SMALL Specification
SMALL defines a state protocol for agent-legible systems through five core primitives.
Normative Scope
SMALL v1.0.0 is the stable single-writer profile. SMALL v2.0.0 is the separately versioned session profile: solo by default, collaborative only after an explicit mode transition.
Any system claiming SMALL compatibility must:
- Declare the exact supported protocol profile
- Enforce v1 single-writer or v2 session/mode invariants
- Require explicit intent artifacts
- Record execution outcomes deterministically
- Reject implicit or background execution
Features not defined in this specification are not part of SMALL.
The Five Primitives
- Schema - What is allowed
- Manifest - What is intended
- Artifact - What exists
- Lineage - Where it came from
- Lifecycle - What happened and what may happen next
Reference Material
- Docs: Primitive Specification v1 ->
Complete technical definition of Schema, Manifest, Artifact, Lineage, and Lifecycle primitives.
- Playground: Validate Manifests ->
Interactive environment to test manifest validation and observe lineage/lifecycle generation.
- Docs: Session Profile v2 ->
Solo and collaborative modes, immutable events, reconciliation, migration, and evidence rules.
Normative vs Informative
SMALL documentation is divided into normative and informative content:
- Normative: /compliance defines binding requirements. MUST/MUST NOT language is enforceable.
- Informative: Essays, diagrams, and explanatory docs provide context but are not binding.
Protocol
SMALL is a versioned, machine-consumable protocol. The stable v1 contract is available at /protocol/small/v1.
The v2 contract and operational guide are available at /docs/session-profile-v2.
Usage
The spec defines the contract. The CLI enforces it. The usage guide explains how humans and agents interact with it.