#Vivarium Manifest v1

A static manifest an external repository ships at .vivarium/manifest.toml to declare a Vivarium-runnable reproduction.

This is the upstream surface — how an external project tells Vivarium "we host a reproduction; here is where to find it." The runtime surface (DOM verdict, verdict.json) is defined separately in Contract v1.

#At a glance

A repo declares a Vivarium-compatible reproduction by shipping a single TOML file at:

<repo-root>/.vivarium/manifest.toml

#:schema https://aletheia-works.github.io/vivarium/spec/manifest.schema.json
manifest = "v1"
slug = "bash-local-shadows-exit"
title = "bash: `local` builtin shadows command exit code"
layer = 2

[bug]
project = "bash"
issue = 0
upstream_url = "https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-bash/"

[layer2]
image = "ghcr.io/example-org/example-bash-local-shadows-exit:latest"
dockerfile = "./Dockerfile"
expected_verdict = "reproduced"

A consumer that wants to run the reproduction reads the manifest, dispatches on layer, and follows the per-layer convention defined below.

#Schema directive

Editors with a TOML language server — for example Taplo and Tombi — autocomplete and validate manifest.toml against the JSON Schema when the manifest opens with a #:schema line:

#:schema https://aletheia-works.github.io/vivarium/spec/manifest.schema.json
manifest = "v1"
…

The directive is a TOML comment, so it is invisible to plain parsers (tomllib etc.) and CI validation behaves identically with or without it. Cargo and pyproject manifests use the same pattern.

#Required top-level keys

#Optional top-level keys

#Layer-specific tables

Exactly one of [layer1], [layer2], [layer3] is required — must match the top-level layer integer.

#[layer1] — WASM in-browser

layer = 1

[layer1]
page_url = "https://example.org/repro/some-bug/"
expected_verdict = "reproduced"  # default; optional

#[layer2] — Docker catalogue

layer = 2

[layer2]
image = "ghcr.io/example-org/example-bash-local-shadows-exit:latest"
dockerfile = "./Dockerfile"  # optional, informational
expected_verdict = "reproduced"

#[layer3] — Third-way catalogue

layer = 3

[layer3]
image = "ghcr.io/example-org/example-recipe:latest"
dockerfile = "./Dockerfile"
expected_verdict = "reproduced"

⚠️ Layer 3 is reserved for reproductions that Layers 1 and 2 cannot reach — deterministic simulation, microVM snapshots and the like. Vivarium ships none today, so this table is a declaration rather than a described practice. A consumer encountering a third-party layer = 3 manifest should expect the runtime requirements to be documented by that manifest's author.

#Verdict semantics

The expected_verdict values match the literal names locked in Contract v1:

• "reproduced" ⇒ the upstream bug reproduces.
• "unreproduced" ⇒ the upstream bug does not reproduce.

A page declaring expected_verdict = "reproduced" is the common case — the recipe demonstrates the failure the upstream report describes. A page declaring expected_verdict = "unreproduced" is a sentinel that intentionally tracks an upstream fix; it goes red the moment the bug regresses back.

#Versioning

The version is carried in one place:

• manifest = "v1" at the top of the document.

Adding fields, removing fields, or changing semantics requires a v2 manifest spec page, a v2 JSON Schema sibling, and a separate ADR. Consumers should be free to support v1 and v2 simultaneously by dispatching on the manifest literal.

There is no current v2.

#Conformance

A manifest conforms to Vivarium Manifest v1 when:

1. It is a valid TOML 1.0 document at .vivarium/manifest.toml in the consuming repo.
2. It validates against manifest.schema.json after a TOML→JSON conversion.
3. Exactly one of [layer1] / [layer2] / [layer3] is present, matching the top-level layer integer.
4. The pointed-at artefact (page or image) actually exists and produces a Contract-v1-conformant verdict at run time.

Clauses 1–3 are mechanically enforceable via schema validation; clause 4 is per-recipe.

#Reference implementations

The aletheia-works/vivarium repo ships three example manifests under src/external_examples/ — one per layer — all pointing at vivarium's own publicly-deployed pages and GHCR images, so they are runnable as written rather than just shape-valid.

CI in repro-regression.yml validates every src/external_examples/*/.vivarium/manifest.toml against this schema on every push and pull request.

#See also

• Contract v1 — the runtime verdict surface this manifest's pointed-at artefact must publish.
• manifest.schema.json — JSON Schema (draft 2020-12) for the manifest after TOML→JSON conversion.
• Consumer workflow — the reusable GitHub Actions workflow consumers use to verify a manifest's declared image in their own CI.