v0.5.0

• Added PipelineConfig.plugins: an optional list[str] of bare plugin names. The _validate_plugins validator rejects object / inline / tag-override entries and non-identifier names: a plugin is declared by name and resolves to a manifest yaml in the plugins directory.
• Added catalog models in new cuvis_ai_schemas/catalog.py: CatalogPortSpec, CatalogNodeEntry (fully-qualified class_name), and CatalogPluginEntry (from_manifest_entry): the static node catalog the server reads to populate the palette without importing any plugin Python. dtype is permissive (empty string = generic-tensor marker, mapped to D_TYPE_UNSPECIFIED); category / tags are plain strings so newer readers degrade gracefully. CatalogNodeEntry.class_name is validated as a fully-qualified dotted path of Python identifiers, so malformed forms such as pkg., .Node, or pkg..Node are rejected on both the authoring and server-load paths.
• Added the plugin-config contract here so schemas is the single source of truth (cuvis-ai-core drops its fork): _BasePluginConfig gains an optional package_name author override, and PluginConfig = GitPluginConfig | LocalPluginConfig is exported. provides carries CatalogNodeEntry items directly, so the install list and the node catalog are the same list.
• Breaking (proto): renamed LoadPluginsResponse.loaded_plugins → registered_plugins (wire tag 1 retained). Reflects register-only LoadPlugins in cuvis-ai-core: entries are registered as catalog metadata, not installed; materialisation moves to LoadPipeline via the pipeline's plugins: field. Regenerated the Python stubs.
• Added an internal RunRuntime service section to cuvis_ai.proto (parent ↔ child runtime). Private InitializeSession hands the child its parent-owned session id, search paths, the resolved plugin dict, and FS paths; the parent forwards LoadPipeline / LoadPipelineWeights / RestoreTrainRun / Inference / Train / CloseSession, the persistence + introspection RPCs (SavePipeline, SaveTrainRun, GetPipelineInputs / GetPipelineOutputs / GetPipelineVisualization, SetTrainRunConfig, GetTrainStatus), StopRun (graceful cancel with a grace window), and HealthCheck. Reuses the public message types; the public CuvisAIService surface is untouched. Regenerated stubs via buf generate.
• Breaking (proto): a node port now maps to exactly one PortSpec. Added bool variadic to the PortSpec message, removed the PortSpecList message, and changed NodeInfo.input_specs / NodeInfo.output_specs from map<string, PortSpecList> to map<string, PortSpec>. Regenerated the Python stubs.
• Added PortSpec.variadic (default False) to the dataclass and CatalogPortSpec.variadic; variadic marks an input port for fan-in (the node receives a list) and is honored for input ports only. extensions/ui/port_display.py surfaces a [Variadic] tooltip tag.
• Changed PortSpec.is_compatible_with to take a single PortSpec (dropped the PortSpec | list[PortSpec] overload) and CatalogNodeEntry.input_specs / output_specs to dict[str, CatalogPortSpec]; removed the single-spec→list coercion.
• Collapsed plugin manifests so provides carries the node list directly (class_name = fully-qualified class), and restricted pipeline plugins: to bare manifest names.
• Tightened ConnectionConfig source / target validation to reject empty node or port segments (e.g. .outputs.port or node.outputs.), not just the wrong-arity case.
• Pinned dependency floors (pydantic>=2.12.5, pyyaml>=6.0.3; uv.lock in sync) and added a dep_compat workflow that audits the floors against the shared cuvis-ai-core audit script.

What's Changed

• schemas: plugins field, catalog models, RunRuntime proto, single-spec ports by @nghorbani in #19

Full Changelog: v0.4.1...v0.5.0