Author an Application Manifest V4

The manifest is the strict document you keep in the repository. It describes what Liskov may build and run. Liskov resolves server-owned facts—such as the exact artifact version and launch evidence—into an immutable effective policy.

A new Manifest V4 import or publication is refused with v4_publication_disabled. Existing V4 Applications keep running until they are retired, and this page is a historical reference for stored V4 records. To author a new Application, or to republish an existing one, write a retained Application Manifest V5 instead. Unknown fields and unsupported capabilities fail closed.

Historical starter manifest

.liskov/application-manifest.json

{
  "schema": "proof.liskov.application-manifest",
  "schemaVersion": 4,
  "applicationId": "status-worker",
  "metadata": {
    "appType": "background-worker",
    "description": "Checks an external service and records its status"
  },
  "release": {
    "mode": "build",
    "artifact": {
      "kind": "ipfs_bundle",
      "encryption": { "mode": "none" }
    },
    "builder": {
      "kind": "github",
      "repository": "OWNER/REPOSITORY",
      "allowedRefs": ["refs/heads/main"],
      "workflowRef": "OWNER/REPOSITORY/.github/workflows/liskov.yml@refs/heads/main",
      "manifestPath": ".liskov/application-manifest.json"
    }
  },
  "runtime": {
    "engine": "nodejs",
    "command": "node app.cjs",
    "requiredModules": ["network"],
    "resources": {
      "memoryMiB": 256,
      "storageMiB": 256,
      "networkRequestQuota": 1000
    }
  },
  "deployment": {
    "parallelism": 1,
    "schedule": { "durationMs": 3600000 },
    "placement": {
      "processorSelection": { "mode": "open_market" }
    },
    "lifecycle": {
      "renewal": { "mode": "after_scheduled_end" },
      "update": {
        "timing": "immediate",
        "existingJobs": { "mode": "run_until_scheduled_end" }
      },
      "recovery": {
        "launch": { "maxRetries": 5 },
        "runtimeFailure": { "mode": "wait_until_scheduled_end" }
      }
    },
    "spend": {
      "maxServiceCreditMicrosPerGeneration": 5000000
    }
  },
  "observability": {
    "logs": { "enabled": true },
    "runtimeDiagnostics": { "signed": true }
  },
  "configuration": {
    "variables": [
      {
        "name": "API_ENDPOINT",
        "required": true,
        "default": "https://example.com/api",
        "managed": true
      }
    ],
    "secrets": [
      {
        "secretId": "api-token",
        "required": true,
        "destination": { "kind": "env", "name": "API_TOKEN" }
      }
    ]
  }
}

The stored example uses the former V4 capability set: one open-market job, a fixed duration, renewal after scheduled end, immediate successor updates while old jobs run to end, bounded launch retries, and no runtime replacement before scheduled end.

maxServiceCreditMicrosPerGeneration is a maximum authority of 5,000,000 micros, or USD 5.00 in Service Credits, for one slot generation. It is not the quoted or final price.

Validate, then review the digests

proof liskov application manifest validate \
  --file .liskov/application-manifest.json

Local validation can still return an authoredDigest for the exact authored content and a releaseIntentDigest for normalized builder/release authority. Stored publications have a separate policyDigest for the immutable effective policy. These values have different meanings; do not copy one into another.

Validation proves the document is structurally and semantically acceptable. It does not prove your organization is entitled to every valid field, that an artifact exists, or that enough Service Credits are available. Validating a V4 document does not reopen import, publication preflight, or publication.

Avoid gated fields in recipes

The V4 type system also represents features that are not in the first public capability set, including parallelism above one, manager/static processor selection, placement groups, topology constraints, automatic renewal lead, runtime replace-after-failure, and general ingress. Do not add them because they appear in a schema. See Capabilities and limits before using an unfamiliar field.

The exact field tables, defaults, bounds, and cross-field rules live in the Manifest V4 reference.