audita/docs/internal/output-schemas.md

Output Encoding Internals

Scope and Ownership

internal/core/outputschema owns encoder registration and resolution. External JSON envelopes and segment fields are defined by the output-file contract; selectable values and defaults belong to configuration.

Resolution and Encoding

Configuration validation checks registry support. CLI orchestration resolves the selected encoder, passes the final transcript to it, and routes the encoded bytes to the destination defined by the CLI contract. An unsupported key fails validation or resolution rather than selecting an implicit fallback.

The registry delegates bare segment serialization to the transcript schema package and uses an envelope encoder for the versioned form. Report construction receives the selected key separately; see report assembly.

Changing an Encoder

Update registration, configuration validation, and serialization together. Inspect round-trip and shape tests, then update the external output-file contract if the serialized form changes. Keep internal helper changes separate from decisions about externally visible compatibility.

Key Tests

• internal/core/outputschema/registry_test.go
• internal/core/config/config_test.go
• internal/cli/run_test.go