Message Version Bundle Builder

Package a canonical message and nine reviewed context versions into a strict, verifiable bundle.

Try it

Python 3.11+. Run from this checkout:

python -m pip install -e .
message-version-bundle-builder --message-file examples/canonical_message.json --levels-file examples/levels.txt --output output/versions.json

Input: One canonical message and nine explicitly authored context versions.

Result: One JSON bundle contains levels 0–9 and freshly calculated character counts. Level 0 is required to match the canonical message exactly.

Read the complete generated bundle alongside the canonical message and authored levels. The recorded run gives the command and counts.

How it works

Strict level parsing and canonical identity checks make the bundle independently verifiable; explicit fill-forward is available when a reviewed semantic floor is reached.

Source: message_version_bundle/builder.py, examples/levels.txt.

Use it for your work

Replace the two sample input files with your reviewed message and versions. Existing output is refused unless --force is explicit; inspect the CLI help for accepted text markers and JSON forms.

Scope

This tool packages versions; it does not generate summaries or prove semantic equivalence. Missing levels fail by default. --fill-missing repeat-last explicitly fills gaps with the preceding text; duplicate or invalid keys always fail.

Owned code is available under the MIT license.

The format and its meaning

Level 0 is copied exactly from the canonical JSON message string. Levels 1–9 come from the supplied file; this tool does not assign a meaning or compression ratio to a level. The example deliberately repeats its final text: a shorter lens has reached its authored floor. Character counts measure Python string characters, not tokens, bytes, or semantic fidelity.

Levels may use --- 1 --- text markers, a JSON object keyed by "1" through "9", or that object under levels or versions. JSON values are strings or objects containing a string message; any supplied char_count is recalculated. JSON preserves exact whitespace; marker bodies trim surrounding whitespace. An optional supplied level 0 must equal the canonical string. Ambiguous keys such as "01", unknown keys, duplicate members and non-text messages fail instead of disappearing silently.

The writer stages UTF-8 JSON without a BOM beside the destination, then replaces it. An existing file requires --force; that option is a deliberate overwrite, not a merge. The bundler is a historical workbench extraction; the stricter parser and complete worked output are public continuation work. It can feed a context consumer such as Agent Chatroom Ledger, but has no runtime dependency on that project. Automatic semantic review is an optional future integration, not implemented here.