Manifest Files

Radish CLI generates manifest files to track generation metadata, blueprint hashes, and enable verification.

Overview

Every time you generate code, Radish creates two manifest files:

.radish/MANIFEST.json - Top-level manifest tracking all generations
.radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json - Datalayer-specific manifest with detailed metadata

These manifests enable:

Blueprint verification - Check if generated code matches current blueprint
Debugging - Know exact CLI version and generation timestamp
CI/CD validation - Fail builds if generated code is stale
Environment sync - Compare staging vs production manifests

Top-Level Manifest

Location: .radish/MANIFEST.json

Tracks overall project generation state.

Structure

{
  "$schema": "https://radish-cli.dev/schemas/manifest.v1.json",
  "manifestVersion": "1.0",
  "radishVersion": "0.6.0",
  "projectName": "my-app",
  "generatedAt": "2026-03-11T10:30:00.000Z",

  "blueprints": {
    "types": {
      "path": "blueprints/app.types.json",
      "hash": "sha256:89f21a4b2c3d4e5f",
      "lastModified": "2026-03-11T09:15:00.000Z"
    }
  },

  "layers": {
    "datalayer": {
      "enabled": true,
      "manifestPath": "lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "generatedAt": "2026-03-11T10:30:00.000Z"
    },
    "uilayer": {
      "enabled": false,
      "manifestPath": null,
      "version": null,
      "generatedAt": null
    },
    "infrastructure": {
      "enabled": false,
      "manifestPath": null,
      "version": null,
      "generatedAt": null
    }
  },

  "cli": {
    "version": "0.6.0",
    "command": "radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json",
    "cwd": "/path/to/project",
    "nodeVersion": "v20.10.0",
    "platform": "darwin"
  }
}

Fields

Field	Description
`manifestVersion`	Manifest schema version (currently `1.0`)
`radishVersion`	CLI version used for generation
`projectName`	Project name (from directory name or --app-name)
`generatedAt`	ISO 8601 timestamp of generation
`blueprints.types.path`	Relative path to types blueprint file
`blueprints.types.hash`	SHA-256 hash (first 16 chars) of blueprint content
`blueprints.types.lastModified`	Blueprint file modification timestamp
`layers.datalayer.enabled`	Whether datalayer was generated
`layers.datalayer.manifestPath`	Path to layer-specific manifest
`cli.command`	Full command used for generation
`cli.cwd`	Working directory during generation
`cli.nodeVersion`	Node.js version used
`cli.platform`	Operating system platform

Datalayer Manifest

Location: .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json

Detailed metadata about generated datalayer.

Structure

{
  "$schema": "https://radish-cli.dev/schemas/datalayer-manifest.v1.json",
  "manifestVersion": "1.0",
  "layer": "datalayer",
  "layerVersion": "1.0.0",
  "radishVersion": "0.6.0",
  "generatedAt": "2026-03-11T10:30:00.000Z",

  "blueprint": {
    "path": "blueprints/app.types.json",
    "hash": "sha256:89f21a4b2c3d4e5f",
    "entities": 12,
    "builtinEntities": 3,
    "customEntities": 9
  },

  "entities": [
    {
      "name": "Product",
      "type": "custom",
      "builtin": false,
      "extended": false,
      "fields": 8,
      "relationships": ["Category", "Vendor"],
      "features": {
        "versioning": "full",
        "filtering": true,
        "population": true,
        "permissions": ["admin", "user"]
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "User",
      "type": "system",
      "builtin": true,
      "extended": true,
      "fields": 12,
      "relationships": [],
      "features": {
        "versioning": "simple",
        "filtering": true,
        "population": false,
        "permissions": ["admin", "self"]
      }
    }
  ],

  "generated": {
    "contracts": {
      "files": 45,
      "path": "contracts/"
    },
    "models": {
      "files": 28,
      "path": "core/models/"
    },
    "repositories": {
      "files": 28,
      "path": "core/repos/"
    },
    "services": {
      "files": 32,
      "path": "services/"
    },
    "routes": {
      "files": 156,
      "path": "routes/"
    },
    "metadata": {
      "files": 29,
      "path": "contracts/metadata/"
    },
    "docs": {
      "files": 8,
      "path": "docs/"
    }
  },

  "database": {
    "type": "mongodb",
    "adapter": "mongoose"
  },

  "permissions": {
    "roles": ["admin", "user", "anonymous"],
    "wildcards": true
  }
}

Fields

Field	Description
`blueprint.hash`	SHA-256 hash of blueprint (matches top-level manifest)
`blueprint.entities`	Total entity count
`blueprint.builtinEntities`	Number of builtin entities (User, Role, etc.)
`blueprint.customEntities`	Number of custom entities from blueprint
`entities[]`	Array of entity metadata
`entities[].name`	Entity name
`entities[].type`	Entity type: `"system"` or `"custom"`
`entities[].builtin`	Whether entity is builtin
`entities[].extended`	Whether entity extends a builtin entity
`entities[].fields`	Field count
`entities[].relationships`	Array of referenced entity names
`entities[].features.versioning`	Versioning mode: `"full"`, `"simple"`, or `false`
`entities[].features.filtering`	Whether filtering is enabled
`entities[].features.population`	Whether entity has relationships
`entities[].features.permissions`	Array of permission names
`generated.*`	File counts by category
`database.type`	Database type (`"mongodb"`)
`database.adapter`	ORM adapter (`"mongoose"`)
`permissions.roles`	Available roles
`permissions.wildcards`	Whether wildcard permissions are supported

Use Cases

1. Verify Generated Code Matches Blueprint

Automated verification (available in v0.6.0+):

# Quick verification
radish-cli verify

# Output:
# ✅ types: Up to date (sha256:89f21a4b)

# Verbose mode with detailed info
radish-cli verify --verbose

# Use in CI/CD (exits 0 if match, 1 if mismatch)
radish-cli verify || exit 1

Manual verification:

# View blueprint hash
cat .radish/MANIFEST.json | jq '.blueprints.types.hash'

# Compute hash of current blueprint
cat blueprints/app.types.json | sha256sum | head -c 16

# Compare - if they don't match, regenerate
radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json

2. Debug Regeneration Issues

Using the info command (available in v0.6.0+):

# Human-readable manifest info
radish-cli info

# Output:
# 📦 Radish CLI v0.6.0
# Project: my-app
#
# Blueprints:
#   types: blueprints/app.types.json (sha256:89f21a4b)
#
# Layers:
#   ✅ Datalayer v1.0.0
#      - 12 entities (3 builtin, 9 custom)
#      - 318 generated files
#      - Blueprint: blueprints/app.types.json (sha256:89f21a4b)
#
# Last generated: 2 hours ago

# JSON output for scripting
radish-cli info --json | jq '.radishVersion'

Manual queries:

# What CLI version generated this code?
cat .radish/MANIFEST.json | jq -r '.radishVersion'

# When was it generated?
cat .radish/MANIFEST.json | jq -r '.generatedAt'

# What was the exact command?
cat .radish/MANIFEST.json | jq -r '.cli.command'

3. CI/CD Validation

Ensure generated code is up-to-date before deployment:

{
  "name": "Verify generated code is current",
  "run": "MANIFEST_HASH=$(cat .radish/MANIFEST.json | jq -r '.blueprints.types.hash') && BLUEPRINT_HASH=$(cat blueprints/app.types.json | sha256sum | head -c 16) && if [ \"sha256:$BLUEPRINT_HASH\" != \"$MANIFEST_HASH\" ]; then echo '❌ Generated code out of date!' && echo 'Run: radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json' && exit 1; fi && echo '✅ Generated code matches blueprint'"
}

4. Compare Environments

Check if staging and production have matching generated code:

# On local machine
LOCAL_HASH=$(cat .radish/MANIFEST.json | jq -r '.blueprints.types.hash')

# On staging server
STAGING_HASH=$(ssh staging 'cat /app/.radish/MANIFEST.json | jq -r ".blueprints.types.hash"')

# Compare
if [ "$LOCAL_HASH" == "$STAGING_HASH" ]; then
  echo "✅ Local matches staging"
else
  echo "⚠️  Different blueprint versions:"
  echo "  Local:   $LOCAL_HASH"
  echo "  Staging: $STAGING_HASH"
fi

Future: radish-cli compare staging command will automate this (v0.7+).

5. Entity Overview

Get a quick overview of generated entities:

# How many entities?
cat .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json | jq '.blueprint.entities'

# List all entity names
cat .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json | jq -r '.entities[].name'

# Which entities have versioning?
cat .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json | jq -r '.entities[] | select(.features.versioning != false) | .name'

# Entity with most fields
cat .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json | jq '.entities | max_by(.fields) | .name'

6. File Count Tracking

See how much code was generated:

# Total files generated
cat .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json | jq '[.generated[].files] | add'

# Files by category
cat .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json | jq '.generated | to_entries | map({key: .key, value: .value.files})'

Blueprint Hash Algorithm

Radish uses SHA-256 hashing with the first 16 characters for compact representation:

import crypto from 'crypto';

function generateBlueprintHash(blueprintContent) {
  return crypto
    .createHash('sha256')
    .update(blueprintContent)
    .digest('hex')
    .substring(0, 16); // First 16 chars (64 bits)
}

Why first 16 characters?

64-bit hash space (16^16 = 2^64)
Astronomically low collision probability
Compact representation in manifests
Sufficient for change detection

Git Integration

Commit Manifests with Generated Code

# Regenerate after blueprint changes
radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json

# Review changes (manifests show blueprint hash update)
git diff .radish/MANIFEST.json .radish/lib/datalayer/MANIFEST.json

# Commit blueprint + manifests + generated code together
git add blueprints/ .radish/
git commit -m "feat: add Product entity"

Benefits in Code Review

Minimal diff - Only 2 manifest files change on blueprint edits (vs 300+ file headers)
Clear intent - Blueprint hash change shows blueprint was modified
Metadata visible - Entity counts, file counts show scope of changes
Verification - Reviewers can verify hash matches blueprint

Example Git Diff

When you modify a blueprint, git diff shows:

diff --git a/.radish/MANIFEST.json b/.radish/MANIFEST.json
--- a/.radish/MANIFEST.json
+++ b/.radish/MANIFEST.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   "blueprints": {
     "types": {
       "path": "blueprints/app.types.json",
-      "hash": "sha256:89f21a4b2c3d4e5f",
+      "hash": "sha256:7a8b9c0d1e2f3a4b",
       "lastModified": "2026-03-11T12:45:00.000Z"

Clean, minimal change showing blueprint was modified.

Available CLI Commands

The following manifest-related commands are available in v0.6.0+:

`radish-cli verify` ✅ Available

Automated blueprint verification:

# Basic verification
radish-cli verify

# Output if up to date:
# ✅ types: Up to date (sha256:89f21a4b)
#
# Blueprint: blueprints/app.types.json
# Generated: 2 hours ago

# Output if blueprint changed:
# ⚠️  types: Blueprint has changed
#   Current:  sha256:7a8b9c0d
#   Manifest: sha256:89f21a4b
#
# Regenerate: radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json

# Verbose mode
radish-cli verify --verbose

Exit codes:

0 - Generated code matches blueprint
1 - Generated code out of sync with blueprint

`radish-cli info` ✅ Available

Display manifest information:

# Human-readable output
radish-cli info

# Output:
# 📦 Radish CLI v0.6.0
# Project: my-app
#
# Blueprints:
#   types: blueprints/app.types.json (sha256:89f21a4b)
#
# Layers:
#   ✅ Datalayer v1.0.0
#      - 12 entities (3 builtin, 9 custom)
#      - 318 generated files
#      - Blueprint: blueprints/app.types.json (sha256:89f21a4b)
#
# Last generated: 2 hours ago

# JSON output for scripting
radish-cli info --json

# Extract specific fields
radish-cli info --json | jq '.radishVersion'
radish-cli info --json | jq '.blueprints.types.hash'

Future Enhancements

The following commands are planned for v0.7+:

`radish-cli compare <env>`

Compare manifests across environments:

radish-cli compare staging

# Output:
# Comparing local vs staging.example.com/.radish/MANIFEST.json
#
# ⚠️  Blueprint hash mismatch:
#     Local:   sha256:89f21a4b
#     Staging: sha256:1a2b3c4d
#
# Entities changed:
#   + Product (new)
#   ~ User (modified - 2 new fields)
#   - Category (deleted)

Best Practices

DO:

✅ Commit manifests with generated code
✅ Check manifest hash after regeneration
✅ Use manifests for debugging generation issues
✅ Review manifest diffs in pull requests
✅ Validate manifests in CI/CD pipelines

DON'T:

❌ Manually edit manifest files
❌ Ignore manifest hash mismatches
❌ Delete manifests (regenerate will recreate them)
❌ Rely on file headers for blueprint hashes (headers are for humans, manifests are for tools)

Troubleshooting

Manifest file missing

Cause: Generated with older CLI version (< 0.6.0)

Solution: Regenerate with latest CLI:

npm update -g radish-cli
radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json

Hash mismatch after blueprint edit

Cause: Blueprint modified but code not regenerated

Solution: Regenerate:

radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json

Wrong entity counts in manifest

Cause: Regeneration error or partial generation

Solution: Clean and regenerate:

rm -rf .radish/
radish-cli create datalayer . --schema blueprints/app.types.json

Generated Code Overview - Complete generated structure
CLI Reference - Command-line options
Blueprint Reference - Blueprint syntax

Overview​

Top-Level Manifest​

Structure​

Fields​

Datalayer Manifest​

Structure​

Fields​

Use Cases​

1. Verify Generated Code Matches Blueprint​

2. Debug Regeneration Issues​

3. CI/CD Validation​

4. Compare Environments​

5. Entity Overview​

6. File Count Tracking​

Blueprint Hash Algorithm​

Git Integration​

Commit Manifests with Generated Code​

Benefits in Code Review​

Example Git Diff​

Available CLI Commands​

radish-cli verify ✅ Available​

radish-cli info ✅ Available​

Future Enhancements​

radish-cli compare <env>​

Best Practices​

DO:​

DON'T:​

Troubleshooting​

Manifest file missing​

Hash mismatch after blueprint edit​

Wrong entity counts in manifest​

Related Documentation​

Overview

Top-Level Manifest

Structure

Fields

Datalayer Manifest

Structure

Fields

Use Cases

1. Verify Generated Code Matches Blueprint

2. Debug Regeneration Issues

3. CI/CD Validation

4. Compare Environments

5. Entity Overview

6. File Count Tracking

Blueprint Hash Algorithm

Git Integration

Commit Manifests with Generated Code

Benefits in Code Review

Example Git Diff

Available CLI Commands

`radish-cli verify` ✅ Available

`radish-cli info` ✅ Available

Future Enhancements

`radish-cli compare <env>`

Best Practices

DO:

DON'T:

Troubleshooting

Manifest file missing

Hash mismatch after blueprint edit

Wrong entity counts in manifest

Related Documentation