The mmap-vector backend was a 2.x-era accelerator for the JS HNSW read path:
a native provider registered under 'vectorStore:mmap' supplied a single-file
mmap'd vector store, and JsHnswVectorIndex tried it before per-entity storage
reads with lazy write-back migration.
In the 8.0 provider world nothing registers that key — the native plugin's
3.0 line replaces the entire vector index under the 'vector' provider key
(vectors live inside its own index file), and the open-core path never had
an mmap provider. The wiring is unreachable; per the no-unwired-code rule
it goes away:
- src/hnsw/mmapVectorBackend.ts deleted (175 LOC)
- wireMmapVectorBackend() + its init call site removed from brainy.ts
- VectorStoreMmapProvider + VectorStoreMmapInstance contracts removed
from plugin.ts
- JsHnswVectorIndex loses the vectorBackend field, setVectorBackend(),
and the mmap-first branches in getVectorSafe/preloadVectors — the
storage + UnifiedCache path is now the single read path
- tests/unit/hnsw/mmap-vector-backend.test.ts deleted
The 7.x line keeps the wiring and got the capacity-NaN bugfix as 7.31.3
(see the platform handoff mmap thread). EntityIdMapperProvider stays — the
connections codec and the id mapper still implement it.
1403/1403 tests, build clean.
Step 6 of the brainy 8.0 rename scaffolding. Removes every legacy 'hnsw'-
flavoured public name introduced as a compat shim in steps 1-5. The
algorithm-neutral surface is now the only surface.
REMOVED — PHASE A (type aliases)
src/plugin.ts
- Removed `export type HnswProvider = VectorIndexProvider` alias.
- Removed `export type DiskAnnProvider = VectorIndexProvider` alias.
src/index.ts
- Removed `export const HNSWIndex = JsHnswVectorIndex` alias.
src/types/brainy.types.ts
- Removed `BrainyStats.indexHealth.hnsw` field (the new `vector` field
carries the same boolean).
src/brainy.ts
- `stats()` no longer emits the legacy `hnsw` field on `indexHealth`.
REMOVED — PHASE B (storage adapter rename, 8 adapters)
Repo-wide rename: `saveHNSWData` → `saveVectorIndexData` and
`getHNSWData` → `getVectorIndexData` across:
- src/storage/adapters/baseStorageAdapter.ts (abstract declarations)
- src/storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.ts
- src/storage/adapters/gcsStorage.ts
- src/storage/adapters/r2Storage.ts
- src/storage/adapters/s3CompatibleStorage.ts
- src/storage/adapters/azureBlobStorage.ts
- src/storage/adapters/opfsStorage.ts
- src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage.ts
- src/storage/adapters/historicalStorageAdapter.ts
- src/brainy.ts (call sites)
- src/hnsw/hnswIndex.ts + src/hnsw/typeAwareHNSWIndex.ts (call sites)
The default-delegation wrappers added in scaffold step 4 are removed
(would have been duplicate declarations after the rename).
REMOVED — PHASE C (cache category 'hnsw')
src/utils/unifiedCache.ts
- Cache-category union narrowed from
'hnsw' | 'vectors' | 'metadata' | 'embedding' | 'other'
to
'vectors' | 'metadata' | 'embedding' | 'other'
- typeAccessCounts, typeSizes, typeCounts, accessRatios, sizeRatios,
and the fairness-check iterator all drop the 'hnsw' key.
- Per planning § 2.5: pre-8.0 'hnsw' cache entries are an in-memory
category. Cache is rebuildable; entries naturally don't exist after
a restart, so no migration path is needed.
src/hnsw/hnswIndex.ts
- 3 cache.set() call sites migrated from category 'hnsw' to 'vectors'.
- Cache key prefix `hnsw:vector:` → `vector:`.
- typeCounts/typeSizes/typeAccessCounts accessor renames
`.hnsw` → `.vectors`.
tests/unit/utils/unifiedCache-eviction.test.ts
- Test fixtures updated: cache.set(..., 'hnsw', ...) → cache.set(..., 'vectors', ...).
- Stats assertion `stats.typeSizes.hnsw` → `stats.typeSizes.vectors`.
REMOVED — PHASE D (config.hnsw)
src/types/brainy.types.ts
- Removed `BrainyConfig.hnsw` field entirely. The 8.0 surface is
`BrainyConfig.vector.{recall, quantization, vectorStorage, advanced}`.
src/brainy.ts
- normalizeConfig() no longer emits a `hnsw` field on Required<BrainyConfig>.
- setupIndex() rewired:
- Reads from `this.config.vector` (not `this.config.hnsw`).
- Calls `resolveJsHnswConfig(this.config.vector)` to translate the
`recall` preset into M / efConstruction / efSearch knobs (with
`advanced.hnsw` overrides winning when supplied).
- Imports `resolveJsHnswConfig` from './utils/recallPreset.js'.
NOT IN THIS COMMIT (deliberately)
- Persisted file path migration `_system/hnsw-*.json` →
`_system/vector-index-*.json`. Requires dual-read logic on boot
across 8 storage adapters. Per integration doc lines 531-539:
"Reader accepts either spelling on load; writer emits the new spelling
only; brains self-migrate on the next persist after upgrade." This is
a separate body of work and lands in a follow-up commit before 8.0 GA.
- `config.hnswPersistMode` top-level field is unchanged. It's not in
the rename inventory; a future commit can fold it into
`config.vector.persistMode` if desired.
- strictConfig enforcement wiring. The field is accepted by
normalizeConfig() with default 'warn'; the actual warning emission at
knob-mismatch sites lands when the config-resolution layer is touched
for the persisted-path migration.
VERIFICATION
- npx tsc --noEmit: clean
- npm test: 1468 / 1468 unit (one test fixture updated to use the new
category name; assertion still passes after fixture rename)
- npm run build: clean
The 8.0 PR's user-facing surface is now algorithm-neutral end-to-end:
VectorIndexProvider, config.vector.recall, JsHnswVectorIndex,
saveVectorIndexData, 'vectors' cache category, indexHealth.vector,
strictConfig — all standalone. No legacy 'hnsw' name remains in any
public type or method signature.
Step 3 of the brainy 8.0 rename scaffolding. The class name now matches
its role: the JS HNSW implementation of the VectorIndexProvider contract.
Per planning § 2.3: this is NOT cosmetic — leaving HNSWIndex when the
public contract is VectorIndexProvider creates a confusing read at the
implementation layer.
CHANGES
Repo-wide mechanical rename: HNSWIndex → JsHnswVectorIndex across 52
references in src/ + 5 references in tests/ via sed. Class declaration,
imports, JSDoc, comments, and identifiers all updated.
src/index.ts
- Primary public export: JsHnswVectorIndex (the new name).
- Backwards-compat alias: `export const HNSWIndex = JsHnswVectorIndex`
with @deprecated note. Removed in the final 8.0 cleanup commit.
NO-OP scope
No behavioural change. The class is exactly the same; only the name
moved. Tests + build green.
VERIFICATION
- npx tsc --noEmit: clean
- npm test: 1468 / 1468 unit
Brainy 8.0 collapses the vector-index contract to algorithm-neutral names.
"Vector index" describes the role; "HNSW" was the name of one specific
implementation. The role name is what the public contract should carry;
the algorithm name belongs to the concrete class.
This is step 1 of the brainy 8.0 rename scaffolding tracked in handoff
thread BRAINY-8.0-RENAME-COORDINATION § A.1 (cortex shipped the matching
VectorIndexProvider in commit 0e4d637).
CHANGES
src/plugin.ts
- Primary interface name flipped: HnswProvider → VectorIndexProvider.
Same byte-for-byte shape (8 methods, no signatures changed).
- HnswProvider kept as a deprecated type alias so call sites compile
mid-migration. Removed in a later 8.0 commit.
- DiskAnnProvider was already a type alias of HnswProvider; redeclared
as alias of VectorIndexProvider with a deprecation note explaining
the 'diskann' provider key folds into 'vector' in 8.0.
- JSDoc updated to describe the implementation-neutral surface:
Brainy's own JS HNSW + any native acceleration provider both
satisfy it.
src/hnsw/hnswIndex.ts
- Internal class HNSWIndex now declares `implements VectorIndexProvider`
instead of `implements HnswProvider`. Import + class comment updated.
NO-OP scope
No behavioural change. Every existing call site continues to work
because HnswProvider remains as a temporary alias. Tests + build green.
VERIFICATION
- npx tsc --noEmit: clean
- npm test: 1468 / 1468 unit
- npm run build: clean (verified at parent commit 89e4d81; this commit
is type-only so doesn't change dist)
NEXT IN SCAFFOLDING
- Add 'vector' provider key registration alongside 'hnsw' (cache + cortex)
- Add config.vector top-level path alongside config.hnsw with recall preset
- Migrate brainy.ts call sites to the new names
- Rename HNSWIndex class → JsHnswVectorIndex (per planning § 2.3)
- Final cleanup commit: remove HnswProvider alias + config.hnsw + 'hnsw' key
Adds the plugin-side surface for the new billion-scale index option:
- plugin.ts: DiskAnnProvider type alias (mirrors HnswProvider's shape
so cortex's DiskANN wrapper is a drop-in for the 'hnsw' factory).
- coreTypes.ts: HNSWConfig.type ('hnsw' | 'diskann') for explicit
engine selection, plus HNSWConfig.diskann for the build-time tuning
knobs (pqM, pqKsub, maxDegree, searchListSize, alpha, mmap
adjacency).
No algorithm code here — the implementation lives in the cortex
plugin. Brainy without cortex continues to use HNSW exactly as before.
Cortex registers a graph:compression provider exposing `encode`/`decode`
for HNSW connection lists (delta-varint, ~4× smaller edges than the
JSON-UUID-array shape brainy has persisted since the beginning). This
wires the consumer side without changing the saveHNSWData/getHNSWData
adapter signatures.
Architecture:
- NEW ConnectionsCodec (src/hnsw/connectionsCodec.ts) — translates between
UUID-keyed Map<level, Set<UUID>> and a single compact per-node buffer
via the provider + stable EntityIdMapper. Custom wire format:
[count: u8] [[level: u8] [len: u32 LE] [bytes...]]*. One blob per node
regardless of level count, so the storage I/O is identical to the
legacy path (one saveHNSWData call) plus a single saveBinaryBlob.
- HNSWIndex changes — a `connectionsCodec: ConnectionsCodec | null` field
with `setConnectionsCodec()` setter. THREE save sites (deferred flush,
immediate-mode entity persist, immediate-mode neighbor updates) now go
through a single `persistNodeConnections(nodeId, noun)` helper: when the
codec is wired AND the storage adapter exposes saveBinaryBlob, it
encodes the connections, stores them at `_hnsw_conn/<nodeId>`, and
records `connections: {}` in saveHNSWData as the marker. Otherwise the
legacy JSON-array path is taken. TWO load sites use a matching
`restoreNodeConnections` helper that tries loadBinaryBlob first and
falls back to the legacy hnswData.connections field on miss / decode
error. Format convergence is lazy: pre-2.4.0 nodes still load via the
legacy path, then write the compressed form on next dirty save.
- brainy.ts wireConnectionsCodec — runs alongside wireMmapVectorBackend
during init. Activates when (a) the graph:compression provider is
registered and (b) the metadata index exposes its idMapper. Unlike the
mmap-vector backend, this layer engages on EVERY brainy 7.25.0
adapter — the blob primitive itself is universal; only the codec
presence gates activation.
- Provider interface GraphCompressionProvider in plugin.ts — encode +
decode static signatures. Brainy depends on the interface; cortex's
registered { encode: encodeConnections, decode: decodeConnections }
satisfies it structurally.
Tests (1437 total, +4 vs prior tip):
- tests/unit/hnsw/connections-codec.test.ts — 4 unit tests with a JSON
mock provider: single-level round-trip, empty-Map round-trip (one-byte
buffer), multi-level fan-out round-trip, and silent-drop of UUIDs the
decoding idMapper no longer knows. The real cross-language byte
format is exercised when cortex 2.4.0 wires its delta-varint
encode/decode in.
This completes the brainy half of the 2.4.0 storage foundation: stable
ids (#23), mmap vectors (#24), graph link compression (#25), and
column-store interchange (#26). Coordinated release as brainy 7.26.0 +
cortex 2.4.0 follows.
Cortex already registers the vectorStore:mmap provider (its Rust
NativeMmapVectorStore), but brainy has never consumed it — preloadVectors
and getVectorSafe still go straight to storage.getNounVector for every id,
even when an mmap layer is available. This wires the consumer end.
Architecture:
- NEW MmapVectorBackend (src/hnsw/mmapVectorBackend.ts) — bridges brainy's
UUID-keyed vector reads to a int-slot mmap file via the
vectorStore:mmap provider. Slots are addressed by the stable int id
from the post-2.4.0 #1 EntityIdMapper (the foundation this depends on).
Auto-grows the file (doubling) when a write lands beyond capacity, so
HNSWIndex never has to think about sizing. The class never touches
per-entity storage — it owns only the mmap layer.
- HNSWIndex changes — adds a vectorBackend field + a setVectorBackend
setter. The vector read paths (preloadVectors, getVectorSafe) try the
mmap layer first; on a storage fallback hit, they LAZILY write back into
the mmap slot. An upgraded install converges to the zero-copy fast path
under live traffic — no big-bang migration step. The legacy per-entity
path is preserved and still used when no backend is set.
- brainy.ts wiring — a new private wireMmapVectorBackend() runs once
during init, after plugin activation + metadataIndex setup. It activates
the backend only when (a) the vectorStore:mmap provider is registered,
(b) the storage adapter resolves a real local path via
getBinaryBlobPath(), and (c) the metadata index exposes its idMapper.
Cloud adapters return null on (b) and the backend is silently skipped;
HNSWIndex's behaviour is then identical to pre-2.4.0.
- Provider interfaces in plugin.ts — VectorStoreMmapProvider and
VectorStoreMmapInstance document the contract cortex's class fulfils
(the class IS the provider — static factory methods). Brainy depends on
the interfaces, not on cortex; the structural match is verified when
cortex 2.4.0 picks up this brainy release.
Tests (1428 total, +11 vs pre-2.4.0):
- tests/unit/hnsw/mmap-vector-backend.test.ts — 6 unit tests with an
in-memory mock provider. Covers round-trip, batch reads with interleaved
misses, slot stability (no re-slotting on overwrite), file growth without
data loss, idempotent open, and null returns for unwritten slots. The
real perf integration with cortex's NativeMmapVectorStore is exercised
when cortex 2.4.0 wires this in.
- tests/unit/utils/entity-id-mapper-stability.test.ts — moved here from
tests/regression/ (which is NOT in the unit-config include glob, so the
five #23 tests were not actually being run by npm test). The unit
config matches tests/unit/**/*.test.ts.
The 2.4.0 #2 follow-up will be the chunked-segment layout for remote
storage adapters (S3 / R2 / GCS) where a single growing file doesn't fit
immutable objects. For 2.4.0 release: local-FS only.
Native accelerators (cortex) register providers for metadataIndex, graphIndex,
hnsw, entityIdMapper, cache, columnStore, and aggregation. Until now the exact
method/property surface brainy calls on each was implicit — a provider could
drop a member brainy depends on and only fail at runtime when that path ran.
This defines and exports the provider contracts from the stable
@soulcraft/brainy/plugin entrypoint:
- MetadataIndexProvider, GraphIndexProvider, HnswProvider,
EntityIdMapperProvider, CacheProvider — each typed as exactly the surface
brainy calls (optional/feature-detected members like HNSW setPersistMode and
enableCOW are intentionally excluded).
- Re-exports ColumnStoreProvider and AggregationProvider (and the aggregate
types) from the same entrypoint so a plugin author can import the whole
provider surface from one place.
Brainy's own baseline classes now `implements` these contracts
(MetadataIndexManager, GraphAdjacencyIndex, HNSWIndex, EntityIdMapper,
UnifiedCache), so the interfaces can never silently diverge from what brainy
ships — and any provider that declares `implements` gets a compile error the
moment brainy starts requiring a new member.
The embeddings/embedBatch providers stay typed by the existing EmbeddingFunction
(no duplicate interface added). Type-only changes; no runtime behavior change.
Add a write-time incremental aggregation engine that maintains running
totals on every add/update/delete for O(1) read performance. Integrates
into brain.find({ aggregate }) for a unified query API.
Core features:
- AggregationIndex with defineAggregate()/removeAggregate() API
- Five aggregation operations: SUM, COUNT, AVG, MIN, MAX
- GROUP BY with multiple dimensions including time windows
- Time window bucketing: hour, day, week, month, quarter, year, custom
- Materialization of results as NounType.Measurement entities
- Debounced persistence of definitions and state to storage
- Definition change detection via FNV-1a hashing with auto-rebuild
- Infinite loop prevention for materialized entities
- 'aggregation' plugin provider key for native acceleration
- Lazy initialization (created on first defineAggregate() call)
- 73 tests (unit + integration) covering all functionality
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
relate() was setting verb.source = fromEntity.type (a NounType like
"concept") instead of the entity UUID. Cortex's graph index indexes by
verb.source, so lookups by UUID found nothing — causing in-session
reads to return 0 results.
Also fixes:
- PathResolver calling private getIdsFromChunks() → public getIds()
- Plugin auto-detection removed; cortex loads only via explicit config
- GraphVerb types accept number timestamps and sourceId/targetId aliases
- Dead autoDetect() method removed from PluginRegistry
- In-session regression tests added for getRelations after relate()
Fix critical wiring bugs that prevented plugin-provided implementations
from being used at runtime. All CRUD operations, fork/checkout/clear,
batch embedding, neural APIs, and VFS path resolution now properly
dispatch through the plugin registry.
Changes:
- Wire graphIndex to storage for getVerbsBySource() fast path
- Replace instanceof checks with duck-typing (indexIsTypeAware flag)
so plugin HNSW indexes work in add/update/delete/search
- Add createIndex() shared helper for plugin HNSW factory
- Fix fork/checkout/clear to use plugin factories for metadataIndex,
graphIndex, and HNSW instead of hardcoding JS constructors
- Add three-tier embedBatch priority: embedBatch > embeddings > WASM
- Skip WASM warmup/eagerEmbeddings when plugin provides embeddings
- Fix PathResolver metadataIndex access (was looking on storage)
- Use global UnifiedCache in SemanticPathResolver
- Wire plugin distance function through neural APIs
- Add diagnostics() method and CLI command for provider inspection
- Add requireProviders() for production fail-fast assertions
- Add init-time provider summary log
- Add plugin developer documentation (docs/PLUGINS.md)
- Export DiagnosticsResult type