Terminology

Terms used throughout the specification. Each entry is a pointer to the section that owns the full rule, not a second definition of it.

Core concepts

Facet

A named, versioned collection of assets: skills, agents, commands, and MCP servers.

Facet manifest

facet.json, a facet’s own identity and contents.

Project manifest

facets.json, what a consuming project depends on.

Lockfile

facets.lock, what those dependencies resolved to.

Facet archive

The .facet artifact, the transport form between publish and install.

Adapter

The layer between a facet’s contributions and one tool’s conventions.

Assets

Skill

skills/<name>/SKILL.md plus optional companions.

Agent

agents/<name>.md

Command

commands/<name>.md

MCP server

A keyed entry inside tool-owned configuration.

Term	Definition	Reference
Asset	One versioned contribution a facet ships.	The facet artifact
Text asset	A skill, agent, or command, materialized as files.	Text assets
MCP server declaration	Portable connection information: the one asset type that is not a text asset.	Declarations
Composed facet	A facet another facet declares as a dependency, not an asset.	Fields

Files

Term	Definition	Reference
Supplementary file	A declared non-asset file that ships in the archive.	Supplementary files
Companion file	A per-skill supplementary file that materializes with its skill.	Supplementary files
Archive-only file	A top-level supplementary file that never lands on disk.	Boundaries

Identity and names

Term	Definition	Reference
Facet identity	An unscoped slug or a scoped `@scope/slug`.	Facet name grammar
Authored name	The name the publisher declared, which anchors every hash.	Two identities
Effective name	The name a contribution is materialized under.	Two identities
Version specifier	An exact version, wildcard, or `latest`. Ranges are rejected.	Source grammar
Source kinds	`registry`, `git`, or `local`.	Source grammar
Immutability	A published name and version never changes.	Immutability

Integrity

Term	Definition	Reference
Canonical fingerprint	SHA-256 of the uncompressed inner tar, the trust anchor.	Two hashes
Transport hash	SHA-256 of the uploaded bytes, a download check only.	Two hashes
Canonical declaration fingerprint	The semantic identity of one MCP declaration.	Fingerprint
Build manifest	The integrity claim and per-entry hash map inside the archive.	Outer layer
Integrity confirmation	The registry check required when a lockfile entry is written.	Obligations

Materialization

Term	Definition	Reference
Disposition	`authored`, `aliased`, or `omitted`.	Dispositions
Override	Recorded `aliased` or `omitted` intent in `facets.json`.	Recording intent
Namespace	The space text asset types compete for names in.	Namespaces
Collision group	Two or more contributions claiming one identity.	Collisions
Claimant	One member of a collision group.	Collisions
Stale override	An override naming something the resolved version dropped.	Stale overrides

Install

Term	Definition	Reference
Desired set	Everything the project should have after this operation.	Ordering
Ownership record	Machine-local evidence of what was materialized, and the only authority for deletion.	Ownership
Tracked	An identity the ownership record covers.	Ownership
Untracked destination	A desired identity occupied by state nothing owns.	Untracked destinations
Declaration consent	Machine-local approval required before configuring a server.	MCP configuration
Frozen mode	Reproduce the lockfile exactly, never prompt, never write it.	Frozen lockfile

Authoring and publishing

Term	Definition	Reference
Build	Producing the canonical archive from a source tree.	Build
Publish	Verifying that archive and uploading it.	Publish
Content drift	Same name and version, different content.	Drift
Identity drift	A different name or version.	Drift
Review queue	A publish accepted but held for approval, which is a success.	Review queue
Server-only facet	A facet whose only assets are one or more server declarations.	Declarations

Overview

Project State

Facet Artifact

Installation

Authoring

Core concepts

Facet

Facet manifest

Project manifest

Lockfile

Facet archive

Adapter

Assets

Skill

Agent

Command

MCP server

Files

Identity and names

Integrity

Materialization

Install

Authoring and publishing

​Core concepts

Facet

Facet manifest

Project manifest

Lockfile

Facet archive

Adapter

​Assets

Skill

Agent

Command

MCP server

​Files

​Identity and names

​Integrity

​Materialization

​Install

​Authoring and publishing

Core concepts

Assets

Files

Identity and names

Integrity

Materialization

Install

Authoring and publishing