TORCH/docs/lib-overview.md

src/lib.mjs: Core Logic Overview

Summary

src/lib.mjs is the orchestration engine for Torch. It implements the high-level commands (check, lock, list, complete) that coordinate between local configuration, the file system (task logs), and Nostr relays (distributed locks).

It is designed to be:

• Stateless: No persistent local database; relies on Nostr events and flat files.
• Race-Condition Safe: Uses a commit-wait-reveal pattern to handle concurrent agent starts.
• Dependency Injected: Nearly all external side-effects (relays, time, FS) can be mocked.

Public API

cmdCheck(cadence, deps)

Aggregates the current state of the world for a given cadence.

• Inputs: Cadence ('daily'/'weekly').
• Outputs: JSON object with lists of locked, completed, paused, and available agents.
• Side Effects: Queries relays, reads task-logs/, reads torch-config.json.

cmdLock(agent, cadence, dryRun, deps)

Attempts to claim a task.

• Returns: { status: 'ok', eventId: '...' }
• Throws: ExitError(3) if the lock is denied (already active, completed, or race lost).

cmdComplete(agent, cadence, dryRun, deps)

Finalizes a task.

• Action: Publishes a permanent event (no expiration) with status: 'completed'.
• Constraint: Requires an existing active lock for the agent.

cmdList(cadence, deps)

Displays a CLI-friendly table of active locks.

Locking Flow (Sequence)

1. Check: Query relays for any existing valid lock for (agent, cadence, date).
   • If found and status=completed: Abort (Task done).
   • If found and status=started (and not expired): Abort (Agent busy).
2. Generate: Create a new ephemeral Nostr keypair.
3. Build: Create a signed event (Kind 30078) with:
   • Tags: d (identifier), expiration, t (search tags).
   • Content: JSON payload with metadata.
4. Publish: Send to all configured relays.
5. Race Check:
   • Wait RACE_CHECK_DELAY_MS (default 2000ms).
   • Query relays again.
   • If another valid event exists with an earlier created_at: Abort (Race lost).
   • Otherwise: Success.

Key Invariants

• Uniqueness: Only one valid lock per (agent, cadence, date) should exist at a time.
• Expiration: All locks must have an expiration tag (NIP-40) to prevent zombies, except completion events.
• Completion: A completion event is permanent (no expiration) and effectively "freezes" the slot for that date.

When to Change

• Protocol Upgrades: If changing the Nostr event structure or tags.
• Concurrency Tuning: Adjusting RACE_CHECK_DELAY_MS or retry logic.
• New Commands: Adding new lifecycle states (e.g., failed or paused via CLI).