Packages

Packages

A package is a directory with a zinc.pkg.yaml manifest.

Zinc installs the package root, reads the manifest, and exposes two things:

1. package-owned surfaces
2. package-owned material reachable through zinc://

Manifest

name: openai-responses
about: OpenAI Responses model package.
uri: git+https://github.com/darkhorseprojects/darkhorseprojects-packages.git@openai-responses-v0.4.4//openai-responses

neighbors:
  unix-bash: "0.2.4"

surfaces:
  responses:
    about: Produce model text and requested named outputs.
    python: surfaces/responses.py

The package version comes from the URI tag. Do not include version in the manifest.

neighbors

neighbors records package relationships for inspection.

zn pkg neighbors
zn pkg neighbors --missing

Example output:

unix-bash -> openai-responses@0.4.4 installed 0.4.4
powershell -> openai-responses@0.4.4 missing

neighbors never triggers installs or updates. Zinc only installs what the user asks it to install, and only updates packages the user asks it to update.

surfaces

surfaces names package-owned entry points.

surfaces:
  bash:
    about: Run one Bash command through package policy.
    python: surfaces/run.py

Zinc invokes a surface by name:

unix-bash.bash
openai-responses.responses
powershell.powershell

See Package Surfaces for the request/response contract.

Navigable package material

Anything else in the manifest can be read through Zinc:

zn read zinc://packages/openai-responses/manifest/neighbors
zn read zinc://packages/openai-responses/manifest/surfaces/responses

Package files are also reachable:

zn read zinc://packages/openai-responses/files/surfaces/responses.py

Zinc records the installed package root and URI. It does not copy every package file into the database.