage.packagecommand` owns the shared package-request output
policy. After argument parsing and before output planning it records exact Unix
null discard. Loading, source classification, package/import validation,
canonical grouping, graph construction, and diagnostic precedence remain
unchanged. The coordinator suppresses default names, output-directory setup,
ordinary non-directory fan-out rejection, caller publication, and the
visibility-only `-S` workdir requirement, then gives every selected group a
request-private plan product. Commands still link; libraries still compile and
archive; mixed and repeated roots still use their canonical graph/action
deduplication. A recursive pattern matching no package emits its ordinary
warning and has no output-cardinality error.
The direct Cstage and WWstage drivers own raw or single-directory requests that
do not enter the coordinator. For exact null they allocate a private command
product, run the unchanged separate-compilation pipeline, and remove that
product and its scratch on every return. Their raw-test paths use the existing
unretained private test binary rather than setting `/dev/null` as output and
object stem. `-c` still suppresses execution; a running request still reports
ordinary pass, assertion, signal, and harness outcomes. Directory tests retain
their previously established private-runnable/null-publication behavior.
There is no caller-visible stage or destination to commit, occupy, replace, or
chmod. Producer failure or signal removes private plan state; persistent action
rollback preserves every prior unit, interface, assembly, object, archive,
tool record, and stamp. Successful persistent requests commit semantic actions
normally, unchanged actions are warm-reused, source changes invalidate their
owners, and command links still run for each request. Separate simultaneous
Cstage and WWstage requests own disjoint private products and workdirs. Exact
lookalikes remain normal caller-owned outputs and retain their existing
fan-out, `.sepwork`, permission, occupied-stage, transaction, and diagnostic
rules.
Output disposition remains request metadata. Dotted package identity, declared
name, physical source directory, import binding, graph edges, action/storage
keys, compiler/assembler/linker semantic argv, symbols, `.wwi`, unit and
artifact bytes, and persistent invalidation are unchanged. No persisted byte
contract changed: build workdir format remains `18`, test workdir format remains
`19`, and semantic storage remains `3`.
The WW-native owner `exact_null_output_discards_build_products` covers Cstage
and WWstage command, library, mixed-root, raw-build, assembly-only, and raw-test
routes; load/import precedence; empty-pattern warning; exact lookalike
rejection/publication; cold, warm, and invalidated persistence; normal link
actions and captured runnable bytes; injected linker failure and signal;
persistent rollback; concurrent stage isolation; device preservation; private
path and `.new` cleanup; semantic-artifact and captured-binary byte identity;
and diagnostic/output parity. Existing directory-test owners cover test-product
parallelism, timeout, child-setup failure, retained-output transactions, and
runtime cwd/environment/stdin. Build runtime behavior is inapplicable, and
caller-output rollback, occupied caller stages, and output permissions are
inapplicable to the exact discard branch because it creates no public inode.
### 11.30 Implemented single-root build output directories
An explicit `ww build -o OUT` now treats `OUT` as a directory when ordinary
`stat` reports an existing directory or the spelling ends in `/`. The rule is
independent of package count. A selected command directory publishes
`OUT/<requested-import-leaf>` (falling back to the selected local directory
leaf when no contextual identity exists); a raw command-line source publishes
`OUT/<source-basename-without-.ww>`. A missing trailing-slash hierarchy is
created from `0777`, filtered by caller umask, through the existing checked
directory ledger. All roots load first, but independently selected non-main
roots are omitted from the directory branch's action list. A selection
containing no command—including a raw non-main root—rejects as
`ww: no main packages to build` without running a producer or changing the
output directory. After a lone command's default basename is synthesized, an
existing directory at that
basename instead rejects as
`ww: build output "<name>" already exists and is a directory`; a non-main
package has no default public output and is unaffected.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `runBuild` completes package loading and package-error checking before output
handling at
[`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 459–471](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L459-L471).
After synthesizing a lone `main` package's default output at lines 473–478,
its output branch classifies an existing directory through
`os.Stat`, or a spelling ending in `/` or the host path separator, at
[lines 508–518](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L508-L518).
It then creates install actions only for packages named `main`, targets each
at the output directory joined with `DefaultExecName`, rejects an empty
command action list as `no main packages to build`, and executes that graph
at
[lines 519–535](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L519-L535).
The non-directory single-output branch is separate at
[lines 537–548](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L537-L548).
- `DefaultExecName` uses the final import-path element for a directory package
and the source basename for command-line files
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 1727–1769](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1727-L1769)).
- `BuildInstallFunc` creates the target parent before installation, and
`Shell.Mkdir` implements that operation as `os.MkdirAll(dir, 0777)`
([`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`, lines 1975–2000](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1975-L2000),
[`cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go`, lines 283–301](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go#L283-L301)).
- Official
[`build_output.txt`, lines 10–29 and 41–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_output.txt#L10-L45)
asserts a raw source's default basename, a missing trailing-slash directory,
and an existing directory destination.
- Official
[`build_multi_main.txt`, lines 1–16](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_multi_main.txt#L1-L16)
asserts command fan-out beneath one directory, no-main rejection, the
implicit-default-existing-directory error, and raw command-line-source
placement beneath an existing output directory.
Load-before-output ordering, `stat`/separator classification, command-only
installation, import-leaf naming, destination joining, no-main rejection, and
the `0777` parent-creation request are directly implemented by the pinned
source. Raw-source basename and existing/missing directory behavior are
directly asserted by official testdata. The resulting parent mode after umask
is derived from the pinned `MkdirAll` call. Application to
exactly one directory package is derived from `runBuild`: the directory branch
tests output form, not package cardinality, while the cardinality check exists
only in the later non-directory branch. These facts apply to WW's local
manifest-free command and raw-source products without importing Go's module,
cache, registry, distribution, or network behavior. The installed host Go
version is not authority.
#### Direct pre-fix measurements
Fresh public Cstage (`out/bin/ww`) and WWstage (`out/bin/ww_ww`) probes measured
the same divergence before production edits:
- one command directory plus an existing output directory spelled without `/`
returned 0, renamed the caller's directory to a PID-bearing transaction
backup, installed a 4,268-byte ELF executable at the directory pathname, and
diagnosed failure to remove the nonempty backup;
- the same existing directory spelled with `/` returned 1 with
`ww: cannot preserve transaction destination .../`;
- a missing nested spelling ending in `/` returned 1 while trying to acquire
`<OUT>/.sepwork` before the hierarchy existed;
- a raw `main.ww` plus an existing trailing-slash destination failed through
the same transaction-destination path instead of producing `OUT/main`; and
- a non-main directory plus an existing directory spelled without `/` returned
0, replaced the directory pathname by an archive, wrote its `.wwi` beside
that pathname, and stranded the former directory as a transaction backup;
and
- for both a command directory and a raw command-line source, an existing
directory at the synthesized default basename was renamed to a transaction
backup and replaced by the executable; both stages returned 0 and diagnosed
inability to remove the deliberately nonempty backup.
Completion review measured four additional stage-identical pre-completion
behaviors before their production edits. A mixed command/non-main request
compiled the independent non-main root in both stages; a raw non-main root
returned 0 and published an archive plus `.wwi`; a contextual `alias` symlink
to physical directory `physical` published `OUT/physical`; and an exactly
arranged umask `000` produced newly created output parents with mode `0700`.
Pinned Go instead loads then omits the independent non-main action, rejects the
raw no-command selection, uses the requested import leaf, and requests parent
mode `0777`. The preserved traces and stat results are in the session evidence
ledger.
Final review then measured four stage-identical load-precedence leaks before
the completion edit. A non-main root with a missing import reported only
`no main packages`; a command with a missing import and an overlong derived
directory destination reported only the path error; two colliding command
basenames, one with a missing import, reported only the duplicate-destination
error; and a recursive command with a missing import plus an implicit default
directory collision reported only the collision. Pinned `runBuild` lines
470–471 load and check all selected packages before any output handling at
lines 473–548. Missing-package diagnostics therefore precede no-main,
derived-path, duplicate-destination, and implicit-default checks. Extending
that boundary to WW's transactional duplicate guard is derived from the pinned
ordering because the guard is WW-local output preflight. The exact probes and
outputs are preserved in the evidence ledger.
Those are directly measured WW facts. Both drivers interpreted every non-null
single-root `-o` as one file and object stem. The compiler, assembler, linker,
archive writer, and shared package coordinator were not the cause.
#### Ownership, actions, publication, and identity
`internal/wwpackage.packagecommand` remains the shared package-request output
owner. It classifies output directories, discovers and groups the complete
selection, and passes every selected root plus output-preflight metadata into
the shared separate-build executor. Only after that executor has loaded all
packages and imports does it retain command roots, derive their complete action
closure, and evaluate no-main, path-length, duplicate-destination, and
implicit-default checks. A separate presentation field carries the requested
import leaf (or local-path fallback) through collision preflight and
publication; canonical physical directory metadata remains loader metadata.
The coordinator commits the retained products through one request transaction.
The dispatch part of the gap belonged to the early single-root compatibility
choice in `cmd/ww.do_build` and `selfhost/cmd/ww.dobuild`; completion review
also closed the coordinator's independent-non-main action,
physical-leaf-presentation, and load-precedence leaks.
After ordinary argument parsing and root resolution, both drivers now apply the
same exact Unix classification. A directory root with a directory output enters
the existing package coordinator. An explicit logical root carries its
unchanged logical root identity while the corresponding argument is replaced
by the already-resolved loader route; a default invocation inserts exactly one
`.`; a literal directory remains literal. Thus the shared loader, grouping,
graph, action, output-preflight, and publication rules operate exactly as they
do for a larger request.
The raw-file compatibility route remains driver-owned. It derives the joined
command path, uses that path as the existing direct action's product and stem,
and passes the classified directory to the shared transaction's checked
creation ledger. A bounds failure is carried as preflight metadata so source
and import errors, and raw no-main rejection, retain pinned load-first
precedence before the path diagnostic. It does not manufacture a package
request or change raw-source graph identity. `stat` follows a symlinked output
directory; lexical publication remains beneath the requested symlink spelling.
Exact `/dev/null` is classified first by the completed discard rule and never
enters this directory branch.
For an implicit default, the drivers pass the existing-directory collision as
preflight metadata to the common separate-build executor. The executor waits
until package/import loading, contextual checks, and graph-cycle validation
have established the root action kind. It rejects a command before scratch,
workdir, tool, stage, or destination acquisition, but lets a non-main package
perform its unchanged no-public-output build. This keeps raw and directory
compatibility routes on the same diagnostic-precedence rule without deriving
kind from a path, filename, declared-name guess, or driver-side source scan.
Loading and source/import rejection precede every output-derived rejection,
including no-main, derived-path length, duplicate destination, and implicit
default collision; all precede output creation. A selection with no command
rejects after full package/import loading and graph validation but before
compiler, assembler, linker, or directory mutation. In a mixed request,
independently selected non-main roots have no action; a non-main package
reachable as a command dependency still performs its ordinary semantic action.
Repeated exact roots retain canonical graph/action deduplication. Successful
commands compile, assemble, archive, and link normally; `-S -w` remains
action-only and publishes no command. Directory form still selects only
commands and therefore retains no-main rejection, but destination length,
duplicate publication names, implicit destination collision, and output-parent
creation belong to the install action that `-S` never reaches. They are
inapplicable to that assembly-only request. An explicit external workdir
prevents an adjacent `<command>.sepwork`; without `-w`, that established WW
scratch tree remains an ordinary retained build artifact beneath the output
directory.
Existing destination contents and symlink targets survive successful
publication. Compiler failure, linker failure, or linker signal preserves the
prior command and every committed persistent artifact, removes `.new` and
transaction stages, and rolls back only directory prefixes created for the
failed request. Every caller-output prefix is requested as `0777` and filtered
once by the caller umask; persistent/private work directories keep their
separate modes. The raw route has the same missing-directory rollback through
the shared creation ledger. Independent Cstage and WWstage processes use
disjoint output, work, stage, and process ownership and may complete
concurrently. `ww build` itself has no runtime action; direct execution of the
published command verifies its ordinary program exit result, while runtime
failure/timeout policy remains owned by `ww run` and `ww test`.
This is output disposition and dispatch only. Dotted package/import identity,
declared package name, physical source directory metadata, file-local import
bindings, graph edges, action and storage keys, symbols, `.wwi`, compiler,
assembler, archive and linker semantic inputs, artifact bytes, invalidation,
and public-file output-mode formula are unchanged. Correcting caller-output
parent creation metadata does not enter any semantic identity. There is no
persisted-byte contract change: build workdir format remains `18`, test
workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage remains `3`.
The WW-native owner `single_root_build_output_directory` covers literal,
logical, default-dot, symlinked, raw-file, explicit existing/missing, and
implicit-default existing-directory forms in both stages; basename selection
and directory-content preservation; logical alias versus physical-leaf
separation; command rejection, raw no-main rejection, non-main no-output
behavior, long raw-output and load-error precedence; mixed command-only and
repeated roots; skipped-root import rejection; and no-main, directory-derived
path, duplicate-destination, and recursive implicit-collision precedence with
zero tool activity; exact `0777` missing-parent creation under umask `000`;
the already-aligned retained-test control; `-S -w` command selection with no
install-only preflight or output-directory creation; cold, warm,
and invalidated persistence; exact compiler/assembler/linker action traces;
successful program exit results; compiler and linker failure; linker signal;
prior-state and newly-created-directory rollback; `.new` and transaction
cleanup; concurrent stage isolation; executable and semantic-artifact bytes;
and exact diagnostic parity. Existing owners continue to cover public-file
output umasks, occupied stages, generalized multi-product transactions, test
runtime failure and timeout, null discard, and broader package/import graph
matrices.
### 11.31 Implemented Go-like public-output overwrite safety
Every caller-visible build and retained-test install now protects an existing
destination at the same late boundary as Go 1.26.5. After applicable producers
finish, ordinary `stat` rejects a directory and rejects a nonempty regular file
whose leading bytes do not identify a toolchain output. Absent paths, empty
regular reservations, recognized outputs, and non-directory non-regular paths
remain replaceable. Exact `/dev/null` and assembly-only `-S` have no install
action and never enter this rule.
#### Pinned Go evidence and classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `Shell.moveOrCopyFile` and `Shell.CopyFile` call `checkDstOverwrite` before
replacing the destination
([`cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go`, lines 119–235](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go#L119-L235)).
`checkDstOverwrite` uses `os.Stat`, rejects a directory, and—unless forced—
rejects a nonempty regular file for which `isObject` is false
([lines 248–261](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/shell.go#L248-L261)).
- `BuildInstallFunc` creates the destination parent and reaches
`moveOrCopyFile(..., false)` only after its build producer
([`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`, lines 1904–2000](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L1904-L2000)).
`objectMagic` and `isObject` read the first 64 bytes and recognize archive,
ELF, Mach-O, PE, Plan 9, WASM, and XCOFF prefixes without consulting a file
extension
([lines 2118–2150](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L2118-L2150)).
- `runBuild` loads and checks every selected package before constructing the
output/install action
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 459–558](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L459-L558)).
- `builderTest` makes `-c` depend directly on the install action. For a running
retained test, the run consumes the private build action and the install
action additionally depends on that run
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1257–1364](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1257-L1364)).
`Builder.Do` invokes an actor only when dependency failure has not propagated
(unless the action explicitly ignores failure), so a failed test run skips
`BuildInstallFunc`
([`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`, lines 72–207](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L72-L207)).
- Official `build_output_overwrite.txt` requires refusal to replace a
nonempty source file and preservation of its contents
([lines 1–20](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_output_overwrite.txt#L1-L20)).
Official `test_compile_tempfile.txt` requires an existing empty reservation
to be accepted and replaced
([lines 1–11](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_compile_tempfile.txt#L1-L11)).
Official `build_output.txt` separately pins executable command and archive
products
([lines 47–57 and 64–76](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_output.txt#L47-L76)).
The destination predicate, complete magic table, load-before-install ordering,
producer-before-check ordering, and run-before-install dependency are directly
implemented by the pinned source. Non-overwrite and empty-file acceptance are
directly asserted by official testdata. Applying ELF and archive recognition
to WW's byte-identical output forms is derived from that implementation. Go
has no WW interface sidecar; recognizing only the compiler-owned
`//ww:module ` prefix is the derived local application that permits ordinary
repeat publication without letting arbitrary sidecar text be overwritten. No
installed host Go behavior was used as authority.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit selected this one gap on the build axis and the shared
retained-test install axis. The package control selected the same canonical
command root twice and measured one deduplicated command action plus one
dependency action, with byte-identical Cstage/WWstage units, interfaces, and
archives. The import control placed a used alias in one source file and an
unused alias for the same dependency in a sibling; both stages emitted the
same file-local unused-import diagnostic and committed no work. Those package
and import candidates were aligned and were not changed.
Fresh public Cstage and WWstage probes directly measured the same pre-fix
behavior. Explicit command, raw command, output-directory child, library
archive/interface, compile-only test, and running retained-test destinations
containing arbitrary nonempty text were replaced successfully. A nonempty
directory at a build or test child destination was renamed to a PID-bearing
transaction backup, replaced by the executable, and left stranded because
backup cleanup could not unlink the directory. Empty reservations were already
accepted. Missing-import rejection already preceded destination handling. All
measured successful executables, archives, interfaces, diagnostics, runtime
results, and semantic artifacts were stage-identical. Those are directly
measured WW facts, not source inferences.
#### Ownership, action order, rollback, and identity
The Cstage `sep_txn_commit` and WWstage `septxncommit` publishers own the byte
predicate. Each transaction entry now explicitly distinguishes a public
install from internal status, tool-identity, stamp, and persistent-action
state. Only command/archive output, retained-copy, and published `.wwi` entries
are checked. Producers still finish before transaction commit; a rejected
destination discards all staged outputs and preserves every prior public and
persistent byte. A library archive and interface remain one rollback group, so
arbitrary text in either destination changes neither.
`internal/wwpackage.packagecommand` continues to own directory-test naming and
scheduling. A running retained descriptor withholds its public destination
from the build child. After a successful private run, the coordinator invokes
a private action in the selected driver, which stages an executable copy and
re-enters the same guarded publisher. A failed, signalled, timed-out,
interrupted, or unstartable run never invokes that action. Successful products
in a multi-package running request install independently; compile-only products
retain the established request transaction. The driver-owned raw single-file
route applies the same private build, run, and guarded-install sequence.
Package-build descriptors use `build-public` only for caller-visible command or
archive products. Private package-build placeholders, test runnables, `ww run`,
workdir-owned test binaries, null-discard products, and assembly-only products
remain internal entries. Destination path, file kind, magic, declared name,
requested alias, import leaf, physical directory, and publication order do not
enter package/import identity, graph edges, action keys, symbols, artifacts,
`.wwi` contents, or persistence keys.
The guard follows symlinks for classification, matching `os.Stat`; the existing
transaction still replaces the destination directory entry itself. It permits
FIFO and other non-directory non-regular destinations because the pinned guard
does. Diagnostics are exactly
`ww: build output "PATH" already exists and is a directory` and
`ww: build output "PATH" already exists and is not an object file` in both
stages. No guard is preflighted during loading: package/import errors still win,
and compiler, assembler, archive, or linker failure prevents the install action
from being reached.
Build runtime is inapplicable because `ww build` starts no program. Test
runtime is applicable and owns the post-run dependency above. Producer failure,
linker interruption, output-parent rollback, concurrency, occupied stages,
prior-state preservation, and residue cleanup remain governed by the existing
request/private-action transactions; the new check adds no process-global
state. Public artifact bytes and modes are unchanged on accepted installs.
There is no persisted-byte contract change: build workdir format remains `18`,
test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage format remains `3`.
The WW-native `public_output_overwrite_safety` observer covers both stages:
direct, default, raw, package-output-directory, library, compile-only test, and
running-test routes; late linker activity and load precedence; absent/empty,
ELF, archive, interface, arbitrary regular, directory, symlink, and FIFO
destinations; cold, warm, and invalidated persistent rollback; run-before-check
and failed-run no-install behavior; exact null and assembly-only exclusions;
runtime results; modes; diagnostic identity; public and semantic artifact-byte
identity; and `.new`, install-stage, and transaction-backup cleanup.
`test_binary_publication_transaction` pins the changed failed-run behavior and
the existing linker failure, output-parent rollback, multi-product, persistent,
and retained-binary contracts. Existing request-transaction, timeout,
interruption, and concurrent-driver owners continue to cover those unchanged
dimensions.
### 11.32 Implemented selected toolchain first in test `PATH`
Every test binary actually started by `ww test` now receives one effective
uppercase `PATH` beginning with the canonical absolute directory of the
selected WW driver. An absent or empty inherited value produces only that
directory. A nonempty first effective inherited value follows it after `:`;
ordinary duplicate `PATH=` entries collapse to the one child value. This is
test-process metadata only: build tools and every request that starts no test
process retain their prior environment.
#### Pinned Go evidence and classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- The `go test` command documentation states that `$GOROOT/bin` is placed at
the beginning of the test process's `PATH`, so an executed test resolves the
`go` command from the invoking toolchain
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 87–94](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L87-L94)).
- `(*runTestActor).Act` begins with `cfg.OrigEnv`, applies
`base.AppendPATH`, then `base.AppendPWD`, and assigns that environment to
each test command
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1661–1668](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1661-L1668)).
`AppendPATH` appends `PATH=$GOROOT/bin` for an empty effective inherited
value and `PATH=$GOROOT/bin:<old>` otherwise
([`cmd/go/internal/base/env.go`, lines 29–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/base/env.go#L29-L45)).
- `Cmd.environ` removes duplicate environment keys while preferring the later
entry, making the appended value effective
([`os/exec/exec.go`, lines 1231–1265](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/exec/exec.go#L1231-L1265)).
On the supported Unix model, initial environment lookup uses the first
inherited occurrence
([`syscall/env_unix.go`, lines 20–44 and 66–84](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/syscall/env_unix.go#L20-L84)).
- Official `test_goroot_PATH.txt` tests both an empty `PATH` and a nonempty
directory containing no executable; the test must find the `go` executable
in the current toolchain's `$GOROOT/bin`
([lines 1–41](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_goroot_PATH.txt#L1-L41)).
Those source rules and official assertions are behavior directly implemented
or asserted by pinned Go. Using the selected WW driver's sibling directory as
the local toolchain-bin analogue is derived from that implementation: WW has
no `GOROOT`, and that directory already supplies the driver's default compiler,
assembler, linker, and package-test coordinator. Applying the rule to WW's raw
single-file compatibility route is also derived; it is a local input extension,
but it executes the same observable test and initialization code. Canonical
absolute spelling is runtime metadata only and prevents a relative driver path
from leaking the coordinator's later package cwd into `PATH`.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit considered all four permanent axes and selected only this
test-runtime gap:
- **Build:** pinned `runBuild` loads all roots and checks package errors before
output/action construction
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 459–478](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L459-L478)); official
`build_json.txt` distinguishes load errors from compiler failures
([lines 15–26 and 39–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_json.txt#L15-L45)).
A direct missing-import probe made both WW stages exit `1` with the identical
source diagnostic and no producer or public output. This candidate was
aligned.
- **Test:** direct Cstage and WWstage directory probes, each invoked with
`PATH=/usr/bin:/bin`, both exited `0` while the test printed exactly that
unchanged value. `/home/kimchi/src/ww/out/bin` was absent. These are directly
measured pre-fix WW facts and establish the selected external difference.
- **Package:** pinned `types2.(*Checker).initFiles` rejects package name `_`
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/check.go`, lines 311–355](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/check.go#L311-L355)),
with official anchors in
[`internal/types/testdata/check/blank.go`](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/blank.go#L1-L5)
and [`test/blank1.go`](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/blank1.go#L1-L10).
Direct production, imported, and test-only probes were rejected identically
by both WW stages. This candidate was aligned.
- **Import:** pinned `unusedImports` requires every nonblank import binding to
be used
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740)); official
`importdecl0` covers default, alias, dot, and blank forms
([lines 5–31](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L5-L31)).
A direct unused default-import probe produced identical Cstage/WWstage
diagnostics and no committed work. This candidate was aligned.
The build, package, and import observations above are directly measured WW
behavior; the linked rules are behavior directly implemented or asserted by
pinned Go. The conclusion that this slice crosses those axes only when code in
a successfully loaded test variant or initialized dependency observes `PATH`
is derived from the pinned launch placement.
#### Ownership, launch behavior, and preserved boundaries
The environment is synthesized at the three true test-process launch owners:
`internal/wwpackage.pkgstartrun` for directory products, Cstage
`run_test_bin`, and WWstage `runsingletest` for raw single-file tests. Each
uses the selected driver directory's canonical absolute spelling. The first
effective uppercase inherited value is the suffix; absent and empty values
have no suffix; ordinary uppercase duplicates are removed. For directory
products, section 11.36 owns unrelated entries: a Go-like original-environment
snapshot retains caller locale and temporary-directory values, case-distinct
and nonempty malformed entries, and the final package `PWD`. Raw tests retain
caller cwd, `PWD`, other environment entries, stdin, and split streams.
The rule covers internal, external, and combined directory products;
dependency initialization; filters and list mode; running retained tests; and
raw single-file tests. It is independently materialized for each concurrent
product. `ww build`, `ww run`, compiler/assembler/linker and generated-main
commands, compile-only and assembly-only tests, no-test products, rejected
requests, and later direct execution of a retained binary receive no test
environment transformation.
Loading, graph construction, compilation, assembly, linking, action keys, and
artifact production are unchanged. A load, compile, or link failure starts no
test process, so runtime `PATH` is inapplicable and the existing diagnostic
precedence remains. A started test observes the new environment before normal
success, assertion failure, signal, timeout, or interruption. Existing process
groups, cancellation, output capture, and cleanup own those outcomes; the
environment adds no global mutable state. A running retained request remains
private build, private run, then guarded install, so any unsuccessful run
publishes nothing and preserves prior bytes. Parallel products receive separate
environment arrays and retain existing result isolation.
Canonical physical driver directories do not become package, import, graph,
action, artifact, symbol, `.wwi`, publication, or persistence identity.
Compiled units, interfaces, archives, executables, modes, diagnostics, and
public-output disposition are unchanged. No stored key or byte changed, so
build workdir format remains `18`, test workdir format remains `19`, and
semantic storage format remains `3`.
The extended WW-native `directory_test_execution_working_directory` observer
proves Cstage/WWstage equality for absent, empty, nonempty, and duplicate
caller `PATH`; all directory test shapes and dependency initialization;
filters, listing, raw single-file, and running retained tests; relative selected
driver canonicalization; build/no-test/compile-only/rejection exclusions;
unchanged compiler, assembler, and linker environments; concurrent products;
runtime failure with prior retained-byte rollback; artifact-byte identity; and
transaction, stage, workdir, and generated-file cleanup. Existing signal,
timeout, interruption, concurrent-driver, and public-output transaction owners
cover the unchanged mechanisms at those boundaries.
### 11.33 Implemented newline before directory test result trailers
When a directory-owned test product has emitted a nonempty combined capture
whose final byte is not newline, `ww test` now emits exactly one newline before
its existing `ok` or run-status `FAIL` trailer. Empty and already
newline-terminated captures gain no byte. The rule belongs only to the
coordinator boundary between completed test-process output and its result
trailer; it does not rewrite the capture or affect a route with no coordinator
trailer.
#### Pinned Go evidence and classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `(*runTestActor).Act` selects one output writer/buffer for a package test
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1436–1499](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1436-L1499)),
then assigns that same writer to the test command's stdout and stderr and
retains the resulting bytes as `out`
([lines 1661–1708](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1661-L1708)).
- On success, a nonempty `out` without a trailing newline receives one before
the `ok` record
([lines 1712–1732](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1712-L1732)).
On failure with partial output, the same check inserts one before `FAIL`
([lines 1733–1769](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1733-L1769)).
- Official `test_fail_newline.txt` asserts that buffered partial failure output
and `FAIL` begin on different lines, and that buffered verbose partial
success output and `ok` begin on different lines. It also records the
deliberate streaming-mode exception
([lines 3–35](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_fail_newline.txt#L3-L35)).
Those source rules and official script assertions are behavior directly
implemented or asserted by pinned Go. Applying the buffered-package boundary
to WW's directory-product capture is derived from that implementation: WW's
manifest-free directory coordinator likewise owns the completed combined bytes
and immediately appends a package result trailer. Excluding raw single-file
tests and later manual execution of retained binaries is also derived from the
pinned distinction: those WW routes have no coordinator-owned `ok` or `FAIL`
trailer to separate.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit considered all four permanent axes and selected only this
test-output gap:
- **Go-like build:** pinned `(*ErrorReporter).errorUnresolved` gives an
undeclared main function its dedicated link error
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go`, lines 29–65](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go#L29-L65)).
`TestUndefinedRelocErrors` directly requires build failure and that message
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go`, lines 19–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go#L19-L45)),
using official `issue10978/main.go`, whose main function is absent
([lines 5–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/testdata/issue10978/main.go#L5-L27)).
Direct Cstage and WWstage `ww build -o /dev/null` probes of a selected WW
command package without `main` both exited `1`, produced the identical
`w6l: undefined reference to 'main'` then `ww: w6l failed` diagnostics, and
published nothing. This candidate was aligned.
- **Go-like test:** a selected external `*_test.ww` initializer wrote exactly
`partial-success` without newline and exited `0`. Both stages exited `0`,
wrote no stderr, and emitted 72 stdout bytes beginning
`partial-successok `. The corresponding initializer wrote exactly
`partial-failure` to stderr and exited `7`; both commands exited `1`, wrote
no coordinator stderr, and emitted 86 stdout bytes beginning
`partial-failureFAIL `. Full Cstage and WWstage captures were byte-identical.
These are directly measured pre-fix WW facts and establish the selected
externally observable difference.
- **Go-like package:** `MultiplePackageError` represents conflicting selected
package clauses and formats the two declarations
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 538–548](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L538-L548));
the scanner creates it when selected files disagree
([lines 930–967](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L930-L967)),
and `TestMultiplePackageImport` asserts the typed result and files
([`go/build/build_test.go`, lines 105–124](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build_test.go#L105-L124)).
Direct WW directories declaring `alpha` and `beta` were rejected before any
producer by both stages with the same positioned conflict diagnostic. This
candidate was aligned.
- **Go-like import:** `loadImport` rejects a package declared `main` when it is
imported from another directory
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 787–805](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L787-L805));
official `import_main.txt` asserts the rule for builds and internal/external
tests
([lines 3–35](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/import_main.txt#L3-L35)).
Both WW stages rejected a direct dotted import of a package declared `main`
with the identical `ww: package cmdpkg is a program, not an importable
package` diagnostic. This candidate was aligned.
The direct Go source and official-test statements above are behavior directly
implemented or asserted by pinned Go. The WW command results are directly
measured behavior. The conclusion that the selected change is a runtime
presentation boundary, with no build, package, or import identity effect, is
derived from the pinned placement after command completion and before the
result record.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
`internal/wwpackage.pkgemitgroup` is the true owner because it alone has both
the completed product-local combined capture and knowledge that an existing
directory result trailer follows. It first emits the capture unchanged, then
emits one separator only when the capture is nonempty and its last byte is not
newline, then follows the established success or failure branch. The check is
shared by Cstage and WWstage and is independent for every canonically ordered
product, including internal, external, and combined variants; dependency
initialization; filters and list mode; concurrent products; and the private run
of a retained request.
Empty output does not acquire a leading blank line, and output already ending
in newline does not acquire a second one. A nonzero exit or signal retains its
existing process classification and `FAIL` text; only a preceding partial line
is terminated. Test-harness timeout and ordinary assertion output already end
in newline and therefore remain byte-identical. A child that cannot start has
no completed capture/trailer boundary in this function. Parent interruption,
producer failure, and load, compile, assemble, archive, link, or install
failure retain their existing diagnostics and precedence. Raw single-file
tests and later direct execution of retained binaries have no package
coordinator result trailer and retain their exact process bytes.
Loading, graph construction, action construction and scheduling, compiler,
assembler, archiver, linker, generated main, test executable, and retained
artifact bytes are unchanged. The separator is emitted after the private
process completes; it is not written into the capture, executable, interface,
archive, work record, or public destination. Running retention remains private
build, private run, then guarded install. Failed, signalled, interrupted, or
unstartable runs still publish nothing and preserve prior retained bytes.
Concurrent products retain separate capture files and canonical emission;
there is no shared mutable newline state. Existing process-group cleanup,
transaction rollback, temporary-root removal, and staged-file cleanup are
unchanged.
Physical source directories remain runtime/loader metadata only and do not
become package, import, graph, action, artifact, symbol, `.wwi`, publication,
or persistence identity. No persisted byte or key changes, so build workdir
format remains `18`, test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage
format remains `3`.
The WW-native `directory_test_trailer_starts_on_new_line` observer proves both
stages for unterminated stdout success, unterminated stderr failure,
unterminated signal output, already terminated output, and empty output. It
also covers concurrent products, a filter, list mode, running retained
publication, retained executable byte identity, and the unchanged raw/manual
routes; complete stdout and stderr from the concurrent Cstage and WWstage runs
must match exactly. Existing package execution, timeout, interruption,
transaction, persistence, byte-identity, and cleanup owners continue to prove
the mechanisms this slice does not alter.
### 11.34 Implemented final `FAIL` for explicit ordinary test failures
An ordinary `ww test` request with an explicit target now ends its ordered
standard output with exactly one command-owned `FAIL\n` when test setup, build,
or execution fails. The line follows every package result, including successful
packages ordered after an earlier failure. It applies to one or many explicit
directory, recursive, dotted-directory, or raw-file targets; filters and list
mode; and the private execution of a retained test. It does not apply to bare
implicit-current-directory `ww test`, `-c`, `-S`, `ww build`, command-line
usage/shape or output preflight rejection, publication-only failure,
capture-only failure, cleanup-only failure, allocation/systemic coordinator
failure, or later direct execution of a retained binary.
#### Pinned Go evidence and classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `runTest` reports setup errors, writes the per-package setup-failure result,
and sets the command exit status
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1010–1061](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1010-L1061)).
It then creates a root `go test` action owned by `printExitStatus`, orders all
package print actions, and executes that root
([lines 1099–1124](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1099-L1124)).
- `builderTest` constructs the ordinary build/run/clean/print chain and gives
the run and print boundaries the failure handling needed to reach ordered
output; its compile-only branch instead uses a dependency-sensitive nop
print action
([lines 1133–1169 and 1185–1366](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1133-L1366)).
- `(*runTestActor).Act` turns a dependency build failure into a package test
result and sets exit status 1
([lines 1436–1521](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1436-L1521)).
Every non-nil execution error, including nonzero exit or abnormal/start
failure, likewise sets the exit status and emits the package failure result
([lines 1644–1774](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1644-L1774)).
- `builderCleanTest` and `builderPrintTest` put cleanup and captured package
output before the root status action
([lines 2237–2259](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L2237-L2259)).
`printExitStatus` then prints exactly `FAIL\n` when at least one package
argument was explicit and the global exit status is nonzero
([lines 2262–2284](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L2262-L2284)).
- Official `test_status.txt` requires a failing package, a later successful
package, and a final standalone `FAIL\n`
([lines 3–6](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_status.txt#L3-L6)).
Official `test_syntax_error_says_fail.txt` requires `FAIL` for an explicit
test build/setup syntax failure
([lines 1–13](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_syntax_error_says_fail.txt#L1-L13)).
- `testFlags` records explicit file operands in `pkgArgs`
([`cmd/go/internal/test/testflag.go`, lines 219–290](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/testflag.go#L219-L290));
`PackagesAndErrors` turns those files into the command-line package
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 2895–2918](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L2895-L2918)),
which `GoFilesPackage` constructs
([lines 3244–3315](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L3244-L3315)).
Those source rules and official assertions are behavior directly implemented
or asserted by pinned Go. The single-explicit-package and raw-file cases are
derived from `len(pkgArgs) != 0` and the explicit-file loading path. The bare
implicit exclusion is derived from empty `pkgArgs`. The compile-only and
publication-only exclusions are derived from their uncleared dependency
failure preventing the root actor under the pinned work executor
([`cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go`, lines 134–205](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/exec.go#L134-L205)).
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit considered all four permanent axes and selected only this
test-command status gap:
- **Go-like build:** pinned unresolved-symbol handling and its undeclared-main
case are owned by `(*ErrorReporter).errorUnresolved`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go`, lines 29–65](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go#L29-L65)),
with official assertions in `TestUndefinedRelocErrors`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go`, lines 19–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go#L19-L45))
and `issue10978/main.go`
([lines 5–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/testdata/issue10978/main.go#L5-L27)).
Direct Cstage and WWstage no-main builds both exited 1 with identical linker
diagnostics and no output. This candidate was aligned.
- **Go-like test:** an explicit failing directory made both stages exit 1 with
empty stderr and byte-identical 207-byte stdout (SHA-256
`3d0d44d5d9c4d4d95446382807ee092a611f19b43dc3013cf8df76f135cb5c46`),
ending at its package failure rather than a standalone marker. A failing then
successful `-j 2` request had byte-identical 384-byte stdout (SHA-256
`4623567924df78375fcca84ff797b7cb89d06d3fd5382704d8b9ebb79916b9d9`)
ending at the successful `ok` result. A raw-file failure had byte-identical
121-byte stdout (SHA-256
`8db356ffc5b3a6d9df3308bfba8301329c5c07ce30c5ccd5cc5ee22a6c43331c`)
ending at harness accounting. Explicit missing-import build failure likewise
lacked the final marker. These directly measured pre-fix WW facts establish
the selected external difference. Bare implicit and `-c` failures already
omitted the marker and were aligned exclusions.
- **Go-like package:** `MultiplePackageError` and package scanning implement
conflicting selected declarations
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 538–548 and 931–967](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L538-L548));
`TestMultiplePackageImport` asserts the rule
([`go/build/build_test.go`, lines 105–133](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build_test.go#L105-L133)).
Both WW stages rejected an `alpha`/`beta` directory identically before tools.
This candidate was aligned.
- **Go-like import:** `unusedImports` and `errorUnusedPkg` implement the unused
renamed-import diagnostic
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740));
official `importdecl0` asserts ordinary and renamed forms
([lines 9–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L9-L27)).
After normalizing only PID-bearing scratch roots, both WW stages produced the
same unused-renamed-import diagnostic and no output. This candidate was
aligned.
The command results in that list are directly measured WW behavior; the linked
source and tests are behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go.
The conclusion that only test presentation changes while build, package, and
import identity remain fixed is behavior derived from the pinned action and
final-status placement.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
The directory owner is `internal/wwpackage.packagecommand`: its private
explicit-target bit affects only final status, and `pkgemitplan`/`pkgemitgroup`
record attributable build/run failure while preserving canonical result order.
After all package captures, package results, install attempts, and temporary-root
cleanup, the coordinator emits one final line. Attributable setup/load rejection
uses the same status helper. The two public drivers own the raw-file equivalent:
they remember the producer or process result, finish their existing cleanup,
then emit the line. A successful run followed only by install or cleanup failure
does not acquire test-failure status.
Loading and source selection, canonical package and import identity, graph
nodes, action construction, scheduling, compiler/assembler/linker invocation,
generated main, child argv/environment/cwd/stdin, capture bytes, package
diagnostics, and diagnostic precedence are unchanged. Runtime nonzero exit,
signal, timeout, and executable-start failure keep their existing
classification; only the command status line follows. One command-global bit
is isolated from every product-local capture, so parallel completion order
cannot duplicate or reorder it. If the coordinator itself is interrupted before
final emission no post-termination output is promised; an observed child
interruption is an ordinary run failure.
Artifact construction and bytes are unchanged. A failing running-retained test
still preserves prior public bytes and creates no new executable; successful
products in a mixed request retain their existing independent install results.
Producer failure, publication rejection, transaction rollback, cleanup, and
residue ownership are unchanged, and the marker creates no file. Physical
directories and the private explicit-target signal do not enter package,
import, graph, action, artifact, symbol, `.wwi`, publication, or persistence
identity. No persisted byte or key changed, so build workdir format remains
`18`, test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage format remains `3`.
The WW-native `explicit_test_failure_has_final_status` observer covers both
stages for single and concurrent failing/succeeding packages, filters, list
mode, raw files, setup/build and runtime failure, success, bare implicit and
compile-only exclusions, running retained rollback, artifact-byte equality,
diagnostic equality, exact cardinality/order, and `.new`/transaction cleanup.
Existing directory execution observers cover signals, timeouts, child cleanup,
and canonical-order behavior with the new final line, while build-mode controls
prove that the other command axis remains silent.
### 11.35 Implemented Go-like no-test-files package result
A source-bearing directory test product with no selected `*_test.ww` file now
reports exactly `? <package> [no test files]\n` after ordinary production
validation. It continues to create no test-support action, generated main,
link, runnable, retained binary, captured runtime result, or process. The rule
is shared by explicit directories, implicit current-directory selection,
logical/dotted targets, recursive discovery, and compile-only or retained-output
requests. Platform-ineligible test filenames do not prevent the result. A
selected helper-only test file remains a real test product with an empty
harness; the raw single-file compatibility route remains outside the
directory-owned selected-test-file classification.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `builderTest` detects
`len(p.TestGoFiles)+len(p.XTestGoFiles) == 0`, keeps ordinary production as a
dependency, constructs output-preparation and print actions, and creates no
real test binary or run action
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1133–1169](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1133-L1169)).
- `(*runTestActor).Act` owns that print action and writes exactly
`? \t%s\t[no test files]\n` in the ordinary non-coverage case
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1524–1557, especially 1551–1552](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1524-L1557)).
- Official `test_no_tests.txt` invokes `go test testnorun`, requires the
`[no test files]` result, and gives production an initializer that panics if a
test binary is linked and executed
([`cmd/go/testdata/script/test_no_tests.txt`, lines 1–14](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_no_tests.txt#L1-L14)).
Those source rules and the script expectation are behavior directly implemented
or asserted by pinned Go. That the ordinary case compiles production, prints the
package result, and does not execute initialization is behavior derived from the
pinned action graph. Applying the bracketed status to WW's established local
package presentation is likewise derived: WW has no module import path, but its
directory product already owns the corresponding selected-test-file decision
and no-process action branch. This does not import Go's coverage behavior,
module loader, cache, manifest, registry, or network resolution.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit considered all four permanent axes and selected only this
test-result wording gap:
- **Go-like build:** pinned unresolved-symbol handling and its special missing
`main` case are implemented by `(*ErrorReporter).errorUnresolved`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go`, lines 29–67](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go#L29-L67))
and asserted by `TestUndefinedRelocErrors`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go`, lines 19–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go#L19-L45))
using `issue10978/main.go`
([lines 5–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/testdata/issue10978/main.go#L5-L27)).
Both WW stages rejected a selected `package main` without `fn main`, emitted
identical 50-byte linker diagnostics, and created no output. This candidate
was aligned.
- **Go-like test:** a production directory with an aborting initializer and no
test file made both stages exit 0 with empty stderr and byte-identical 55-byte
stdout (SHA-256
`36adf30792e2900b60ec8cd02ba86e0387acebd41c4d9aab186af2c649ffe67c`):
`? /tmp/ww-go1265-four-axis.Wq8d8H/notest [no tests]\n`.
Bare implicit, logical `-I`, and `-c` forms produced the same bytes; `-c`
created no binary. A platform-excluded test file produced the same old status
class without observing its missing import or test body. These are directly
measured pre-fix WW facts and establish the selected external difference.
- **Go-like package:** `MultiplePackageError` and the package scan reject
conflicting selected declarations
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 538–548 and 931–967](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L538-L548));
`TestMultiplePackageImport` asserts the file/name pairs
([`go/build/build_test.go`, lines 105–133](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build_test.go#L105-L133)).
Both WW stages rejected an `alpha`/`beta` production directory identically
before tools. This candidate was aligned.
- **Go-like import:** `unusedImports` and `errorUnusedPkg` implement unused
ordinary and renamed-import diagnostics
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740));
official `importdecl0` asserts both forms
([`internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go`, lines 9–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L9-L27)).
After normalizing only PID-bearing scratch roots, both WW stages rejected an
unused renamed dotted import with the same diagnostic and no output. This
candidate was aligned.
The command observations in that list are directly measured WW behavior. The
linked source and testdata are behavior directly implemented or asserted by
pinned Go. Selecting only the no-test-files presentation while keeping build,
package, and import semantics fixed is behavior derived from the pinned action
boundary and WW's already aligned no-process topology.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
`internal/wwpackage.pkgemitgroup` is the sole semantic owner of the directory
package result. The loader still sets `g.notests` only after exact filename and
platform eligibility have selected the source set. Product construction still
compiles ordinary production and omits support/main/link/output/status actions;
the scheduler still skips execution. The successful result literal changes
only after that work succeeds. Loading, import, package, graph, compiler,
assembler, archiver, linker, or publication failure therefore retains its prior
diagnostic and precedence and cannot be hidden by a no-test-files result.
Canonical dotted package/import identity, declared names, file-local import
bindings, graph nodes and edges, action keys, physical-directory metadata,
symbols, `.wwi`, source units, assembly, objects, archives, and executable bytes
are unchanged. There is no new artifact or publication destination. `-c` and
`-o` still omit a binary and do not create an otherwise-unused output hierarchy;
prior caller state and persistent generations are preserved on every producer
failure. Warm reuse and invalidation still concern production actions only.
Concurrent products retain canonical ordered emission because the text remains
inside the existing group emitter. Interruption before emission makes no new
promise; the branch starts no child that can be signalled or timed out. Cleanup
still removes only request-private plan state, creates no `.new` or `.install`
stage, and leaves no test-process residue. Cstage and WWstage use the same
coordinator owner and therefore emit byte-identical diagnostics and results.
The WW-native `empty_and_invalid_package_classes` observer now requires the
exact explicit and implicit result in both stages and uses an aborting production
initializer to prove no process starts. Existing package observers cover
logical and recursive selection, platform filtering, helper-only selected test
files, compile-only/output omission, persistent cold/warm/invalidation behavior,
large scheduling sets, failure rollback, stage parity, and artifact-byte
identity. No persisted-byte contract changed: build workdir format remains
`18`, test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage format remains `3`.
### 11.36 Implemented original environment for directory test processes
Every directory-owned test binary actually started by `ww test` now receives a
Go-like snapshot of the caller environment instead of the package build plan's
locale and temporary directory. On the supported Unix boundary, the snapshot
keeps the first occurrence of every normal case-sensitive `key=value`, omits
later normal duplicates and raw empty entries, and preserves nonempty malformed
entries in order. The existing selected-toolchain `PATH` and package-directory
`PWD` are then appended as the only test-command overrides. Caller `LC_ALL`,
`TMPDIR`, empty-valued variables, case-distinct keys, and arbitrary variables
therefore reach initialization and test code.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `invoke` initializes `cfg.OrigEnv` from
`toolchain.FilterEnv(os.Environ())` before command work
([`cmd/go/main.go`, lines 290–305](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/main.go#L290-L305)).
`FilterEnv` removes only Go's internal toolchain-switch count variable
([`cmd/go/internal/toolchain/select.go`, lines 50–59 and 74–85](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/toolchain/select.go#L50-L85));
WW has no corresponding switch state.
- `OrigEnv` is the startup environment and user binaries during `go test` use
it instead of build-tool `CmdEnv`
([`cmd/go/internal/cfg/cfg.go`, lines 328–333](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/cfg/cfg.go#L328-L333)).
- Unix `copyenv`, `Getenv`, and `Environ` retain the first occurrence of a
normal case-sensitive key, clear later duplicates, omit cleared or empty
entries from `Environ`, and leave nonempty malformed entries present
([`syscall/env_unix.go`, lines 20–50](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/syscall/env_unix.go#L20-L50),
[66–84](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/syscall/env_unix.go#L66-L84),
and [135–145](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/syscall/env_unix.go#L135-L145)).
- `(*runTestActor).Act` clips `cfg.OrigEnv`, applies `AppendPATH` and
`AppendPWD`, assigns the result to the package-directory command, and runs it
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, lines 1661–1697](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1661-L1697)).
The two appenders are defined at
[`cmd/go/internal/base/env.go`, lines 15–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/base/env.go#L15-L45),
and explicit-command duplicate removal prefers their later `PATH` and `PWD`
values
([`os/exec/exec.go`, lines 1231–1308](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/os/exec/exec.go#L1231-L1308)).
- Official `test_env_term.txt` passes an explicitly empty caller `TERM` to a
test and requires it to remain empty
([lines 1–14](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_env_term.txt#L1-L14)).
`test_cache_inputs.txt` changes caller `TESTKEY` and its `TestLookupEnv`
requires the arbitrary variable to be present
([lines 19–38](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_cache_inputs.txt#L19-L38)
and [269–280](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_cache_inputs.txt#L269-L280)).
Those source rules and official assertions are behavior directly implemented or
asserted by pinned Go. That an ordinary caller `LC_ALL`, `TMPDIR`, case-distinct
key, or other variable survives unchanged is behavior derived from the pinned
pipeline: none is removed or replaced after the original snapshot. First-value
normalization, malformed-entry retention, raw-empty omission, and the separation
from build-tool `CmdEnv` are directly implemented by the cited source.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit considered all four permanent axes and selected only this
test-runtime difference:
- **Go-like build:** pinned unresolved relocation handling gives missing
`main.main` its dedicated link failure
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go`, lines 45–65](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go#L45-L65)),
asserted by `TestUndefinedRelocErrors`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go`, lines 20–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go#L20-L45)).
Both WW stages rejected a selected `package main` without `fn main`, emitted
identical linker diagnostics, and created no output. This candidate was
aligned.
- **Go-like test:** a direct `execve` arranger supplied duplicate `LC_ALL`,
`TMPDIR`, arbitrary, and `PWD` variables; one empty-valued normal variable; a
case-distinct key; repeated nonempty malformed entries; and one raw empty
entry. Both stages exited `0` with empty stderr and byte-identical stdout
(SHA-256
`5b541239c8e9109c512b6ec7b8c59d4b18bf79391096fb14891d8de108786993`).
The test reported caller arbitrary/empty/case-distinct values, but reported
`LC_ALL` and `TMPDIR` as changed, two visible occurrences of the arbitrary
normal key, and the raw empty entry still present. These are directly measured
pre-fix WW facts and establish the selected difference.
- **Go-like package:** `MultiplePackageError` and the directory scan reject
conflicting selected declarations
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 538–549](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L538-L549)
and [939–967](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L939-L967));
`TestMultiplePackageImport` plus official `testdata/multi` asserts the result
([`go/build/build_test.go`, lines 105–124](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build_test.go#L105-L124)).
Both WW stages rejected an `alpha`/`beta` source directory with byte-identical
diagnostics and no output. This candidate was aligned.
- **Go-like import:** `unusedImports` and `errorUnusedPkg` require a nonblank
renamed import to be used
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740));
official `importdecl0` asserts the alias case
([`internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go`, lines 5–31](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L5-L31)).
Both WW stages rejected an unused local alias for dotted import `fmt` with
the same semantic diagnostic and no output. This candidate was aligned.
The command observations above are directly measured WW behavior. The linked
rules are behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go. Applying the
original-environment pipeline at WW's directory-product launcher while leaving
its raw single-file compatibility route intact is behavior derived from the
pinned launch boundary and WW's local input model.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
`internal/wwpackage.runenv`, called only by `pkgstartrun`, is the semantic owner.
It walks the coordinator's inherited vector in order, uses a bounded fallible
open-addressed key table to retain the first normal case-sensitive occurrence,
omits raw empty entries, retains nonempty malformed entries, and excludes exact
uppercase `PATH` and `PWD`. It then appends the existing canonical selected
driver `PATH` and `PWD=<pkggroup.dir>`. The table is freed before launch;
`exec.start` deep-copies the command, after which the product-local vector and
its two generated strings are freed. Concurrent products share no writable
environment storage and the coordinator process is never mutated.
`toolenv` remains the separate build-plan owner. Compiler, assembler, in-driver
archiver, linker, support generation, generated-main construction, request
scratch, cwd, argv, stdin, diagnostics, and failure precedence are unchanged;
those tools still receive their established `LC_ALL=C` and request-private
`TMPDIR`. The raw single-file route already preserved caller locale and
temporary-directory values and remains outside this directory-owned
normalization slice. A directly invoked retained binary still inherits its
invoker's concrete environment without coordinator policy.
Loading and platform source selection are unchanged. Production, internal-test,
external-test, recompiled-for-test, support, and generated-main graph/action
identity remain separate and unchanged. Canonical dotted package/import
identity, declared names, file import bindings, physical-directory metadata,
symbols, `.wwi`, source units, assembly, objects, archives, executables, modes,
and artifact bytes do not contain the run environment. Imported or dependency
initialization code observes the corrected values only inside the selected
product process; no physical path or environment value becomes package, import,
graph, action, artifact, publication, or persistence identity.
`ww build`, `ww run`, directory `ww test -c` or `-S`, no-test products, and
loading/compiler/linker rejection start no test process, allocate no run
environment, and retain their prior diagnostics and outputs. A started test
observes the corrected snapshot before success, assertion failure, signal,
timeout, interruption, or child-created descendants. Those outcomes continue
through the existing process-group, capture, ordered-result, cancellation, and
cleanup owners. For a running retained request, private build and run still
precede guarded installation: runtime failure publishes nothing and preserves
prior bytes, while success installs the same private executable bytes. Producer
failure, output guard failure, and cleanup-only failure retain their existing
rollback and diagnostic precedence.
Persistent work records and artifact invalidation are unchanged; test results
are never cached. Environment-only changes perform the established warm final
link and always run the private test, without changing committed action bytes.
No `.new`, `.install`, `.wwtxn.*`, capture, result, process, or request scratch
survives its existing cleanup boundary. This runtime-only metadata change alters
no persisted-byte contract, so build workdir format remains `18`, test workdir
format remains `19`, and semantic storage format remains `3`.
The expanded WW-native `directory_test_execution_working_directory` observer
proves both-stage equality for nonempty and empty-valued variables; caller
`LC_ALL` and `TMPDIR`; first-wins normal duplicates; case-distinct and repeated
malformed entries; raw-empty omission; package `PWD` and selected-toolchain
`PATH`; production and test-only dependency initialization; internal, external,
combined, and test-only products; filters/list/no-match; recursive/equivalent
selection; serial/parallel scheduling; failure, signal, timeout, and child setup
failure; retained success and rollback; cold/warm/data-only persistence;
unchanged artifact and binary bytes; build/no-test/compile-only/rejection
nonexecution; unchanged raw/direct compatibility; exact tool locale/TMPDIR; and
stage, transaction, capture, and workdir cleanup.
### 11.37 Implemented empty list-mode output
A valid directory-owned `ww test -list` request now emits one qualified test
name per selected descriptor and emits no harness list bytes when its filters
select zero tests. The test product still starts, package initialization still
runs, the harness returns success without accounting, and the coordinator still
emits the normal package `ok` result. Ordinary non-list execution with zero
selected tests remains distinct: it keeps its
discovered/selected/started/completed accounting and, as implemented later in
section 11.39, uses the pinned no-tests warning and package-result suffix.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `cmd/go` registers `-list` among the flags forwarded to the test binary
([`cmd/go/internal/test/testflag.go`, function `init`, lines 32–80](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/testflag.go#L32-L80)).
- `testing.(*M).Run` calls `listTests`, sets exit code 0, and returns before the
ordinary test execution and no-tests warning
([`testing/testing.go`, lines 2407–2411](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/testing/testing.go#L2407-L2411)
and [2440–2458](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/testing/testing.go#L2440-L2458)).
- `listTests` validates the pattern and prints only inside successful match
branches. It has no zero-match output branch
([`testing/testing.go`, function `listTests`, lines 2509–2535](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/testing/testing.go#L2509-L2535)).
- `testShowPass` retains successful list output, while the successful run actor
adds a no-tests suffix only if the captured bytes contain the ordinary
no-tests warning
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, function `testShowPass`, lines 649–652](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L649-L652)
and method `(*runTestActor).Act`, lines 1706–1732](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1706-L1732)).
- Official `list_test_simple.txt` asserts that list mode emits the matching Test,
Benchmark, and Example names
([`cmd/go/testdata/script/list_test_simple.txt`, lines 3–14](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/list_test_simple.txt#L3-L14)).
Those source branches and official positive assertions are behavior directly
implemented or asserted by pinned Go. That a zero-match `go test -list` run has
no list payload, avoids the ordinary no-tests warning, and may still receive the
command's normal successful package result is behavior derived from their
composition. WW retains its local `-list` plus `-run`/`-filter` syntax; only the
applicable selected-name and empty-result behavior is aligned.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit examined all four permanent axes before selecting this test
runtime difference:
- **Go-like build:** pinned `(*ErrorReporter).errorUnresolved` gives a missing
`main.main` a dedicated failure
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go`, lines 29–67](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go#L29-L67)),
asserted by `TestUndefinedRelocErrors` and official `issue10978`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go`, lines 19–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go#L19-L45),
[`testdata/issue10978/main.go`, lines 5–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/testdata/issue10978/main.go#L5-L27)).
Both WW stages rejected a selected command package without `fn main`, emitted
zero stdout and the same 50 stderr bytes (SHA-256
`9ed4d7684412c6d2e615041902072c81e9e09acb3970246d89a2c8bdddd2fcfa`),
and published no output. This audited applicable property was aligned.
- **Go-like test:** for a directory containing one `visible` test, both stages
ran `test -list -run no_such_test`, exited 0 with empty stderr, and emitted the
same 78 stdout bytes (SHA-256
`d59638ab03a27803ca8e3fd884f341bbb1535ec9604fb69bdff1de4f608a8da0`):
`[no matches]\n` followed by the normal package result. Positive list
selection printed `list_nomatch.visible` once in both stages. This synthetic
empty-result line was the selected difference.
- **Go-like package:** pinned `MultiplePackageError` and directory scanning
reject conflicting declarations
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 538–549](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L538-L549)
and [939–967](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L939-L967)),
asserted by `TestMultiplePackageImport` and official `testdata/multi`
([`go/build/build_test.go`, lines 105–133](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build_test.go#L105-L133),
[`testdata/multi/file.go`, lines 1–5](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/testdata/multi/file.go#L1-L5),
and [`file_appengine.go`, lines 1–5](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/testdata/multi/file_appengine.go#L1-L5)).
Both WW stages rejected an `alpha`/`beta` directory with zero stdout and the
same 159 stderr bytes (SHA-256
`eaaa0c91f41b5d3deac4caf4299d5c7c650a1330be9b43edd090b8bfea906076`).
This audited applicable property was aligned.
- **Go-like import:** pinned `unusedImports` and `errorUnusedPkg` reject a
nonblank unused alias
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740)),
asserted by official `importdecl0`
([`internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go`, lines 9–26](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L9-L26)).
Both WW stages rejected an unused `spare` alias for dotted import `dep` with
zero stdout and the same diagnostic after only private scratch-PID
normalization (SHA-256
`a429b027e92d52de1c5ec581b1f45c860b0e85b459c3ac7347e2719900cec511`).
This audited applicable property was aligned without changing dotted import
identity.
The command observations and byte hashes are directly measured WW behavior.
The linked source branches and testdata assertions are behavior directly
implemented or asserted by pinned Go. Applying the empty-list rule to WW's one
local directory-owned test product while retaining its manifest-free input and
filter syntax is behavior derived from that pinned execution boundary.
Pre-fix `test -c` products were byte-identical between Cstage and WWstage:
112829 bytes, SHA-256
`d2994ef440d7ceb9be0a7caf53c90dd19d208e847e51ff41ecb89504f825c4c8`.
Directly running either retained product with the same nonmatching list filter
already emitted no stdout or stderr because it had no coordinator-supplied
package prefix. Explicit raw-file requests with package options remained a
separate rejected CLI shape in both stages.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
`lib/test.run` is the semantic owner. Its existing descriptor loop still
qualifies, filters, and prints every positive list match in order; its list
return now emits nothing extra when the selected count is zero. The package
coordinator does not recognize or strip a magic line, so identical bytes written
by package initialization or user code remain ordinary captured output.
Loading and platform source selection are unchanged. Production,
internal-test, external-test, recompiled-for-test, support, and generated-main
nodes and actions remain unchanged. Exact dotted import identity, declared
package names, aliases, variants, physical runtime directories, graph edges,
initialization order, symbols, and publication names keep their existing roles.
The product process and package initialization still run in list mode; no
per-test child starts. Positive matching, option diagnostics and precedence,
ordinary non-list no-match output, no-test-file results, and raw-file rejection
were unchanged by this list-only slice; section 11.39 subsequently changes only
the ordinary no-match warning and successful result annotation.
The shared support implementation change legitimately changes its object,
archive, and linked test-product bytes. Its exported signature and `.wwi` byte
contract do not change. Existing content invalidation rebuilds the affected
support/link actions; there is no test-result cache and no new graph identity.
Running `-o` still executes the private product before guarded publication, and
`-c`, destination safety, transaction rollback, prior-output preservation, and
artifact modes are unchanged.
Load, compile, assemble, archive, link, initialization, signal, timeout,
interruption, child-start, publication, and cleanup failure paths retain their
existing diagnostics and precedence. Parallel products keep independent
processes, captures, environments, working directories, input descriptors, and
ordered result slots. The changed runtime branch allocates and publishes no
file, and existing cleanup remains responsible for `.new`, `.install`,
`.wwtxn.*`, captures, process groups, and request scratch.
The WW-native `list_mode_with_no_matches_emits_no_sentinel` observer proves
both stages across concurrent combined and test-only products, package
initialization, cold and warm persistent work, absence of list/accounting
sentinels, positive deterministic selection, running `-o` retention, later
direct execution, stage stdout/stderr equality, retained executable byte
identity, and `.new` cleanup. The existing routing observer separately keeps
the section-11.37 baseline for ordinary non-list reporting; section 11.39
supersedes that private marker while retaining the accounting.
No persisted-byte contract changed: build workdir format remains `18`, test
workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage format remains `3`.
### 11.38 Implemented declared-`main` function-kind semantics
A package whose **declared package name** is `main` now rejects every
package-scope non-function declaration named `main`. `let`, `const`, `def`, and
`type` forms receive `cannot declare main - must be func` from either compiler
checker and are not installed in package scope. The rule is deliberately
narrower than Go's complete source signature rule: WW retains its established
C/Hare-style program-entry ABI, including supported argument- and
result-bearing function declarations.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `types2.(*Checker).declarePkgObj` tests both identifier spelling `main` and
`check.pkg.name == "main"`, emits `cannot declare main - must be func`, and
returns without declaring the object
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 90–110](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L90-L110)).
The public checker implements the same condition and return
([`go/types/resolver.go`, method `(*Checker).declarePkgObj`, lines 103–124](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/types/resolver.go#L103-L124)).
- Official type-checker testdata rejects constant, type, and variable
declarations named `main` in package `main`
([`internal/types/testdata/check/decls5.go`, lines 5–10](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/decls5.go#L5-L10)).
The fixed-bug test also rejects `var main = func() {}`: a variable containing
a function is still not a function declaration
([`test/fixedbugs/issue21256.go`, lines 1–9](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/fixedbugs/issue21256.go#L1-L9)).
Those conditions, diagnostics, early returns, and testdata assertions are
**behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go**. That the semantic
owner is package declaration checking; that a rejected object does not become
the entry binding; and that declared package name rather than canonical path,
path leaf, physical directory, or command selection owns the rule are
**behavior derived from the pinned implementation**.
Pinned Go separately requires a function `main` in package `main` to have no
arguments or results
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, method
`(*Checker).collectObjects`, lines 416–444](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L416-L444)),
asserted by official `mainsig.go`
([lines 7–13](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/test/mainsig.go#L7-L13)).
That is also **behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go**, but it
does not honestly apply to WW's source ABI. Both baseline WW stages accepted
`fn main(x: i32) void` and `fn main() i32`, produced byte-identical
executables, and ran them successfully; WW's own self-hosted command tools use
`main(argc: i32, argv: **u8) i32`. Those observations are **directly measured
WW behavior**. Preserving those function forms while applying the independent
declaration-kind requirement is **behavior derived from the pinned
implementation within WW's applicable model boundary**.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit examined all four permanent axes before this package slice
was selected:
- **Go-like build:** pinned `(*ErrorReporter).errorUnresolved` gives missing
`main.main` a dedicated error
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go`, lines 29–67](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go#L29-L67)),
asserted by `TestUndefinedRelocErrors`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go`, lines 19–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go#L19-L45))
and official `testdata/issue10978/main.go` lines 5–27. Both WW stages
rejected a selected `main` package with no entry, emitted empty stdout and
the same 50 stderr bytes (SHA-256
`9ed4d7684412c6d2e615041902072c81e9e09acb3970246d89a2c8bdddd2fcfa`),
and published nothing. This applicable control was aligned.
- **Go-like test:** pinned `isTestFunc` and `checkTestFunc` define and reject a
wrong test function shape
([`cmd/go/internal/load/test.go`, lines 555–579 and 775–787](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/test.go#L555-L579)),
with the official wrong-signature script anchor at
[`cmd/go/testdata/script/test_main.txt`, lines 11–13 and 30–40](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_main.txt#L11-L13).
Both WW stages rejected `@test fn bad(x: i32) void` before execution, emitted
the same semantic diagnostic, no accounting, and final `FAIL\n` stdout
(SHA-256
`4f8e9e45f8a9e1843b81eaf3bdf52a6b778d415d23bf985774a9d34a43f69bd5`).
This applicable control was aligned.
- **Go-like package:** baseline Cstage accepted `let main`, `const main`, and
`def main`, published mode-0755 executables, and those executables exited 139
with empty output. The `let`/`const` executable SHA-256 was
`edd3bad62be69701a373aa0567972bfb976690b0332b8c117891125254fc85b5`;
the `def` executable SHA-256 was
`9e56d6710395b287e18e85187eee86d846927c6f3ea91216858c6026f38ebdff`.
Cstage `type main` and every WWstage non-function form instead reached the
linker's missing-`main` failure. Neither stage emitted the pinned package
diagnostic. Both stages accepted a directory command package containing
`let main` plus a valid internal test, ran it, and reported package `ok` with
byte-identical 178-byte stdout (SHA-256
`a6e165fb558be62932e217ccd1d3175348f7490489bca8e9828872e28c01236f`).
This was the selected difference.
- **Go-like import:** pinned `unusedImports` and `errorUnusedPkg` reject a
nonblank unused alias
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740)),
asserted by official `importdecl0a.go` lines 9–27. Both WW stages rejected
unused `import spare audit.dep;`, emitted empty stdout, and reported
`"audit.dep" imported as spare and not used`. This applicable control was
aligned.
The WW command results, output lengths, hashes, exit statuses, and runtime
signals are **directly measured WW behavior**. The linked source and testdata
facts are **behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go**. Selecting
the declaration-kind rule while excluding the incompatible function-signature
rule is **behavior derived from the pinned implementation**.
As an identity control, both stages built `package utility; export let main:
i32 = 7` as byte-identical 924-byte archives (SHA-256
`10382e7812229d73c4acefdf8988a13372b6eb7a2981559b3adade524ed5a929`).
That is **directly measured WW behavior** and pins the required non-effect for
non-`main` declared packages.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
`reject_nonfunction_main_decls` in `cmd/wcc/check.c` and its self-hosted twin
`rejectnonfunctionmaindecls` in `selfhost/cmd/wcc/check.ww` are the semantic
owners. They run after parsing but before qualified-use discovery and package
name installation. Each walks selected top-level declarations, tests the
declaration-carried `pkgname`, reports the pinned diagnostic, and removes only
the rejected node from subsequent package-scope checking. This mirrors the
pinned resolver's return-before-declare behavior. No driver mode, entry flag,
canonical action key, directory classification, or linker-symbol heuristic is
consulted.
Direct post-fix calls to `w6c` and `w6c_ww` on the same invalid source now exit
1 with empty stdout, no assembly output, and byte-identical 102-byte stderr
(SHA-256
`39001ed88e2ab8b7675fcc51b4b794cf8ebc2a803e1f05de45d7d0ba1cd98a38`)
ending in `cannot declare main - must be func`. Directory builds of all four
forms fail through `ww: w6c failed for ...`, never reach `w6a` or `w6l`, publish
no output, and give byte-identical Cstage/WWstage diagnostics when the owned
output path is the same. Directory tests emit only the command-owned final
`FAIL\n` on stdout, report build failure on stderr, and emit no test body,
accounting, or package `ok` result.
Loading and Go-platform source eligibility are unchanged. Production and test
source selection still determines which declarations reach the checker; an
excluded source has no effect. Declared package name remains independent from
canonical dotted identity, aliases, path leaf, filename, physical directory,
requested root, output name, linker order, and artifact/storage locator. A
dependency physically and canonically ending in `main` but declared `utility`
continues to export `main`, bind through its declared qualifier, and produce
stage-byte-identical `.unit.ww`, `.wwi`, assembly, object, archive, and command
executable bytes. Valid `main(argc, argv) i32` and `main() i32` commands remain
accepted and byte-identical between stages.
Graph construction and action identities are unchanged for valid programs. An
invalid selected command or command-test variant reaches its normal compiler
action and fails there; assembler, archiver, linker, runtime, generated test
execution, and publication do not become alternative semantic owners. An
ordinary import of a declared-`main` package is still rejected earlier by the
loader as `ww: package PATH is a program, not an importable package`, even when
that command also contains the malformed declaration. This preserves import
diagnostic precedence and the toolchain-owned external-test exception.
Cold rejection creates no output or retained scratch. Warm rejection after a
successful command preserves the complete committed owner unit, interface,
assembly, object, archive, init unit/assembly/object, tool vouchers, workdir
stamp, and public executable byte for byte. It installs no staged generation;
exact source restoration reuses the committed action and reproduces the prior
binary. There is no test-result cache and no new reuse key. Producer failure,
rollback, existing-output preservation, concurrent action isolation,
interruption, process cleanup, and transaction cleanup continue through their
existing owners; the checker adds no process, descriptor, mutable global state,
or cleanup path. No active `.new`, `.install`, `.wwtxn.*`, adjacent rejection
scratch, test child, or capture survives the tested failure boundaries.
The WW-native `nonfunction_main_declarations_reject` observer proves all four
non-function kinds, exact direct-compiler stage parity, cold build rejection,
directory-test nonexecution, declared-name/dotted-import/physical-leaf
separation, supported entry ABI preservation, valid artifact-byte parity,
command-import precedence, complete warm work/publication rollback, restored
reuse, and residue absence. Existing interruption and concurrent-transaction
observers remain the owners of those unchanged mechanisms; this declaration
check introduces no independently interruptible or shared state.
No valid persisted-byte contract changed. Build workdir format remains `18`,
test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage format remains `3`.
### 11.39 Implemented ordinary zero-match test results
An ordinary successful directory `ww test` whose valid `-run`/`-filter`
selection starts no registered test now uses Go's externally visible no-tests
protocol. The shared test runtime writes exactly
`testing: warning: no tests to run\n` through standard error, retains WW's
discovered/selected/started/completed accounting, and returns success. The
directory coordinator recognizes that exact line at capture byte zero or after
a newline and appends ` [no tests to run]` to the corresponding successful
package `ok` result. WW's former `[no matches]` sentinel is no longer emitted.
This is deliberately distinct from the completed list-mode rule: list mode
returns before the warning/accounting branch and retains an unsuffixed package
result. A source-bearing directory without test files also retains its separate
`? <package> [no test files]` result and starts no runtime product.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole semantic authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `testing.(*M).Run` returns directly from list mode at lines 2407–2411. In
ordinary execution it gathers whether tests, examples, or fuzz targets ran,
writes exactly `testing: warning: no tests to run` to stderr when none did,
and keeps the outcome successful when no independent failure occurred
([`testing/testing.go`, lines 2432–2485](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/testing/testing.go#L2432-L2485)).
- `cmd/go` defines the line-delimited `noTestsToRun` marker
([`cmd/go/internal/test/test.go`, line 1385](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1385))
and, after a successful test process, recognizes it at capture byte zero or
after a newline and appends ` [no tests to run]` to the package result
([method `(*runTestActor).Act`, lines 1706–1732](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/test/test.go#L1706-L1732)).
- Official script/testdata `test_match_no_tests.txt` runs one registered test
through a nonmatching filter and asserts the suffixed successful package
result
([lines 1–11](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_match_no_tests.txt#L1-L11)).
- Official precedence script/testdata `test_match_no_tests_build_failure.txt`
asserts that a build failure under a nonmatching filter produces `FAIL` and
does not acquire a successful no-tests result
([lines 1–18](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/test_match_no_tests_build_failure.txt#L1-L18)).
Those branches, exact bytes, success conditions, delimiter checks, result
suffix, and script assertions are **behavior directly implemented or asserted
by pinned Go**. That the runtime owns whether a test ran, the coordinator owns
the package-result annotation, a build failure precedes both, and an arbitrary
mid-line substring is not the marker are **behavior derived from the pinned
implementation**.
WW retains its fnmatch-based local `-run`/`-filter` language rather than
adopting Go regular expressions. WW also has an established always-visible
harness report rather than Go's quiet/`-v` presentation switch, so this slice
does not suppress every successful product capture or replace WW accounting
with Go's `PASS` line. Within that honest local presentation boundary, the
zero-execution warning, stream owner, success classification, marker delimiter,
and package annotation apply directly.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit examined all four permanent axes before selecting this test
runtime/coordinator difference. Commands used Cstage `out/bin/ww` and WWstage
`out/bin/ww_ww` against identical sources:
- **Go-like build:** pinned linker method
`(*ErrorReporter).errorUnresolved` gives missing `main.main` a dedicated
failure ([`cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go`, lines 29–67](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/errors.go#L29-L67)),
asserted by `TestUndefinedRelocErrors` and official `issue10978`
([`cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go`, lines 19–45](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ld_test.go#L19-L45),
[`testdata/issue10978/main.go`, lines 5–27](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/testdata/issue10978/main.go#L5-L27)).
Both WW stages rejected a declared-main package with no entry, emitted empty
stdout and the same 50 stderr bytes (SHA-256
`9ed4d7684412c6d2e615041902072c81e9e09acb3970246d89a2c8bdddd2fcfa`),
and published nothing. This applicable build property was aligned.
- **Go-like test:** with one registered test, both stages exited 0 for
`test -run no-such-*`, emitted empty stderr, and emitted the same 120 stdout
bytes (SHA-256
`ca12f88ebf1f94d3a2ca63ed1bc1e9b5a4811a660df3af4e70c7b9624ef97c40`):
`[no matches]`, zero-selection accounting, and an unsuffixed package `ok`.
This private marker and missing result annotation were the selected gap.
Empty list selection and positive ordinary selection were already aligned
controls and stayed outside the changed branch.
- **Go-like package:** pinned `MultiplePackageError` and directory scanning
reject conflicting declarations
([`go/build/build.go`, lines 538–549](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L538-L549)
and [939–967](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build.go#L939-L967)),
asserted by `TestMultiplePackageImport` and official `testdata/multi`
([`go/build/build_test.go`, lines 105–133](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/go/build/build_test.go#L105-L133)).
Both WW stages rejected one `first`/`second` directory with empty stdout and
byte-identical 161-byte stderr (SHA-256
`a2d95681b8a97d55c26367084cd294632fa015882d1aa53b0df63f24bcf24ced`).
This applicable package property was aligned.
- **Go-like import:** pinned `unusedImports` and `errorUnusedPkg` reject every
nonblank unused import
([`cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go`, lines 706–740](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/compile/internal/types2/resolver.go#L706-L740)),
asserted by official `importdecl0a.go`
([lines 9–26](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/internal/types/testdata/check/importdecl0/importdecl0a.go#L9-L26)).
Both stages rejected an unused dotted `fmt` import with empty stdout and the
same semantic diagnostic;
raw stderr differed only in the deliberately stage-named private output path.
This applicable import property was aligned.
The WW statuses, streams, lengths, hashes, and diagnostics are **directly
measured WW behavior**. The linked official implementation and testdata are
**behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go**. Applying the
runtime/coordinator split without changing WW's filter syntax or harness report
is **behavior derived from the pinned implementation**.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
`lib/test/run.ww` is the runtime owner. Its existing `selected == 0` branch now
writes the pinned warning through the same EINTR-safe fd writer used elsewhere,
targeting stderr, then writes the unchanged accounting to stdout and returns 0.
Its earlier list return is untouched. A directly invoked retained binary
therefore exposes the warning on stderr and accounting on stdout.
`internal/wwpackage/package.ww` is the directory result owner. It already gives
each product one combined stdout/stderr capture and emits that capture in
canonical group order. Its new predicate accepts only the exact warning at byte
zero or following `\n`; after `pkgrunok` succeeds, `pkgemitgroup` appends the
suffix to the result it already owns. Text embedded mid-line in a running test
does not match. A failed, signalled, timed-out, interrupted, or unstartable test
does not reach the successful result. A producer failure never starts the
runtime and cannot synthesize the warning or suffix.
Both selected driver stages compile the same `lib/test` code into test products
and delegate directory execution to the same WW-native coordinator, so no
C-only or self-host-only semantic fork was introduced. Direct post-fix probes
through both stages exited 0, emitted empty coordinator stderr, and emitted the
same 159 stdout bytes (SHA-256
`a67242ab79b9bd9bca1a32073c1fccbb9aa4fa9d8ad52ced667b25c54dc1be08`):
the warning, unchanged accounting, and suffixed package result.
Loading and Go-platform source selection are unchanged. Production,
internal-test, external-test, recompiled-for-test, support, and generated-main
graph nodes and actions are unchanged. Compilers, assemblers, archivers, and
linkers retain their diagnostics and scheduling. The support implementation
change legitimately changes its object/archive and linked test-product bytes,
but its exported signature and `.wwi` contract do not change; valid Cstage and
WWstage retained products remain byte-identical.
Declared package names and canonical dotted import identities remain separate.
The coordinator annotates an already-owned result; it derives no identity from
the warning, alias, declared name, path leaf, filename, physical directory,
output path, artifact name, or linker order. Physical directories remain test
cwd and result-label metadata only, never package/import/graph/action/artifact/
symbol/`.wwi`/publication/persistence identity.
Cold and warm persistent work produce identical result bytes and still run the
test product because there is no test-result cache. A successful retained run
publishes the privately tested executable through the existing guarded install.
A later producer failure preserves prior public bytes, and restored valid reuse
reproduces the same warning/suffix without rewriting an identical executable.
Publication rejection, rollback, existing-output preservation, concurrency,
interruption, process-group cancellation, capture separation, final `FAIL`, and
cleanup remain with their existing owners. No active `.new`, `.install`,
`.wwtxn.*`, adjacent `.sepwork`, process, or capture residue is introduced.
The WW-native `ordinary_no_match_uses_go_warning_and_result_suffix` observer
proves both stages; cold/warm reuse; concurrent reverse-requested packages and
ordered per-product markers; exact mid-line rejection; positive, list, and
no-test-files controls; retained publication and direct stderr ownership;
producer-failure precedence; cold/repeated failure; prior-output preservation;
restored reuse; normalized diagnostic parity; retained executable byte identity;
and transaction/output-scratch cleanup. Existing signal, timeout, interruption,
and process-group observers continue to prove those unchanged mechanisms.
This is runtime/coordinator presentation, not a persisted-byte contract. Build
workdir format remains `18`, test workdir format remains `19`, and semantic
storage format remains `3`.
### 11.40 Implemented current-directory default build names
An empty `ww build` package list selects the current directory just as an
explicit `.`, `./`, or equivalent sequence of single-dot components does. For
one command package and no explicit `-o`, the public executable is now named by
the selected directory's final component. The selector is loading syntax; it
is not the literal output pathname. Thus a command built while the current
directory is `tool` publishes `tool`, not `.`, and cold private build artifacts
use `tool.sepwork`, not `..sepwork`.
A non-main current-directory package uses the same corrected cold scratch stem,
but still has no link or public installation action. An explicit `-o`, exact
`-o /dev/null`, an ordinary non-current directory operand, and a contextual
dotted package request keep their established output rules.
#### Pinned Go evidence and fact classification
The sole semantic authority is official Go 1.26.5 at commit
`c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba`:
- `search.CleanPatterns` turns an empty package-pattern list into exactly `.`;
`ImportPathsQuiet` then treats that local pattern as a directory selection
([`cmd/go/internal/search/search.go`, lines 441–480](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/search/search.go#L441-L480)).
- `work.runBuild` loads packages and checks load errors before output planning.
With exactly one loaded `main` package and no `-o`, it selects
`DefaultExecName`
([`cmd/go/internal/work/build.go`, lines 459–478](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/work/build.go#L459-L478)).
- `load.(*Package).exeFromImportPath` takes the final loaded import-path
element, while `DefaultExecName` uses a source basename only for a
command-line-files package
([`cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go`, lines 1727–1769](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/internal/load/pkg.go#L1727-L1769)).
- Official command testdata distinguishes module naming from the manifest-free
GOPATH case and requires bare `go build` to create the directory-named `src`
executable
([`clean_binary.txt`, lines 15–28](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/clean_binary.txt#L15-L28)).
A second manifest-free script changes to `m`, runs bare `go build`, and
requires executable `m`
([`gccgo_m.txt`, lines 4–14](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/gccgo_m.txt#L4-L14));
`build_static.txt` likewise builds and executes the default `hello`
([lines 11–14](https://github.com/golang/go/blob/c19862e5f8415b4f24b189d065ed739517c548ba/src/cmd/go/testdata/script/build_static.txt#L11-L14)).
Those selection, loading, default-name branches and script assertions are
**behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go**. WW has no module
or manifest identity for a literal root, so using the selected local directory
leaf as its already-specified presentation fallback is **behavior derived from
the pinned implementation**. The directory remains loader metadata and does
not become canonical package or import identity.
#### Fresh four-axis audit and direct pre-fix measurements
The bounded audit examined every permanent axis before choosing this build
presentation difference. Both public stages were measured at the same source
paths:
- **Go-like build:** multi-command directory selection without `-o` was already
aligned. For a valid command in directory `a`, however, bare `build`,
`build .`, and `build ./` each exited 1 in both stages with empty stdout and
the same 55 stderr bytes (SHA-256
`2e8030a9eeb7187fbc1cb4ee9d794c352f1c31c92c884f8ae09a57e39bfe86db`):
`ww: build output "." already exists and is a directory`. Explicit `-o`
succeeded and produced byte-identical runnable binaries, proving that only
default presentation was wrong. This was the selected gap.
- **Go-like test:** an ordinary valid zero-match directory run exited 0 in both
stages with identical warning, accounting, and `[no tests to run]` result
bytes. The selected build branch does not enter test product naming,
filtering, capture, execution, result annotation, or retained test output.
- **Go-like package:** a directory containing two selected declared package
names was rejected in both stages with identical diagnostics. The selected
change occurs after package loading and does not alter source eligibility,
declaration checks, package kind, graph nodes, or actions.
- **Go-like import:** a dotted `cyclea -> cycleb -> cyclea` graph was rejected
in both stages with identical cycle diagnostics. The selected change does
not alter spelling, search, visibility, resolution, canonical identity, or
graph edges.
The pre-fix statuses, streams, hashes, diagnostics, artifacts, and runtime
results are **directly measured WW behavior**. The cited implementation and
testdata are **behavior directly implemented or asserted by pinned Go**. The
cross-axis non-effects follow from the bounded post-load output branch and are
**behavior derived from the pinned implementation**.
#### Ownership, final behavior, and preserved boundaries
`cmd/ww.do_build` and `selfhost/cmd/ww.dobuild` are semantic twins and the sole
owners of this rule. Their current-directory predicate accepts only relative
paths whose components are all exactly `.`. Only in that branch do they
canonicalize the selected directory and take its final component for output and
cold scratch presentation. Ordinary literal directory operands retain their
lexical leaf, and contextual roots retain their dotted identity leaf.
Direct post-fix probes through both stages show that bare, dot, and dot-slash
builds exit 0 with empty stdout/stderr, publish mode-executable binaries named
`a`, and produce `a.sepwork` with no `..sepwork`. All six binaries are
byte-identical (SHA-256
`866c1eb875dad271d37572f43fb9d9b0eb6a2344d2e61646e655bb09f7909bf6`).
Their unit, interface, assembly, object, archive, and init artifacts are also
byte-identical between stages and spellings. Current-directory library builds
still publish nothing and link nothing; their unit, interface, assembly,
object, and archive bytes remain stage-identical under `libcurrent.sepwork`.
Loading and source selection precede this branch. A missing dotted import
therefore retains its byte-identical diagnostic and creates neither output nor
scratch. Graph and action construction, compiler/assembler/archiver/linker
semantics, runtime behavior, and artifact content are unchanged. A genuine
directory occupying the derived output still rejects before tools and names
the derived leaf in its diagnostic.
Cold and warm persistent builds retain their existing keys and reuse rules. A
source invalidation reruns producers; an injected compiler failure preserves
the prior executable and committed persistent generation, publishes no stage,
and leaves no `.new`, `.install`, or `.wwtxn.*` residue. Restoring producer
success installs the changed executable. Existing concurrency, interruption,
process-group, rollback, publication, and cleanup owners gain no shared state or
new process path.
The WW-native `current_directory_build_default_output` observer proves both
stages, all three current-directory spellings, executable mode/runtime/byte
parity, explicit and null output controls, non-main non-publication, corrected
cold scratch, missing-import precedence, cold/warm reuse, invalidation,
producer-failure rollback, prior-output preservation, genuine collision, and
residue absence. Existing package/import graph, byte-identity, concurrent
transaction, and interruption observers remain authoritative for mechanisms
this presentation rule does not change.
No persisted-byte contract changed. Build workdir format remains `18`, test
workdir format remains `19`, and semantic storage format remains `3`.
## 12. Candidate architectures and hard-gate decision
Five candidates were developed as coherent systems, not as feature bins.
### 12.1 Candidate A: Go-like integrated language command
One `ww` command would infer directory packages/imports, compile/cache/test them,
and add a small module/lock layer. Native inputs would remain compiler flags or
toolchain conventions. This preserves the strongest part of Go: explicit imports,
fast direct export data, and a short ordinary command
([Go command design](https://go.dev/doc/articles/go_command)). A WW-specific lock
and no-network build could improve on modern Go module behavior.
It still fails as an end-to-end native design. A source-only graph cannot name
host generators, C header trees, archive order, linker scripts, CRT, SDK, or
sysroot. Ambient compiler-driver and `pkg-config` behavior would remain outside
the key, and the build/host/target triad would be incomplete. Adding typed native
actions, complete toolchains, and content records turns it into Candidate E.
### 12.2 Candidate B: Hare/Odin-style local source plus an outer build tool
WW would use search roots and directory modules, with source vendored or supplied
by an OS package manager; Make-like orchestration would own native work. This is
small locally and avoids a language-owned network resolver. Hare 0.26.0 (released
2026-02-13) is a useful reference: directory modules, direct textual export data,
`HAREPATH`, explicit system-library flags, and cross-architecture tooling are
documented in its official manuals
([modules](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/modules.html),
[project structure](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/project-structure.html),
[system libraries](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/system-libraries.html),
[cross compilation](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/cross.html)). Odin's
named collections are a related local-source convention
([Odin overview](https://odin-lang.org/docs/overview/)).
As a complete WW system it fails: ordered search roots are selection policy
without locked source identity; ordinary outer recipes expose ambient tools,
environment, and mtimes; language and native graphs/caches cannot jointly explain
invalidation; and cross sysroots/ABI providers remain project conventions. Making
the outer tool hermetic and content-addressed yields Candidate C, not this model.
### 12.3 Candidate C: two-layer Plan 9-style builder and orchestrator
A strict package builder would compile an import graph. A separate small
declarative DAG tool would own generators, C/assembly, images, archives, and
links. With content records, pinned tools, sandboxing, and an exact handoff this
can pass every hard gate. It reflects `mk`'s valuable complete-graph/parallel-tool
shape without copying its mtime and ambient-environment assumptions.
It loses after the gates because the boundary creates two graph protocols, two
selection UIs, two explanation namespaces, and either duplicate scheduling/cache
logic or a coarse “build all packages” action. Ordinary native projects must know
when to invoke each layer. If both front ends lower into one shared scheduler and
cache, and `ww` owns the ordinary invocation, the result is the smaller Candidate
E. Keeping the second production tool after that offers no remaining orthogonal
concept.
### 12.4 Candidate D: Zig/Cargo-like programmable integrated project
A manifest would define artifacts and dependencies while a host-executed program
constructs a flexible native graph. This handles more native cases than a
language-only command. Zig 0.16.0, pinned here to its 2026-04-13 release metadata,
provides explicit target/native concepts, hashed package sources, local
dependency overrides, and generated-file graph edges
([download metadata](https://ziglang.org/download/index.json),
[0.16.0 reference](https://ziglang.org/documentation/0.16.0/),
[build system](https://ziglang.org/learn/build-system/)). Cargo 1.97.1, shipped
with Rust 1.97.1 on 2026-07-16, provides exact package IDs, workspaces, lock
checksums, resolver rules, and native `links` collision handling
([Cargo reference](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/),
[resolver](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/resolver.html)).
Zig's build program and Cargo's `build.rs` execute to decide or report build
behavior; Cargo explicitly
documents build-script inputs/outputs and its fingerprint cache
([build scripts](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/build-scripts.html),
[build cache](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/build-cache.html)). Those
reference systems as shipped do not meet WW's complete native/toolchain hard
gates.
The strongest coherent D is not left as a straw man: it content-identifies the
graph program and host compiler/runtime, declares its whole readable source/tool
closure, runs it in the denied-by-default sandbox with no network, and requires
it to emit a closed typed graph before artifact execution. That hardened model
can pass every gate. It still loses afterward: WW must permanently ship/secure/
bootstrap an evaluator API and host build-program toolchain, users debug both
program execution and its emitted graph, dependencies expose framework APIs, and
routine exceptions accumulate as library features. Finite records buy the same
WW requirements with less user and implementation machinery.
### 12.5 Candidate E: hermetic integrated action build — selected
Candidate E retains the Go-like ordinary UX and import-derived language graph,
then adds only the native/action facts that imports cannot express. Both lower
to one typed graph and content cache. It borrows declared tools/inputs and action
results from Bazel's hermetic/remote-execution model, and transparent
content-derived build records from Nix derivations, without adopting either
framework, evaluator, daemon topology, or user interface
([Bazel hermeticity](https://bazel.build/versions/9.2.0/basics/hermeticity),
[Bazel remote caching](https://bazel.build/remote/caching),
[remote execution protocol](https://github.com/bazelbuild/remote-apis/blob/master/build/bazel/remote/execution/v2/remote_execution.proto),
[Nix derivations](https://nix.dev/manual/nix/2.35/store/derivation/)).
It passes every hard gate and is selected. Its concepts are exactly package,
module/source selection, product/action, toolchain/target, artifact/digest, and
native provider/link plan. There is one graph, one scheduler, one cache key, one
explanation path, and one ordinary command.
### 12.6 Hard-gate matrix
Legend: **pass** means the strongest coherent form has a credible end-to-end
invariant; **fail** means it does not. D denotes the hardened evaluator above,
not unmodified Zig/Cargo behavior.
| Hard gate | A: Go-like | B: local + outer | C: two layer | D: programmable | E: action build |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| complete inspectable dependency DAG | fail for native work | fail across tools | pass | pass after sandboxed evaluation | **pass** |
| loud cycles/identity collisions | pass for packages; native incomplete | search shadowing fails identity | pass | pass | **pass** |
| frozen offline source closure | pass with proposed lock | vendoring can pass | pass | pass | **pass** |
| correct cache invalidation | fail for native/tool defaults | fail across mtime/outer recipes | pass | pass | **pass** |
| compiler/linker/runtime/toolchain identity | requires the E native layer | fail | pass | pass | **pass** |
| explicit B/H/T | fail | fail | pass | pass | **pass** |
| correct native dependency/link modeling | fail | fail | pass | pass | **pass** |
| deterministic package selection | pass | fail under search roots | pass | pass with lock | **pass** |
| reproducible artifacts/boundary | fail for native closure | fail | pass | pass with evaluator certification | **pass** |
| bounded bootstrap | pass with a seed | pass with enumerated seed/tools | pass | pass, larger evaluator TCB | **pass** |
| explain cache miss/rebuild | fail | fail | pass across two namespaces | pass across evaluation + graph | **pass** |
| one simple ordinary path | pass | two commands/configurations | two production layers | pass by convention | **pass** |
| no build/test network or mutation | pass if changed from Go defaults | outer recipes cannot guarantee | pass | pass | **pass** |
C, hardened D, and E survive the gates. E wins the requested post-gate
comparison:
| Criterion | C: two layer | D: hardened evaluator | E: selected |
|---|---|---|---|
| conceptual simplicity | two graph/handoff models | evaluator language/API plus emitted graph | one graph protocol; two finite descriptions |
| daily usability | user chooses builder/orchestrator | ordinary defaults can hide evaluator, exceptions cannot | `ww build/test/run` always |
| clean speed | parallel orchestration can match | evaluation overhead, then parallel graph | direct complete template plus parallel actions |
| incremental speed | cross-tool handoff may be coarse | evaluator must rerun/cache its own dependencies | direct exports, lazy content keys, cached link |
| rebuild blast radius | good only with API digests across handoff | can be good after evaluation | public-output digest propagation is intrinsic |
| cross-compilation | orchestrator can model it | rich API can model it | roles are built into every typed record |
| FFI/native honesty | outer layer owns it separately | API can express it | same provider/link records as package objects |
| implementation maintenance | two adapters/engines or coarse boundary | evaluator, SDK compatibility, sandbox, graph engine | one scheduler/store/adapter set |
| supply-chain security | two policy surfaces | dependency host code remains an evaluator input | one lock/source/action trust model |
| ecosystem scalability | two tool ecosystems | framework/API accumulation pressure | closed schemas version only for demonstrated facts |
| debugging/observability | two explanation namespaces | debug program, evaluator cache, then graph | one causal graph/record diff |
| bootstrap longevity | small outer interpreter possible | compiler/runtime/evaluator enter seed chain | fixed seed plan; no production evaluator |
### 12.7 Why each subsystem is in or out of the core
Package parsing/resolution and export data belong in the core because only the
compiler can state the true language graph and public ABI. Module selection and
lock verification belong beside it because an import identity must resolve to
one deterministic source before compilation. The typed action engine, target
descriptors, native providers, and toolchain closure belong in the core because
they share invalidation and link correctness with package objects. Test/doc/
install are thin product selections/materializations over that same graph.
Network transport remains a separate operation, though exposed by `ww`, because
fetching is not building. Credential policy, OS package installation, registry
hosting, signing authority, remote execution, deployment, and general release
automation stay outside. The finite `generate` action is the boundary: it lets
outer domain tools transform declared artifacts without turning WW into their
framework.
## 13. Migration plan
Migration cost does not affect the decision. It is nevertheless material: the
current directly implicated scaffolding is at least 7,969 lines across the
Makefile, two drivers, two interface writers, package coordinator, and test
wrapper, plus 4,728 lines in the focused separate-build/package/byte-identity/
driver tests counted for this audit. Compiler export/import logic, new native
adapters, and bootstrap work add new scope not represented by those deletion
counts.
The planning estimate is **15–22 engineer-months** for the first production
Linux/amd64 toolchain, including tests, migration, and deletion, plus **1–2
engineer-months per materially different additional official target/sysroot**.
This is an estimate for staffing and sequencing, not a reason to retain a weaker
architecture.
Every phase below ends in a bisect-clean commit. Experimental components are not
installed as a second user-facing build path. Until the point of no return, the
old command remains the only production path; after it, the new command is the
only path.
### Phase 0 — conformance corpus and protocol freeze
- Land the compact checked-in `protocol/schema/` modules for WWAR framing,
record/enum/union/default/kind assignments, wrappers, and finite digest byte
formulas. Freeze the exact schema-file digests. Preserve representation-only
preimage records without embedding the algorithms that construct them.
- Generate data-only codec tables deterministically. Keep one schema-aware
reference codec and a second independent oracle limited to raw WWAR framing,
hashing, and record identity; neither may implement future compiler or build
behavior.
- Gate: strict duplicate-key UTF-8/NFC schema loading, byte-identical generation
in separate fresh directories, compact valid/invalid vectors, all assignment
coverage, stable malformed-length precedence, domain separation, action-key
vectors, and record-kind substitution rejection. No production behavior
changes beyond adding this conformance gate.
- Package/API, graph/cache, native B/H/T, and bootstrap measurements remain useful
fixtures, but become tests in Phases 1, 2, 4, and 6 respectively. They are not
Phase 0 semantic answer tables.
### Phase 1 — compiler export and package protocol
- Implement deterministic `.wwe`/`.wwlm` writing and direct-interface reading in
Cstage and self-hosted compiler paths behind test-only entry points.
- Add package identity/alias syntax, strict directory enumeration, compiler
import extraction, target suffix selection, cycle/collision/internal checks,
and protocol compatibility diagnostics.
- Construct and test the deep public type closure and public type/ABI digest
preimages in compiler code with existing standard-library graphs. Reject
`.wwi` input in the experimental path; do not translate it.
- Gate: Cstage/WWstage emit byte-identical vectors, importers open only direct
export files, and API propagation stops on unchanged middle exports.
### Phase 2 — one action engine and local CAS
- Integrate the frozen WWAR codec into production code and implement typed pure
action-record/key functions, the action graph, lazy keys, scheduler, atomic
CAS/results, project index, corruption quarantine, graph JSON, environment and
sandbox policy, deterministic failure behavior, and causal explanation.
- Add deterministic package/archive/link adapters using the existing compiler,
assembler, and linker as explicitly hashed tools. This is a temporary adapter,
not a compatibility promise.
- Keep the engine under an internal test binary; the installed `ww` still follows
the old production path.
- Gate: all action-input mutation and failure-injection tests pass; identical warm
builds execute no compiler, assembler, archiver, or linker.
### Phase 3 — module, lock, source, and workspace layer
- Implement the manifest, lock, work, and vendor text parsers as ordinary typed
parser code, then implement the closed grammar, monotonic selector, canonical
lock,
HTTPS source-index/archive protocol, immutable source store, signatures,
explicit add/update/lock/fetch, overlays, vendor index, and canonical
source-tree construction. The schema fixes only the resulting record bytes and
source-tree digest formula.
- Build/test/doc/install remain network-denied from their first experimental use.
- Gate: frozen offline builds work from project source + complete locked source
closure + lock + installed named toolchain; collision/downgrade/hash/
path-normalization attacks fail loudly.
### Phase 4 — native, target, and external toolchain closure
- Implement full target descriptors, B/H/T lowering, C/assembly/native-provider
records, recursive provider selection/expansion, generated actions/sandbox,
object sidecars, exact link-plan construction, sysroot,
libc/CRT/loader/SDK/runtime, shared-library installation, and freestanding
products.
- Package supported assembler/linker/archive/C tools as immutable external
closures. Implement an external-assembler-compatible textual emission backend,
then have the pinned assembler produce `package.o` inside `ww.package`; port all WW/Plan-9-dialect
runtime and user assembly to a declared supported external dialect, and pass
object/link parity. An argv adapter alone cannot consume current `w6a` syntax.
Stop relying on WW-owned `w6a`/`w6l` before the experimental gate passes.
- Gate: native conflict, archive group/order, linker-script include, host leak,
freestanding, shared loader, and at least one real cross-target suite pass.
### Phase 5 — repository and consumer conversion rehearsal
- Define the final identity/layout conversion in a one-shot checker/rewriter under
`tools/migrate-build/`: folded files become directory packages; aliases,
manifests, native providers, products, generated inputs, and locks are emitted.
It is not an import resolver or runtime compatibility layer.
- Until cutover, CI applies that tool to a fresh ignored shadow tree. Tracked
production source stays in old syntax, so the old command remains its only
production path; the shadow is regenerated, never a second maintained source
tree or shipped interface.
- Dogfood the internal engine on the converted shadow of the standard library,
compiler tools, tests, examples, install layout, CI/package inputs, and sample
downstream consumers. Compare semantics, diagnostics, performance, artifacts
where protocols permit, and complete graph explanations.
- Gate: the regenerated full shadow, distribution/frozen-offline build,
self-contained installed toolchain outside the build tree, downstream samples,
and bootstrap inputs pass without an old-format edge.
### Phase 6 — new bootstrap and reproducible release
- Implement/gate the portable C recovery backend and snapshot generator, then
generate/check in `bootstrap/ww0.c` and the fixed plan. Produce stages 1/2/3/4,
rebuild stages with the executable engine, compare the actual bytes of every
declared output directly, and produce fixed-point and diverse-seed-compilation
reports, signed toolchain bundles, and recovery documentation on a clean
machine with no WW compiler.
- Gate: stage 2 equals stage 3 and stage 3 equals stage 4 by explicit
byte-for-byte comparison, including raw action/result records, in two
roots/concurrency levels; project plus complete
locked source closure and published named tool closure reproduce every release
artifact.
### Phase 7 — point of no return and deletion
In one atomic, bisect-clean cutover commit:
1. install the new engine as `ww` and make it the sole build/test/bootstrap path;
2. switch repository imports, manifests, locks, toolchains, CI, installation,
and release jobs to their final forms;
3. delete both old drivers, both `.wwi` writers, driver-side `.wwi` concatenation,
composed-unit/module-wrapper logic, generic C/self-hosted lexer/parser/checker/
symbol/codegen support for module directives, `-w`,
old import search/file folding, separate test coordinator,
duplicated production Make dependency graph, current Cstage bootstrap, and
retired owned assembler/linker path; and
4. delete the migration rewriter after all supported consumers have used its
released standalone copy; keep only a format-error guide.
The commit does not accept old `.wwi`, dotted/file imports, `-I`, `-w`, raw
library searches, or old work directories. No alias, warning period inside the
compiler, environment switch, or fallback subprocess retains a dual system.
### Phase 8 — consolidation
- Remove temporary parity fixtures that test deleted artifact bytes while
retaining semantic, action-key, reproducibility, and bootstrap regression
tests.
- Publish migration statistics and archive the old documentation as historical
release material outside the live manual.
- Gate: repository search and executable tracing show one graph constructor, one
package resolver, one cache, one test route, and one bootstrap route.
## 14. Validation plan and release gates
### 14.1 Unit and format tests
- Phase 0 has golden and adversarial vectors only for WWAR representation,
source-tree digest bytes, action-key/record identity formulas, typed record
assignments, wrappers, and canonical schema JSON.
- Phase 0 tests UTF-8/NFC, duplicate schema keys, unknown wire type/schema field,
oversized declarations, truncation, exact-length mismatch, union shape, and
record-kind substitution. Case-fold collision, traversal, symlink/device,
cache collision/corruption, and semantic record tests land with their owning
executable phases.
- Phases 1–4 add behavior tests for CAS tree/result objects, `.wwe`, `.wwlm`,
manifest/lock/work/vendor parsing, and target/toolchain/native processing;
these are not encoded as Phase 0 vector outcomes.
- Resolver vectors for minimum selection, incompatible-major identities,
workspace identity preservation, source origin independence, vendor matching,
internal packages, aliases, nested module/root-versus-parent-subpackage
identity collisions (including `/vN`), cycles, and target source specificity.
### 14.2 Package/interface tests
- One- and multi-file directory membership, file-scoped import use, same/external
tests, test-only packages, examples/docs, and generated fragments with import/
package rejection.
- Direct dependency interface-open counts equal package-graph indegree, never
transitive closure size.
- Private dependency edits preserve importer keys; exported but unused additions
rebuild direct importers; unchanged middle `.wwe` stops propagation; layout,
calling-convention, runtime ABI, compiler, target, and profile changes rebuild
the exact affected cone.
- Parameter renames, comments, private declaration ordering, and absolute source
paths do not change `.wwe`; semantic/ABI changes do.
### 14.3 Native and link tests
- C scalar/aggregate/variadic/callback/TLS/unwind ABI probes against an
independently compiled C harness for every official target.
- Binding generation changes on header tree, macro map, preprocessor, tool, C
ABI, and target; undeclared include access is denied.
- Assembly dialect/CPU mismatch, wrong-format objects, PIC/shared rules, archive
extraction order, repeated libraries, groups, whole archive, weak/strong
symbols, version scripts, linker-script includes, and deterministic archives.
- Exactly-one libc/runtime/provider enforcement; identical coalescing; duplicate
native ABI/symbol conflict; shared SONAME/loader/runtime installation closure;
freestanding entry/script with proof that no libc/CRT/loader appears.
### 14.4 Cross and sandbox tests
- Matrix with `B != H`, compiler product `H != T`, and all three distinct where
infrastructure permits. A B generator emits an H input; an H binary is never
executed during build; T objects never enter the H link.
- Poison host `PATH`, includes, libraries, SDK, locale, time, home, current
directory, and environment. Every attempted undeclared read/write/network/
process/tool access fails with its action identity.
- Cross tests build without a runner, run only with an exact declared runner,
and fail under `--require-run` when none exists.
### 14.5 Cache and failure injection
- Change each field in section 6.2 individually and require a key change; change
each expressly non-semantic observation and require no key change.
- Bit-flip blobs, trees, results, action mappings, tools, export data, objects,
and partial files at every publication boundary. Require quarantine/rebuild,
never acceptance or broad deletion.
- Concurrent identical publishers, killed compiler/linker, disk full, rename
failure, read-only output, interrupted materialization, stale project index,
malicious remote mapping, bad cache signature, and remote outage.
- Clean, local-hit, explicit remote-import, and no-cache builds must yield the
same result digests. Test executions still run.
### 14.6 Reproducibility and bootstrap
- Compare every artifact/action record across two absolute checkouts, source/
cache/output roots, usernames, locales, time zones, umasks, concurrency levels,
filesystem enumeration orders, and cold/warm caches.
- Verify debug/release, static/shared, hosted/freestanding, generated/native, and
signed/unsigned products. Impure profiles must state exactly why they are
outside the byte promise and must never enter shared cache.
- Build `ww0` with each supported host C toolchain, reach stages 2/3/4, run the
semantic then raw-record fixed point and diverse seed compilation, corrupt each stage input, and recover on a host
with no WW installation.
### 14.7 Performance and migration gates
On the audit's fixed eight-CPU reference host, the first release MUST:
- run package compilation in parallel and complete the full clean toolchain
build no slower than the measured 15.515 s `make -j8` baseline;
- perform a warm 15-package build with no compiler, assembler, archiver, or
linker process and no slower than the measured 0.053 s driver baseline;
- read only direct exports and avoid composed-unit duplication;
- store one CAS copy of duplicate tool/package content across all products;
- produce fully path-independent official artifacts, including host-side tools;
and
- provide a typed explanation for every deliberately induced rebuild.
Before cutover, every tracked current package/test/install/bootstrap consumer has
an assigned new identity and a passing converted test. The cutover gate includes
a repository-wide search for old forms and executable traces proving no old
driver, interface, workdir, library search, or test-coordinator path executes.
## 15. Evidence appendix
### 15.1 Research method and version pins
Research used official documentation, standards/manuals, release metadata, and
current upstream source—not comparison articles or community summaries. The
evolving-system snapshot was taken 2026-08-09:
| System | Pinned snapshot used |
|---|---|
| Plan 9 | live official `9p.io` Volume 2 documents, accessed 2026-08-09; pages are not versioned/dated editions |
| Go | online docs accessed 2026-08-09; Go 1.26.5 `go1.26.5` source tag |
| Hare | online docs accessed 2026-08-09; Hare 0.26.0 source, released 2026-02-13 |
| Odin | online docs accessed 2026-08-09; `dev-2026-07a`, commit `819fdc7a80667498b8b365999f1475a66c358640` |
| Zig | Zig 0.16.0, official metadata release date 2026-04-13; source archive SHA-256 `43186959edc87d5c7a1be7b7d2a25efffd22ce5807c7af99067f86f99641bfdf` |
| Rust/Cargo | Rust/Cargo 1.97.1, released 2026-07-16; Cargo `0.98.0` commit `c980f4866141969fab6254a680546a277789d6f0` |
| Bazel | Bazel 9.2.0 documentation/source |
| Nix | Nix 2.35.2 manual/source |
Zig's separate bootstrap-source archive inspected for this decision had SHA-256
`2a8266a4205772ef40838c8cbdf14875855a515ff3adf89b49c2d2ae93613d10`.
These pins matter because programmable-build and package behavior changes between
releases; this document does not generalize an old Zig/Cargo observation to an
unidentified current version.
### 15.2 Primary-source findings
**Pike, Plan 9, and early Go.** Pike's sources support explicit computable
imports, cycle rejection, direct compiled export information, fast compilation,
and orthogonal concepts. The collective Plan 9 papers add system-wide placement
of complexity and transparent encodings. Plan 9's namespace papers demonstrate
contextual filesystem composition; this document infers that contextual location
must not serve as WW's versioned distribution identity. `mk` shows complete graph scheduling while still relying
on timestamps, recipes, and environment. The architecture borrows the former
principles and replaces the latter ambient assumptions.
- [The Go Programming Language, 2009](https://go.dev/talks/2009/go_talk-20091030.pdf)
- [Go at Google: Language Design in the Service of Software Engineering, 2012](https://go.dev/talks/2012/splash.article)
- [Simplicity is Complicated, 2015](https://go.dev/talks/2015/simplicity-is-complicated.slide)
- [Go in Go, 2015](https://go.dev/talks/2015/gogo.slide)
- [Plan 9 overview](https://9p.io/sys/doc/9.html)
- [The Use of Name Spaces in Plan 9](https://9p.io/sys/doc/names.html)
- [Maintaining Files on Plan 9 with Mk](https://9p.io/sys/doc/mk.html)
- [Plan 9 Mkfiles](https://9p.io/sys/doc/mkfiles.html)
- [Plan 9 compiler suite](https://9p.io/sys/doc/comp.html)
**Later Go.** The original Go command demonstrates source-derived package DAGs,
directory conventions, and compiler-owned dependency work. The modern module
reference documents module identity, Minimal Version Selection, major-version
paths, checksums, and commands that may resolve/download modules. Current command
and source-install documents also separate build cache/toolchain/bootstrap
behavior. These are evidence, not automatic WW defaults; in particular WW uses
an exact lock and forbids implicit build-time acquisition.
- [About the Go command](https://go.dev/doc/articles/go_command)
- [Go module reference](https://go.dev/ref/mod)
- [`go` command reference](https://go.dev/cmd/go/)
- [Go toolchain selection](https://go.dev/doc/toolchain)
- [Installing Go from source](https://go.dev/doc/install/source)
- [Perfectly Reproducible, Verified Go Toolchains](https://go.dev/blog/rebuild)
- [Go's supply-chain security](https://go.dev/blog/supply-chain)
- [`go1.26.5` source](https://go.googlesource.com/go/+/refs/tags/go1.26.5/)
**Local-source systems.** Hare demonstrates how far a disciplined directory
module/search-root system can go with little package machinery; its documented
system-library and cross interfaces also expose why raw host paths and tool
defaults are insufficient for WW's hard gates. Odin's collections reinforce the
local namespace option but do not add a locked whole native closure.
- [Hare modules](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/modules.html)
- [Hare project structure](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/project-structure.html)
- [Hare system libraries](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/system-libraries.html)
- [Hare cross compilation](https://harelang.org/documentation/usage/cross.html)
- [Hare 0.26.0 source](https://git.sr.ht/~sircmpwn/hare/tree/0.26.0)
- [Odin overview](https://odin-lang.org/docs/overview/)
- [Odin pinned source](https://github.com/odin-lang/Odin/tree/819fdc7a80667498b8b365999f1475a66c358640)
**Integrated project systems.** Zig supplies useful target/native vocabulary,
source hashes, local aliases, declared generated-file edges, and cross-building.
Cargo supplies package IDs, exact lock checksums, workspace behavior, resolver
documentation, and a native `links` uniqueness rule. Their programmable build
program/script model is deliberately rejected; a dependency host program is a
larger and less inspectable abstraction than WW's finite action record.
- [Zig build system](https://ziglang.org/learn/build-system/)
- [Zig overview](https://ziglang.org/learn/overview/)
- [Zig 0.16.0 language reference](https://ziglang.org/documentation/0.16.0/)
- [Zig release metadata](https://ziglang.org/download/index.json)
- [Zig 0.16.0 source](https://github.com/ziglang/zig/tree/0.16.0)
- [Cargo 1.97.1 reference](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/)
- [Cargo current reference entry](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/)
- [Cargo 1.97.1 resolver](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/resolver.html)
- [Cargo current resolver entry](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/resolver.html)
- [Cargo 1.97.1 build scripts](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/build-scripts.html)
- [Cargo current build-script entry](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/build-scripts.html)
- [Cargo 1.97.1 build cache](https://doc.rust-lang.org/1.97.1/cargo/reference/build-cache.html)
- [Cargo current build-cache entry](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/build-cache.html)
- [Cargo pinned source](https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/tree/c980f4866141969fab6254a680546a277789d6f0)
**Hermetic invariants.** Bazel defines useful distinctions between declared
actions, execution platforms, action results, and content-addressed remote data.
Nix derivations demonstrate an inspectable build record whose output depends on
declared inputs. WW borrows those invariants only. It rejects Bazel's general
rule/ecosystem machinery and Nix's evaluator/store-as-package-manager as excess
for one language toolchain.
- [Bazel current hermeticity entry](https://bazel.build/concepts/hermeticity)
- [Bazel 9.2.0 hermeticity](https://bazel.build/versions/9.2.0/basics/hermeticity)
- [Bazel remote caching](https://bazel.build/remote/caching)
- [Remote Execution API](https://github.com/bazelbuild/remote-apis/blob/master/build/bazel/remote/execution/v2/remote_execution.proto)
- [Bazel 9.2.0 source](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/tree/9.2.0)
- [Nix current derivation entry](https://nix.dev/manual/nix/latest/store/derivation/)
- [Nix 2.35 derivations](https://nix.dev/manual/nix/2.35/store/derivation/)
- [Nix build process](https://nix.dev/manual/nix/2.35/store/building.html)
- [Nix 2.35.2 source](https://github.com/NixOS/nix/tree/2.35.2)
**Native and reproducible toolchains.** LLVM and Clang define data-layout and
cross/toolchain choices that must be explicit for ABI-correct code. GNU manuals
document build/host/target vocabulary and semantic linker/archive/script
behavior. The reproducible-builds definition supplies the correct boundary:
same source, environment, instructions, and dependencies—not merely “same
compiler source.”
- [LLVM language-reference data layout](https://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html#data-layout)
- [Clang cross compilation](https://clang.llvm.org/docs/CrossCompilation.html)
- [Clang toolchain](https://clang.llvm.org/docs/Toolchain.html)
- [Autoconf target triplets](https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/manual/autoconf-2.71/html_node/Specifying-Target-Triplets.html)
- [GCC language standards/runtime implications](https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Standards.html)
- [GCC link options](https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Link-Options.html)
- [GNU linker](https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/ld.html) and [linker scripts](https://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/ld/Scripts.html)
- [Reproducible Builds definition](https://reproducible-builds.org/docs/definition/)
### 15.3 Repository and empirical evidence record
The source audit covered the Makefile; C and self-hosted drivers; compiler entry
and both interface writers; package/test coordinator; language and test specs;
bootstrap documents/recipes; and package, separate-compilation, incremental,
byte-identity, and bootstrap tests. The audit found documentation drift as well
as code defects: the root instructions count five unit suites while Make lists
six, and the test-system document describes three pinned data byte divergences
while the current Make divergence list is empty. Neither drift item influences
the architecture, but both require cleanup during migration.
Raw commands, timings, traces, hashes, fixture logs, environment capture, and
interpretation for section 11.4 are retained in the session checkpoint under
`empirical/RESULTS.md` and `empirical/raw/`. The experiments were deliberately
small and answered only material uncertainties: actual process scheduling,
direct versus transitive interface consumption, private/public/link-only blast
radius, nonzero corruption, path identity, Cstage/WWstage symmetry, duplicate
storage, and hidden-host execution. No toy result is treated as proof that the
new architecture is complete; sections 13–14 turn each inference into a gate.
### 15.4 Assumptions
- Breaking import syntax, package layout, compiler flags, cache/workdir format,
bootstrap artifacts, and consumer builds is authorized.
- WW can add explicit C ABI/representation annotations and change its compiler
export protocol without preserving `.wwi` compatibility.
- Official releases can distribute or name legally usable immutable tool,
sysroot, runtime, and SDK closures for each supported target.
- SHA-256 is the version-1 content primitive; every format is domain-separated
and versioned so a future digest transition can be explicit.
- A first release may support fewer frozen targets than impure development
targets; it may not call an impure target “hermetic.”
- Byte reproducibility covers build artifacts, not identical behavior of an
external kernel, firmware, network service, or hardware.
### 15.5 Remaining risks and bounded experiments
These experiments are implementation gates inside the selected architecture;
they do not reopen its package identity, no-script, one-graph, lock/network,
direct-export, content-key, native-provider, or stage-zero choices.
1. **Deep `.wwe` closure.** Prototype the real standard-library type graph and
prove that one direct export file contains every transitive layout/type fact
required without leaking non-semantic source data. Adjust record layout, not
direct-dependency semantics.
2. **Generated C seed.** Measure generated `ww0.c` size, C99 portability, host-C
variance, and fixed-point convergence on at least three unrelated C
implementations. Restrict/repair the recovery emitter rather than introducing
a second maintained compiler or opaque-permanent binary seed.
3. **External linker/tool bundles.** Certify deterministic debug info, build ID,
archives, scripts, shared-loader metadata, redistribution rights, and resource
closure. Change tool adapters/bundle membership if needed; do not restore
ambient driver defaults.
4. **Sandbox portability.** Implement denial conformance on every official B
platform, including process children, filesystem race/symlink attacks, clock,
randomness, and network namespaces. A platform that cannot enforce it remains
non-frozen rather than gaining an undeclared exception.
5. **Native-provider coverage.** Exercise ELF first, then Mach-O frameworks/SDKs,
PE/COFF import libraries, symbol versioning, and kernel image builders. Extend
the closed typed schema by version where genuinely required; do not add raw
search or a general build language.
6. **Registry/private-source protocol.** Test mirror failover, redirects,
credential isolation, key rotation, provenance, yanked releases, and malicious
archives. Vendored/exact-origin operation remains the deterministic fallback.
7. **Performance.** Validate compiler worker strategy and CAS hashing against the
measured 15-package/full-toolchain budgets. Process topology may change while
action boundaries and keys remain fixed.
### 15.6 Final decision trace
The documented Pike evidence shapes the design: computable direct dependencies,
fast compilation, cycle rejection, package boundaries, and orthogonal concepts;
the collective Plan 9 papers add transparent encodings and system-wide placement
of complexity. Later Go work demonstrates one possible module/cache/toolchain
evolution but does not decide WW's answer. This document then applies those
principles to requirements early Go's package/build model did not expose
completely: foreign ABI contracts, C headers, external assembly and objects,
archive/link ordering, linker scripts, CRT/libc/sysroot identity, host generators,
and explicit build/host/target closures.
The resulting binding conclusion is singular: **replace the current system with
WW Action Build exactly as specified above**. Do not preserve the old path, and
do not substitute a programmable project framework or a source-only package
command during implementation.
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