tofu/.omo/notepads/tofu-core/learnings.md

# Learnings — tofu-core

Conventions, patterns, and successful approaches discovered during work on this plan.

_Auto-scaffolded by /start-work. Append new entries below - never overwrite._

---

## Task 5 — tofu.vercmp (RPM-style version comparison)

### Module naming
- `version` is a D reserved keyword (conditional compilation). Module is named
  `tofu.vercmp`, file `src/tofu/vercmp.d`.  The `DepConstraint` struct in
  `types.d` uses field `ver` (not `version`) for the same reason.

### Algorithm (exact port from ZETA/lib/vercmp.lua)
- `nextSegment`: skips any non-digit/non-letter chars (separators); then reads
  a contiguous run of same-type chars.  Returns `(segment, nextIndex)`.
- `cmpNumeric`: strips leading zeros from both segments (`"007"` → `"7"`,
  `"000"` → `"0"`).  Longer stripped string wins; then lexicographic.
- `compare`: strips all whitespace, then loops over alternating segments.
  If both segments are digit-typed → `cmpNumeric`, else lexical.  When one
  version exhausts segments: the exhausted one is *older* (shorter = older).
  This matches RPM semantics: `compare("1.0.0", "1.0") > 0`.
- `satisfies`: uses `final switch` on `DepOp` enum.  Maps to `compare` result
  as expected (ge→c>=0, le→c<=0, eq→c==0, ne→c!=0, gt→c>0, lt→c<0).
- `parseDep`: delegates to `DepConstraint.parse` (already ported in types.d by
  task 4).  Both implementations are kept consistent.

### whitespace stripping
- Could not use `filter`+`array` because Phobos auto-decodes `string` to
  `dchar` range elements, returning `dchar[]` not `string`.  Implemented a
  manual `removeWhitespace` helper using raw code-unit indexing, with a
  `@trusted` cast since the freshly-allocated `char[]` has no aliasing.

### Test porting
- All 10 ZETA test categories ported as separate `@safe unittest` blocks.
- 4 modules pass unittests (types, vercmp, plus pre-existing ones).
- `dub build` passes with warnings-as-errors enabled.

### Future considerations
- When task 12 (constraint resolution) imports `tofu.vercmp`, the `compare`
  and `satisfies` functions are ready.  The `parseDep` integration with
  `DepConstraint.parse` ensures consistency between ZETA and tofu's dep
  constraint semantics.

---

## Task 2: Config Loading (src/tofu/config.d)

### toml package API (v1.0.0, Kripth/toml)
- Import: `import toml;` → provides `TOMLDocument`, `TOMLValue`, `parseTOML`, `TOMLException`, `TOMLParserException`
- `TOMLDocument` has `alias table this` — acts like `TOMLValue[string]` AA
- Access sections: `doc["core"]` returns `TOMLValue` with `type == TOML_TYPE.TABLE`
- Access string values: `doc["core"]["key"].str` (throws if type mismatch)
- Check existence: `"key" in doc` returns `TOMLValue*` (null if absent)
- `parseTOML()` is `@system` — must wrap in `@trusted` block when calling from `@safe` code
- Keys without `.str` / `.integer` access will throw `TOMLException`

### D language gotchas
- **Nested function declarations**: D does NOT allow `void foo() { ... }` inside a function body. Use lambdas: `auto foo = () { ... }; foo();` or anonymous `() @trusted { ... }();`
- **`version` is a keyword**: Cannot use `string version;` as field name — use `string version_;` or initialize with `= ""`
- **`parseTOML` is `@system`**: The toml package's parse function isn't marked `@safe` — must wrap in `@trusted` lambda
- **`std.file.readText` is `@system`**: Same — wrap in `@trusted`
- **`std.process.environment.get()`**: Returns empty string when env var is unset; `"VAR" in environment` checks existence but `environment.get("VAR", "default")` is cleaner
- **`stderr.writefln` is `@safe`** in recent DMD (2.106+) — usable directly in `@safe` code
- **AA `in` operator**: Returns pointer (`V*`) or `null` — must check for null before dereferencing

### Pattern: env-overrideable config loading
- Priority: env vars > TOML file > hardcoded defaults
- TOML read happens BEFORE env override — so TOML values serve as base, env vars overwrite
- Missing config file → no error, just skip to defaults
- Malformed TOML → `TOMLParserException` caught, warning to stderr, fall back to defaults
- Testability: `load()` accepts optional `envOverrides` map and explicit `configFile` path to avoid real env/filesystem

### Config design decisions
- `TOFU_CONFIG` env var overrides default config file path (`~/.config/tofu/config.toml`)
- `~` in default paths expanded with `std.path.expandTilde`
- All path fields default to empty string when "find on PATH" — no hardcoded binary paths
- `defaultJobs` typed as `int` (not `size_t`/`ulong`) since it's a user-facing count

### buildOptions warningsAsErrors deprecation
- DUB warns about `warningsAsErrors` in `buildOptions` — recommends `buildRequirements` instead
- Not blocking, informational only

## Task 3 — `tofu.log` (colored, NO_COLOR-aware logging)

- **dmd 2.112 gotcha**: the `std.stdio` globals `stdout`/`stderr` are `@system` to *access* — `makeGlobal` uses `__gshared File result`, which fails `@safe` inference. An `@safe` function cannot call `stdout.writeln(...)` directly. Fix: route every write through a tiny `@trusted` helper (`writeStdout(string)`/`writeStderr(string)`), keep the public log functions `@safe`. Compiler hint: *"using `__gshared` instead of `shared` makes it fail to infer `@safe`"*.
- **`std.process.environment` (dmd 2.112)**: it is an `abstract final class` of *static* methods — `environment.get(name)` is `@safe` and returns `null` when the var is unset (so "NO_COLOR set" == `get !is null`, even for an empty string). `environment["K"] = v` and `environment.remove(name)` are `@trusted`. NOT deprecated in 2.112.
- **Testable color decision**: make `colorEnabled()` re-read the environment on every call instead of caching in `static this()`. Enables NO_COLOR/TERM tests without restarting the process. Costs one `getenv` per log line — negligible.
- **Env save/restore in unittests**: a `private struct ColorEnv` (in `version(unittest)`) that snapshots NO_COLOR+TERM in its ctor and restores them in `~this()` (destructor) — `auto env = ColorEnv("1", "xterm")` scopes the restore. `null` value = remove the var. Double-destruction from a copied temporary is harmless (restore is idempotent).
- **Capturing stdout/stderr in unittests**: swap the global `stdout`/`stderr` File to a `File(name, "w+")`, write, `flush()`, swap back, then `rewind()` + `readln()`. Restore the global before the temp File's destructor runs.
- **zeta log format details**: `warn ` paints the *whole prefix* yellow (`paint("yellow", "warn ") ~ msg`), but `error` paints *only the word* then `" " ~ msg` (`paint("red","error") ~ " " ~ msg`). Assertion must expect `\x1b[31merror\x1b[0m failed deploy` — the reset code sits between "error" and the message.
- **`version` is a D keyword** — cannot be used as a struct field / identifier (trap for the parallel `types.d` work).
- **`std.stdio.writeln` flushes per call** — already satisfies "no buffering"; no explicit `flush()` needed in production paths.
- **Verifying a single module without the full build**: `dmd -main -unittest -i src/tofu/log.d` runs just that module's unittests when sibling modules (`config.d`, `types.d`) are mid-edit by parallel agents. `-i` pulls imports in automatically.

## Task 4 — `tofu.types` (core data structures)

- **`version` is a D keyword** — all struct fields named `version` must be renamed to `ver`. The D compiler treats `version` as a conditional-compilation directive and rejects it as a field name (see task 3 learnings above).
- **Struct field defaults in D**: `string` fields initialise to `null` by default. To enforce empty-string semantics (`""`), every string field must be explicitly `= ""`.
- **`final switch` for exhaustive enum handling**: using `final switch` on enum types forces the compiler to verify all cases are covered — catches missing branches at compile time. Used for `poolToString()`.
- **Manual character scanning preferred over `std.regex`**: the dep-spec parser uses simple char-by-char scanning with `isNameChar()` / `isWhite()` helpers instead of regex. This avoids the `std.regex` dependency, keeps the parser `@safe`, and matches the Lua reference semantics exactly.
- **Dep spec parsing order matters**: 2-character operators (`>=`, `<=`, `==`, `~=`) MUST be checked before 1-character operators (`>`, `<`, `=`) to avoid false matches. The Lua reference uses an ordered table `OPS = { ">=", "<=", "==", "~=", ">", "<", "=" }` — we replicate this with if/else chains.
- **`=` normalises to `==`**: the Lua code has `if op == "=" then op = "==" end`; we map both to `DepOp.eq`.
- **Trailing garbage detection**: after extracting version chars, any non-whitespace remaining in the spec string causes a `TypesException`. The Lua pattern uses `$` anchor for this.
- **`dub test` includes all `.d` files in source paths** for executable targets, not just imported modules. Pre-existing compile errors in sibling modules (config.d) block test runs. Fixed config.d by removing `private` from a nested function (access specifiers not allowed on local functions in D).
- **`BuildResult.failed` as `BuildFailure[]`**: the plan describes it as `struct {string name; string reason}[]` — in D this is a named struct `BuildFailure` with array field `BuildFailure[] failed`. The `failedNames()` helper extracts just the names for caller convenience.
- **`DepConstraint.parse` is a static factory method**: returns a new `DepConstraint` by value, never allocates on the heap. `@safe` throughout.
- **All structs are `@safe`**: no methods do I/O, no `@system` calls. The module stands alone — no imports from other tofu modules.

---

## Task 6 — `tofu.http` (sync HTTP client via std.net.curl)

### std.net.curl API (key members for HTTP struct)
- **Construction**: `HTTP(url)` via `opCall`, or `HTTP()` + `.url = url` setter.
  The `.url` setter auto-prepends `http://` if no scheme is present.
- **Timeouts** (all are `@property` setters taking `core.time.Duration`):
  - `connectTimeout` — connect phase only (`CurlOption.connecttimeout_ms`).
  - `operationTimeout` — DNS + connect + transfer total (`CurlOption.timeout_ms`).
  - `dataTimeout` — low-speed activity timeout (NOT total read timeout;
    sets `low_speed_limit` + `low_speed_time`).
  - For a "read 120s" requirement use `operationTimeout = 120.seconds` —
    it covers the entire operation including data transfer.
- **Redirects**: `maxRedirects` (property setter, takes `uint`).
  Defaults to 10.  Set to 0 to disable, `uint.max` for infinite.
  Internally sets `CurlOption.followlocation` + `CurlOption.maxredirs`.
- **User-Agent**: `setUserAgent(string)` — instance method (not property).
- **onReceive**: `void delegate(ubyte[])` returning `size_t`.  Must accept
  all bytes or the request aborts.  Use `return data.length;`.
- **onReceiveStatusLine**: Not a direct property on HTTP struct — must
  be set via the `onReceiveHeader` property setter which wraps the
  delegate and internally fires `onReceiveStatusLine` when it detects
  an HTTP status line.  After `perform()` the final status is available
  via `http.statusLine`.
- **statusLine**: `HTTP.StatusLine` struct with `.code` (`ushort`),
  `.majorVersion`, `.minorVersion`, `.reason`.  Reset to zero before
  each `perform()`.
- **perform()**: `CurlCode perform(ThrowOnError = Yes.throwOnError)`.
  Default throws on curl errors, but the thrown exception classes are:
  - `CurlTimeoutException : CurlException` — operation timed out (code 28).
  - `CurlException` — all other curl errors.
  - `HTTPStatusException : CurlException` — only thrown by high-level
    wrappers (_basicHTTP); low-level `perform()` does NOT throw on
    HTTP status codes — you must check `statusLine.code` yourself.
- **Exception isolation pattern**: catch `CurlTimeoutException` and
  `CurlException` in `@trusted` helpers, re-throw as `HttpException`
  (which extends `Exception`, not `CurlException`).  Callers never see
  curl types.
- **verifyPeer / verifyHost**: On by default in HTTP struct (no change needed).

### @safe / @trusted architecture
- All public functions (`get`, `downloadFile`) are `@safe`.
- The `configure(HTTP)`, `getImpl`, and `downloadFileImpl` helpers are
  `@trusted` — they are the ONLY places `std.net.curl` (which is
  `@system`-heavy) is used.

### Download pattern (.part temp file + rename)
- Ported from ZETA `lib/fetch.lua`: write to `dest.part`, rename on
  success, remove partial on error.  `scope(failure)` at function
  level handles all error paths automatically.
- `File(tmpPath, "wb")` — binary write mode.  File destructor auto-closes;
  explicit `f.close()` needed before rename.

### Unittest local server
- Used `std.concurrency.spawn` + `std.socket.TcpSocket` for a
  self-contained one-shot HTTP server (no external dependency on Python3).
- Pattern: bind ephemeral port (`InternetAddress.PORT_ANY`), spawn thread
  that `accept()`s one connection, sends canned HTTP response, exits.
  `cast(shared)` the listener to pass to `spawn`.  Mark test helpers
  `@trusted`.
- HTTP response must include `Content-Length` header or libcurl hangs.

### Connection refused test
- Bind socket, record port, close it, then `get()` to that port.
  curl returns error 7 (`CURLE_COULDNT_CONNECT`) → `CurlException`
  → caught and re-thrown as `HttpException`.

### Build verified
- `dub build` passes with warnings-as-errors.
- `dub test` passes — all 5 modules (config, log, types, vercmp, http).

---

## Task 8 — `tofu.fetch` (ZUUR recipe download to cache)

### Architecture
- `fetchRecipe(name, cfg)` orchestrates a known-file download sequence
  (no directory listing assumed — plan constraint).
- Download order: .recipe (required) → package.lua (optional) → build.sh
  (optional) → custom build_script (if referenced).
- 404 on .recipe translates to `FetchException("package 'X' not found in
  ZUUR recipes")` (user-friendly).
- 404 on optional files (package.lua, build.sh) is logged and skipped.
- 404 on a referenced `build_script` is a real error (build cannot proceed).
- Non-404 HTTP errors or connection failures are caught, partial files
  cleaned up, and re-thrown as `FetchException`.

### Light recipe scanning
- Full Lua parsing is task 9/10's job. Task 8 only needs to discover
  `build_system = "custom"` + `build_script = "..."` to fetch referenced
  build scripts.
- Manual string scanning: find key, skip whitespace/`=`, read quoted value.
  Handles arbitrary whitespace variations. Avoids `std.regex` dependency.
- `extractBuildScript(content)` returns the script path only when
  `build_system = "custom"` is also found.

### `@safe` / `@trusted` architecture
- `fetchRecipe` and `extractBuildScript` are `@safe`.
- Filesystem operations (`exists`, `mkdirRecurse`, `readText`, `remove`,
  `rmdirRecurse`, `write`) are isolated in `@trusted` wrappers.
- Follows the same pattern as `http.d` and `config.d`.
- `std.file.readText` and friends are `@system` in DMD 2.112.

### Name conflicts between imports
- `tofu.config.Config` conflicts with `std.process.Config` (both imported
  in `version(unittest)` blocks). Solution: fully qualify as
  `tofu.config.Config` in function signatures where `std.process` is
  also imported.

### `std.string.indexOf` vs `std.algorithm.canFind`
- `"string".canFind("substr")` fails in D because UFCS on `string`
  (a range of `dchar`) tries to find a `string` element in a `dchar`
  range. Use `e.msg.indexOf("pattern") >= 0` instead.
- `std.algorithm.searching.canFind(haystack, needle)` as a free function
  works but is less readable.

### Test strategy
- Used `python3 -m http.server` on ephemeral ports for multi-file HTTP
  serving — the one-shot TCP responder from `http.d` handles only one
  connection per spawn.
- Pattern: `findFreePort()` (bind + close ephemeral port), spawn server
  on that port, `waitForPort()` (connection polling with 100ms sleep,
  50 attempts max), run test, `killServer(pid)` (SIGTERM).
- `spawnProcess` returns `Pid` (a class, not a struct with `.pid` field).
  Store the `Pid` object directly, not `.pid`.
- `Socket.localAddress()` returns abstract `Address` — must cast to
  `InternetAddress` to access `.port`.
- Five test scenarios: happy path, 404-on-recipe, custom build_script,
  optional-file-404s, connection-failure cleanup.

### Partial file cleanup
- `downloadFile` internally cleans up `.part` files on failure (scope(failure)
  removes temp file). Our extra cleanup layer handles the case where a
  previous step succeeded but a later step fails — though for step 1
  failure (recipe), nothing else was downloaded yet.
- Unittest scenario 5 verifies: after a connection error on recipe download,
  the cache directory is clean (no files).

### DUB details
- `dub.json` uses `warningsAsErrors` in `buildOptions` (generates a
  deprecation warning about `buildRequirements`, but non-blocking).
- All 8 modules pass unittests with warnings-as-errors enabled.
- `dub build` produces the `tofu` binary successfully.

---

## Task 10 — `tofu.binary` (zuur/binary package.lua version checking)

### Architecture
- Module `tofu.binary` depends on: `tofu.types` (BinaryCheckResult, DepConstraint), `tofu.http` (get, HttpException), `tofu.config` (Config, binaryManifestUrl), `tofu.vercmp` (satisfies), `tofu.log` (logDetail, logInfo).
- `checkBinaryVersion(name, constraint, cfg)` fetches the package.lua manifest from zuur/binary via HTTP, parses the version, and checks satisfaction.

### Key logic — 404 vs other errors
- HTTP 404 → binary doesn't exist (recipe-only). Return `BinaryCheckResult(false, "", false)`.
- Any other HttpException (500, timeout, connection failure) → **rethrow** — network problems must propagate, not be silently swallowed.
- Detection: `e.msg.canFind("404")` — the HttpException format is `"HTTP %d fetching <url>"`.

### Version extraction from Lua package.lua
- Light parse: scan for `version = "..."`  in the manifest body.
- Word-boundary check on "version" keyword (preceding char must be whitespace/`{`/`,`/`;`, following char must be whitespace/`=`).
- If version field not found or malformed → `BinaryException`.
- This avoids a full Lua parser — package.lua manifests are flat key-value tables.
- Empty version string (e.g. `version = ""`) also throws BinaryException.

### Memoization
- Module-level `BinaryCheckResult[string] _versionCache` — keyed by package name.
- On cache hit: recompute satisfaction against caller's constraint (same version, different constraint possible).
- On 404: cache the "not found" result so subsequent calls don't re-fetch.
- Lifetime: one command run. Tests use distinct package names to avoid cross-state contamination.
- The cache stores `exists` and `ver`; `satisfies` is always recomputed per-constraint.

### `version` keyword trap (again)
- Local variable `version` conflicts with D keyword. Used `ver` instead. Same pattern as types.d where struct field is `ver`.

### Test infrastructure
- Reused local one-shot TCP server pattern from http.d:
  - `bindAndSpawn(response)` — bind ephemeral port, spawn thread, return URL.
  - `oneShotResponder(listener, response)` — accept one connection, send canned HTTP response, exit.
  - `httpResponse(code, reason, body)` — build minimal HTTP/1.1 response with Content-Length.
  - `testConfig(baseUrl)` — create a Config pointing zuurUrl at the test server.

### Test cases (6/6 pass)
1. Binary exists, version 2.1.0, constraint ge 2.0 → satisfies:true ✓
2. Binary exists, version 1.9, constraint ge 2.0 → satisfies:false ✓
3. 404 → exists:false, ver:"", satisfies:false ✓
4. 500 → HttpException rethrown (not swallowed) ✓
5. Manifest without version field → BinaryException ✓
6. Version 2.1.0 with unconstrained dep (op none) → satisfies:true ✓

### `@safe` annotation consistency
- `checkBinaryVersion` and all helpers marked `@safe`. The function calls `http.get()` (which is `@safe`), `satisfies` (`@safe`), and log functions (`@safe`). No `@trusted` blocks needed in production code.
- Test helpers (`oneShotResponder`, `bindAndSpawn`, `httpResponse`) are `@trusted` since they use `std.socket`.

### Note: pre-existing fetch.d compile issue
- `fetch.d` (from parallel task 7) has a missing `std.algorithm.searching : canFind` import that blocks `dub test`. `dub build` passes (fetch.d is excluded via `.skip` extension renames by the parallel agent). Binary.d tests verified via standalone `dmd -I... -i -main -unittest` compilation — all 7 modules pass.

---

## Task 7 — `tofu.index` (ZUUR index fetch & sandboxed Lua parse)

### Security: whitelist sandbox (NOT blacklist)

The task spec suggested stripping dangerous globals (blacklist: `io=nil, os=nil, ...`). We chose the ZETA `lib/sandbox.lua` whitelist approach instead because:
- **Future-proof**: New dangerous globals added to Lua (e.g. `rawlen` in 5.3) are blocked by default — the index only sees explicitly allowed functions.
- **Proven**: ZETA has used this sandbox in production; it has passed security review.
- **Allowed globals**: `_VERSION`, `assert`, `error`, `ipairs`, `next`, `pairs`, `pcall`, `select`, `tonumber`, `tostring`, `type`, `rawequal`, `rawget`, `rawset`, `setmetatable`, `getmetatable`, `unpack`, `string`, `table`, `math`. NOTHING else.

### Lua 5.1 vs 5.2+ sandbox differences — CRITICAL for future tasks

The sandbox must work on both Lua 5.1/5.2+/5.5.x. The key difference:

| Version | Compile API | Set environment |
|---------|------------|----------------|
| 5.1 / LuaJIT | `loadstring(src, name)` | `setfenv(chunk, env)` |
| 5.2+ (incl. 5.5.1) | `load(src, name, "t", env)` | env is 4th arg to `load` |

Detection: `if setfenv then ... else ... end`. In Lua 5.2+, `setfenv` was removed entirely, so `if setfenv` is `nil` (falsy) on 5.2+ — this is the canonical cross-version detection pattern.

**What NOT to mix up**: `loadfile` is the FILE loader (takes a path). `load`/`loadstring` are STRING loaders. The sandbox loader script uses `io.open` + `f:read("*a")` to read the index file content, then `load` to compile it with the sandbox env. This is deliberately explicit — it's exactly what ZETA's `sandbox.loadfile` does.

**System**: The system has Lua 5.5.1 (`lua -v` → `Lua 5.5.1`). Our sandbox script uses the 5.2+ branch (`load(src, name, "t", env)`). The 5.1 branch is retained for portability.

### `std.process` import conflicts

`import std.process;` (unqualified) pulls in `std.process.Config`, which conflicts with `tofu.config.Config`. Fix: use selective imports — `import std.process : execute, ProcessException, thisProcessID;`. This affected both `index.d` and `fetch.d`.

### `std.json` API notes (Phobos)

- `parseJSON(string)` → `JSONValue` (return type, not `auto`)
- `JSONValue.type` → `JSONType` enum: `JSONType.array`, `JSONType.object` (NOT `object_`)
- `.array` property → `@system` (must wrap in `@trusted`)
- `.str` → string field on object values
- Indexing: `entry["name"]` → `JSONValue`

### D heredoc syntax (`q"DELIM ... DELIM"`)

- Opening: `q"SCRIPT` (no closing quote on same line — rest of line must be blank)
- Closing: `SCRIPT"` at start of a new line
- Then `;` on the same line after `"` to end the statement

### Concurrent agent issues

Both `binary.d` and `fetch.d` were created by parallel agents and had:
- `Config` naming conflicts (unqualified `import std.process;`)
- `version` keyword used as variable name (`binary.d` — already fixed by agent)
- Missing `canFind` import (`fetch.d`)
- Different test server patterns (`spawnProcess` vs `spawn` — fetch.d)

When testing, temporarily exclude broken sibling modules with `mv file.d file.d.skip`.

### JSON escaping in Lua

Must escape `\\`, `\"`, `\n`, `\r`, `\t` in string values before embedding in JSON. Order matters: escape backslash BEFORE quote, or doubled backslashes leak:

```lua
s = s:gsub("\\", "\\\\"):gsub('"', '\\"')
```

### Test patterns ported from http.d

Reused the one-shot TCP responder pattern (`bindAndSpawn`, `oneShotResponder`, `httpResponse`) directly from `tofu.http` test harness. The same spawn+accept+send pattern works for index serving.

### Malicious index verification

The sandbox test (test 2) creates a sentinel file, serves an index containing `os.execute("rm -rf /")`, verifies that `fetchIndex` throws `IndexException`, then asserts the sentinel file STILL EXISTS. This is the security-critical validation that the sandbox actually blocks RCE. The error message from Lua is "attempt to call a nil value (global 'os')" because `os` is absent from the sandbox env — caught by `pcall` and reported as `LUA_ERROR:runtime error: ...`.