# Published JSON Output

This document defines the logical JSON bundle emitted by the production JSON
output encoder. The bundle’s physical destination, atomic publication, and
retention are operational concerns; see [Operations](../operations.md#output-bundles).
Output configuration, including chunk-map and evidence-context publication, belongs in
[Configuration](../config.md#module-bindings-and-validators).

## Bundle Layout

All paths below are logical, relative, slash-separated bundle paths. The
encoder always emits the first four JSON files below and adds lane or
pipeline-wide artifact files when their corresponding artifacts are available:

A subprocess caller first obtains the physical bundle root from the
[run-result receipt](run-result.md), then resolves `index.json` beneath that
root for the logical discovery described here.

| Path | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `index.json` | Entry point that names the other published files and lane payloads. |
| `manifest.json` | Run provenance and result summaries. |
| `rejected.json` | Rejected pipeline outputs. |
| `warnings.json` | Accepted-output and run warnings. |
| `lanes/<safe-lane-id>.json` | One normalized artifact payload for each lane. |
| `chunk-map.json` | Optional accepted chunk map, when its export is enabled and available. |
| `evidence-context.json` | Optional source-context artifact, when evidence publication is enabled. |

JSON files are pretty-printed with a trailing newline. Lane payloads are
accepted only when their media type is `application/json`.

## `index.json`

`index.json` is the bundle’s discovery document. An approved run with no
normalized lanes has this valid minimal index:

```json
{
  "manifest_file": "manifest.json",
  "output_files": [],
  "rejected_file": "rejected.json",
  "warnings_file": "warnings.json"
}
```

| Field | Required | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `manifest_file` | Yes | Always `manifest.json`. |
| `output_files` | Yes | Lane descriptors sorted by `lane_id`. |
| `rejected_file` | Yes | Always `rejected.json`. |
| `warnings_file` | Yes | Always `warnings.json`. |
| `chunk_map` | No | Descriptor for the pipeline-wide `chunk-map.json`; never a lane descriptor. |
| `evidence_context` | No | Descriptor for the pipeline-wide `evidence-context.json`; never a lane descriptor. |

Each lane descriptor has required `lane_id` and `file`. It may also include
`media_type`, `module_key`, `schema_id`, `schema_name`, and `schema_version`
when supplied by the normalized artifact. Each pipeline-wide artifact
descriptor (`chunk_map` or `evidence_context`) contains `artifact_kind`,
`file`, `media_type`, `schema_id`, `schema_name`, and `schema_version`. Their
payloads are defined by the [Accepted Chunk Map contract](chunk-map.md) and
[Published Evidence Context](evidence-context.md), respectively.

The lane path is derived from its lane ID. Characters outside letters, digits,
periods, underscores, and hyphens become underscores; `..` sequences are
neutralized; leading and trailing periods and underscores are removed. A lane
that produces an empty name, or two lanes that produce the same path, makes
output encoding fail.

## Lane Payloads

Each `lanes/<safe-lane-id>.json` file is the codec-owned normalized JSON for
that lane. Consumers should use the index descriptor’s schema identity rather
than infer a lane schema from its name. The current D&D payload contracts are
[spells](dnd-spell-artifacts.md), [NPCs](dnd-npc-artifacts.md),
[NPC interactions](dnd-npc-interaction-artifacts.md),
[combat turns](dnd-combat-turn-artifacts.md),
[item events](dnd-item-event-artifacts.md),
[scene descriptions](dnd-scene-description-artifacts.md), and
[enemy events](dnd-enemy-event-artifacts.md).

## `manifest.json`

`manifest.json` is published provenance, not a copy of lane payloads or a
checkpoint store. Fields without a value may be omitted. Its top-level fields
group into the following externally observable summaries:

| Group | Fields |
| --- | --- |
| Run identity and result | `run_id`, `pipeline_id`, `pipeline_digest`, `schema_version`, `validation_status`, `started_at`, `completed_at` |
| Resolved components | `input_module`, `chunker`, `extractors`, `merger`, `normalizer`, `output_encoder`, `artifact_lanes`, `validator_chains`, `module_metadata` |
| Source and references | `source_digests`, `references` |
| Published result summaries | `normalized_outputs`, `rejected_outputs` |
| Execution summaries | `chunk_plan`, `checkpoint_decisions`, `llm_profiles`, `metadata` |

`references` records provenance such as the target, slot, origin, digest,
media type, size, and generated-artifact identity. It does not contain
reference content. `normalized_outputs` and `rejected_outputs` likewise
summarize results without embedding lane payload bytes. A chunk-plan summary is
provenance for the plan used by this run; cache records, debug artifacts, and
other operational state are not published as bundle files.

When present, `metadata.session_id` is the effective non-secret routing
correlation identifier used for the run. It can be visible to providers and is
not a substitute for a cache or checkpoint identity. Its generation and
override behavior are defined by the [CLI reference](../cli.md#run).

Each `llm_profiles` entry identifies effective, non-secret LLM execution
provenance:

| Field | Required | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | Yes | Selected PromptKit profile identifier. |
| `provider` | No | Notarius adapter provider identifier. |
| `model` | No | Effective provider model identifier. |
| `backend_id` | No | Effective PromptKit backend registration identifier. Endpoint-only profiles omit it. |
| `reasoning_effort` | No | Effective opaque provider reasoning setting. An empty or explicitly cleared setting is omitted. |

These values describe observed execution; they are not a backend-registration
interface. Entries that differ by backend or effective reasoning remain
distinct even when their profile, provider, and model are otherwise equal.

## Rejections And Warnings

`rejected.json` is always an object with a `rejected` array. Each entry has
required `stage` and `message`; `step_id`, `lane_id`, `module_key`, `chunk_id`,
`chunk_index`, `validator_name`, `reason_code`, `attempt_count`, and
`diagnostic_artifact_path` are present only when applicable.

`warnings.json` is always an object with a `warnings` array. Each warning has
`reason_code` and `message`; `scope` is optional. Both arrays are empty when
there is nothing to report.

## Compatibility

The index is the authoritative map from a logical lane to its published
payload. Consumers must tolerate omitted optional manifest and descriptor
fields, and should rely on the linked artifact contract for each lane’s JSON
shape. This contract describes the published logical bundle only; it does not
promise a filesystem layout or expose internal state formats.