Why are there components at the top of a repo?
Question
Why are there mesh node components like _meta/, _node-handle/, and _assets/ at the top level of a repository? Shouldn't components only be inside nodes?
Answer
Components at the repository root exist because the repository root itself is a mesh node - specifically, it's the root node of the mesh.
Repository Root = Mesh Root Node
Every semantic mesh has a root node, and in a repository-based mesh, the repository root is that root node. It's a "nameless" node locally (represented as "/") that can be any type of mesh node:
- bare node: If the repo organizes other nodes
- data node: If the repo represents a single dataset
- Reference node: If the repo represents an external entity
Since the repository root is a mesh node, it follows the same rules as any other node and must contain:
_meta/: corresponds to the metadata flow with administrative metadata for the root node_node-handle/: corresponds to node handle for referential indirection
The root node may contain other components: Depending on the root node type (e.g., _ref/ for reference nodes, _data/ for versioned datasets)
Consistency Principle
This maintains architectural consistency: every mesh node has the same structure and capabilities, whether it's nested deep in the hierarchy or at the repository root. The root node isn't special - it's just the top-level node in the mesh hierarchy.
Mesh Self-Containment
This design also supports the principle that any subtree is a complete mesh. The repository root, being a proper mesh node with all its components, ensures the entire repository is a self-contained, functional semantic mesh.
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