# toolpath
Core types, builders, and query operations for Toolpath provenance documents.
Toolpath records **who** changed **what**, **why**, what they tried that
didn't work, and how to verify all of it. Think "git blame, but for
everything that happens to code — including the stuff git doesn't see."
Three objects model this: a **Step** is one atomic change by one actor.
A **Path** is a DAG of steps (like a PR) — abandoned branches become
implicit dead ends. A **Graph** collects related paths (like a release)
and is the single root type of every Toolpath document.
## Overview
This crate provides the type system and query API for Toolpath. It contains:
- **Types**: `Graph`, `Path`, `Step`, `ArtifactChange`, and all supporting structures
- **Builders**: Convenient constructors and builder methods for constructing documents
- **Serde**: Full serialization/deserialization
- **Query**: Graph traversal and filtering operations on step DAGs
This is the gravity well of the workspace. All other crates depend on `toolpath`; it depends on nothing except `serde` and `serde_json`.
## Types
```text
Graph -- the root type of every Toolpath document
graph: GraphIdentity { id }
paths: Vec<PathOrRef> -- inline Path or $ref
meta?: GraphMeta
Path
path: PathIdentity { id, base?, head }
steps: Vec<Step>
meta?: PathMeta
Step
step: StepIdentity { id, parents, actor, timestamp }
change: HashMap<String, ArtifactChange>
meta?: StepMeta
```
## Building documents
```rust
use toolpath::v1::{Step, Path, Base, ArtifactChange};
// Build a step
let step = Step::new("step-001", "human:alex", "2026-01-29T10:00:00Z")
.with_parent("step-000")
.with_raw_change("src/main.rs", "@@ -1,1 +1,1 @@\n-hello\n+world")
.with_intent("Fix greeting")
.with_vcs_source("git", "abc123def456");
// Build a path
let path = Path::new(
"path-pr-42",
Some(Base::vcs("github:org/repo", "abc123")),
"step-001",
);
// Branch from another path's step
let base = Base::toolpath("path-main", "step-005");
```
## Query operations
The `query` module provides graph traversal and filtering over step slices:
```rust
use toolpath::v1::{Step, query};
let s1 = Step::new("s1", "human:alex", "2026-01-29T10:00:00Z")
.with_raw_change("src/main.rs", "@@");
let s2 = Step::new("s2", "agent:claude", "2026-01-29T10:01:00Z")
.with_parent("s1")
.with_raw_change("src/main.rs", "@@");
let steps = vec![s1, s2];
let ancestors = query::ancestors(&steps, "s2");
let dead_ends = query::dead_ends(&steps, "s2");
let human_steps = query::filter_by_actor(&steps, "human:");
let main_rs = query::filter_by_artifact(&steps, "src/main.rs");
let all_files = query::all_artifacts(&steps);
let all_actors = query::all_actors(&steps);
let index = query::step_index(&steps);
```
## Serialization
A Toolpath document is a JSON-serialized `Graph` at the root. Single-step or
single-path provenance becomes a single-path graph:
```rust
use toolpath::v1::{Graph, Path, Step};
let step = Step::new("s1", "human:alex", "2026-01-29T10:00:00Z")
.with_raw_change("src/main.rs", "@@ -1 +1 @@\n-old\n+new");
let path = Path {
path: toolpath::v1::PathIdentity {
id: "p1".into(),
base: None,
head: "s1".into(),
graph_ref: None,
},
steps: vec![step],
meta: None,
};
let graph = Graph::from_path(path);
let json = graph.to_json_pretty().unwrap();
assert!(json.contains("s1"));
let parsed = Graph::from_json(&json).unwrap();
assert_eq!(parsed.single_path().unwrap().path.id, "p1");
```
## Part of Toolpath
This crate is the core of the [Toolpath](https://github.com/empathic/toolpath) workspace. See also:
- [`toolpath-git`](https://crates.io/crates/toolpath-git) -- derive from git history
- [`toolpath-claude`](https://crates.io/crates/toolpath-claude) -- derive from Claude conversations
- [`toolpath-dot`](https://crates.io/crates/toolpath-dot) -- Graphviz DOT rendering
- [`path-cli`](https://crates.io/crates/path-cli) -- unified CLI (`cargo install path-cli`)
- [RFC](https://github.com/empathic/toolpath/blob/main/RFC.md) -- full format specification
- [FAQ](https://github.com/empathic/toolpath/blob/main/FAQ.md) -- design rationale