Runtime frontends

A frontend is any interface that lets a user or tool interact with Codepot.

Examples include:

• terminal commands;
• an editor extension;
• a web application;
• an MCP server;
• a desktop tool;
• an internal developer portal;
• a programmatic Node.js integration.

The boundary

A frontend may decide how to collect input, show progress, visualize a plan, or ask for confirmation.

It should not independently decide:

• how contracts compile;
• how template variables resolve;
• which paths are safe;
• how manifests classify ownership;
• when cleanup is allowed;
• how diagnostics are structured.

codepotx-cli as proof

codepotx-cli contains parser, runtime loader, event subscription, presenter, and exit-code behavior. It delegates domain work to codepotx/runtime.

That separation is the model for future JavaScript web, editor, and MCP clients.

Final platform frontends

The Rust platform follows the same principle:

• the codepot CLI uses compiler and analysis crates;
• the LSP uses the persistent analysis host and editor-neutral providers;
• the VS Code extension remains a thin client;
• future web and MCP integrations should reuse stable runtime and semantic artifacts.