Files
amethyst/.claude/skills/amy-expert/references/output-conventions.md
T
Claude 9b9084ffaf docs(cli): split amy docs by responsibility + add amy-expert skill
Separate the single DEVELOPMENT.md into focused docs per audience:

- cli/README.md — trim agent/interop sub-sections; user-facing contract,
  commands, data-dir, troubleshooting only.
- cli/DEVELOPMENT.md — pared down to architecture, how-to-add-a-command,
  output conventions, testing, housekeeping.
- cli/ROADMAP.md (new) — north-star, parity matrix, ordered milestones,
  non-goals. The live checklist for CLI feature parity.
- cli/plans/2026-04-21-cli-distribution.md (new) — packaging strategy
  (Homebrew / winget / Scoop / deb / rpm / AUR / AppImage).
- commons/plans/2026-04-21-event-renderer.md (new) — cross-cutting
  renderer design owned by commons, consumed by cli + desktop + android.

Agentic routing:

- .claude/skills/amy-expert/SKILL.md (new) — routing triggers + the
  five hard rules (thin-layer, JSON contract, non-interactive,
  data-dir-is-world, extract-before-adding).
- references/command-template.md, extraction-recipe.md,
  output-conventions.md — bundled copy-paste references.

Root .claude/CLAUDE.md:

- Adds cli/ to the module list with its sharing rule.
- Registers amy-expert in the skills table.
- Documents per-module plans/ convention; freezes docs/plans/.

https://claude.ai/code/session_01BQ5ZHwa8BAgEQ9zeM4CKhW
2026-04-22 00:23:00 +00:00

115 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown

# Output conventions
Amy's JSON contract is its public API. Follow these rules.
## Channels
| Stream | What goes here |
|---|---|
| **stdout** | Exactly one JSON object per successful invocation. Nothing else. |
| **stderr** | Human progress logs, warnings, per-relay ACK traces, stack traces, `printUsage()` output. Safe to discard. Not machine-consumed. |
If a command needs to emit structured data for machines, it goes on
stdout. If it needs to explain what it's doing to a human watching,
stderr.
## Exit codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `0` | Success. Stdout has a JSON object. |
| `1` | Runtime error. Stderr has `{"error":"...","detail":"..."}`. |
| `2` | Bad arguments. Stderr has a JSON error object and/or usage. |
| `124` | `await` timed out. |
Throw the right exception type in commands:
- `IllegalArgumentException` → exit 2 automatically.
- `AwaitTimeout` → exit 124 automatically.
- Anything else → exit 1.
The top-level `main()` in `Main.kt` handles the translation. Don't
try-catch at the command level unless you're converting a third-party
exception into one of the above.
## Object shape
### Top-level
Always an object. Never an array, never a primitive, never a
newline-delimited stream.
```json
{ "event_id": "...", "kind": 1, "published_to": [...] }
```
### Keys
- Stable snake_case.
- Additive evolution is safe; renaming or removing a key is a
breaking change.
- Don't nest unnecessarily. `{"data":{...}}` is noise.
### Identifiers
| Thing | Form |
|---|---|
| Event ID | 64-char lowercase hex string. Key name: `event_id`. |
| Pubkey (primary subject) | hex **and** bech32. Keys: `pubkey` + `npub`. |
| Pubkey (secondary reference) | hex only. Key: `pubkey`. |
| Relay URL | Normalized string (`wss://…`). Never an object. |
| Timestamps | Unix seconds, integer. Key names end in `_at`. |
| Group ID (Marmot) | Hex string. Key: `group_id`. |
### Collections
- Pluralise: `messages`, `members`, `admins`, `events`.
- Always an array (possibly empty), never `null`.
- Order: oldest-first unless there's a good reason otherwise — state
it in the key name (`messages_newest_first`) if you flip it.
### Booleans
- Use `true`/`false`, not `0`/`1`, not `"yes"`.
- Name keys so `true` is the expected/successful state:
`is_member`, `published`, `accepted`.
### Publish results
When a command publishes an event, the canonical output shape is:
```json
{
"event_id": "<hex>",
"kind": 1,
"published_to": ["wss://relay.a/", "wss://relay.b/"],
"rejected_by": ["wss://relay.c/"]
}
```
`published_to` is relays that ACK'd `true`. `rejected_by` is relays
that ACK'd `false`. Relays that didn't answer before the timeout
appear in neither — add `timed_out_on` if you need to surface them.
### Error shape
```json
{ "error": "code", "detail": "free-form explanation" }
```
- `error` is a short, stable, lower_snake code. Agents can branch on
it.
- `detail` is free text — OK to change between versions.
- Common codes today: `bad_args`, `no_identity`, `exists`, `bad_key`,
`not_member`, `timeout`, `runtime`. Reuse before inventing.
## Never
- `println(...)` of anything except `Json.writeLine(...)`.
- Multi-line JSON (pretty-printed). One line, always.
- Mixing stdout lines — one command invocation emits one stdout line.
If you need progress updates, they go on stderr.
- Machine output to stderr. The whole point is clean separation.
- Silent fallbacks — if a relay rejects your publish, say so in the
JSON.