javascript-runtime-reconciliation.md

JavaScript static/runtime reconciliation

REA can combine an existing static JavaScript Application Graph with one or more passive browser, Electron page, or Node/Electron V8 Inspector captures without collapsing their different authorities. The reconcile_javascript_runtime MCP tool and rea reconcile-javascript-runtime CLI command accept Evidence records and return derived Evidence containing a combined JavaScript Application Graph and explicit match, ambiguity, mismatch, and unknown classifications.

The operation performs no filesystem, browser, or Electron I/O. It accepts only semantically verified Evidence produced by analyze_javascript_application, inspect_web_page, inspect_electron_page, or observe_javascript_runtime; matching operation names alone is insufficient. Provider identity, predicate type, subject digest, target parameters, and normalized-result schemas are checked before reconciliation.

Workflow

1. Run analyze_javascript_application against exactly one application layer. Optional cache or assets directories can be analyzed independently and supplied as additional layers.
2. Run inspect_web_page, inspect_electron_page, or the attach-only observe_javascript_runtime. Capturing script sources is optional, but an approved source capture provides the strongest byte identity.
3. Pass the resulting Evidence records to reconcile_javascript_runtime. Browser URLs normally need an explicit URL-prefix mapping. Extracted Electron and V8 Inspector file locations are mapped automatically when runtime files remain beneath the analyzed input root; relocated files, ASAR projections, caches, and asset roots need explicit mappings.

The MCP input has this shape; the analysis and runtime_observations values are complete Evidence objects, not only evidence IDs:

{
  "static_layers": [
    {
      "role": "application",
      "analysis": "ANALYZE_JAVASCRIPT_APPLICATION_EVIDENCE",
      "runtime_mappings": [
        {
          "kind": "url-prefix",
          "prefix": "https://example.test/assets/",
          "artifact_prefix": "dist"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "runtime_observations": ["INSPECT_WEB_PAGE_EVIDENCE"]
}

static_layers requires exactly one application role and permits additional cache and assets roles. A file-root mapping translates a canonical runtime filesystem root to an artifact-relative prefix. A url-prefix mapping does the same for one exact HTTP(S) origin and path prefix. Mappings cannot add CDP origins, broaden Electron roots, read files, or authorize source-map access; they are caller-declared inference inputs applied only to already-authorized locations.

The one-shot CLI accepts either a JSON file path or the same JSON inline. A file avoids the operating system's command-line size limit for realistic Evidence records:

rea reconcile-javascript-runtime reconciliation-input.json --json

For a repeatable local check from operator-provided paths, build first and run:

npm run verify:javascript-runtime -- \
  --application /absolute/path/to/app \
  --cache /absolute/path/to/cache \
  --runtime-evidence /absolute/path/to/electron-evidence.json \
  --mapping '{"layer":1,"kind":"file-root","root":"/runtime/cache","artifact_prefix":""}'

The verifier analyzes the supplied static paths under a temporary in-process permission policy, reads bounded Evidence JSON files, and prints graph IDs, evidence IDs, paths, digests, counts, reasons, and coverage. It does not print captured source text. --source-map-read-approved remains a distinct explicit approval.

Matching rules

Runtime targets, frames, scripts, and workers become capture-scoped graph nodes. REA evaluates compatible static candidates conservatively:

1. An approved captured-source SHA-256 plus one matching mapped location yields a content-and-location match.
2. One unique exact content digest can match even when no location mapping is available. Whole-asset digests and reconstructed module-factory source digests remain distinguishable in the reported basis.
3. Without captured bytes, one unique mapped artifact path can produce a medium-confidence location match.
4. Multiple candidates remain ambiguous; no observed_as edge is emitted. candidate_static_count reports the full qualified layer/node count, and candidate_static_nodes includes every unique candidate reference.
5. If captured bytes disagree with the static candidate at the mapped path, the result is an explicit mismatch. A path never overrides a digest disagreement.
6. Missing authorization mappings and incomplete or truncated input coverage remain unknown or truncated rather than becoming absence claims.

Every successful cross-layer observed_as edge has authority: cross-layer-reconciliation and state: inferred. The underlying artifact/AST observations and passive-CDP observations remain unchanged and retain their own Evidence links.

Loaded, resident, and not observed

Static JavaScript assets, chunks, and modules receive a separate load-state classification:

• loaded means an accepted runtime script correspondence was found, using exact bytes or one unique mapped location;
• resident-in-loaded-asset means a containing asset was observed, but the embedded module was not independently observed or shown to execute;
• not-observed-in-capture means the entity did not appear in the complete authorized captures supplied to this call and its artifact path falls beneath an exercised automatic or operator-declared mapping prefix;
• unknown covers incomplete captures, layers outside runtime scope, and unresolved correspondence. Nodes outside a mapped artifact prefix stay unknown even when another prefix in the same static layer was observed.

None of these states proves feature execution, initialization order, reachability, or causality. In particular, not-observed-in-capture never means globally unloaded.

Frames, workers, and source maps

Passive inspection retains the execution-context frame ID supplied by CDP for each accepted script. Electron captures also inventory authorized worker, service-worker, and shared-worker targets, including bounded opener-target and parent-frame relationships. These fields improve attribution while preserving the original exact-origin or canonical-root filter.

V8 Inspector observations expose execution-context IDs but no authenticated frame relationship, so their scripts attach to the exact runtime target in the combined graph. They never supply source bytes, require/import caller edges, EventEmitter activity, Electron IPC, or script-unload evidence. A unique authorized file or URL location can still correlate script presence with a static asset, but it does not prove module initialization or feature execution.

Source-map declarations and approved original-source reads stay under static source-map authority. They are reported in source_map_authority but never used as primary runtime byte matches. A source name or sourcesContent digest is not silently equated with the generated bytes observed by CDP.

Bounds and determinism

The workflow does not impose aggregate count caps on static layers, passive captures, runtime entities, reconciliation items, static load states, runtime mapping declarations, or candidate references. These collections remain subject to the structural validation applied to each Evidence record and application graph; passive observation returns all in-window collection items that pass per-value validation. Reconciliation reports zero omitted items when it projects the complete supplied inputs. Static JavaScript analysis can still report its own bounded AST coverage as partial or truncated.

Layers, captures, nodes, edges, matches, and evidence links are canonically ordered. Repeating the same verified Evidence and mappings produces the same reconciliation, graph, and Evidence identifiers.

Non-goals

Reconciliation does not attach to CDP, fetch scripts or source maps, execute JavaScript, invoke Electron IPC, inspect native add-ons, infer arbitrary URL rewrites, or search the filesystem. It does not replace the older correlate_static_and_runtime investigation tool: that tool records explicit cross-version static/runtime comparison hypotheses, while this operation maps JavaScript runtime instances to static application-graph entities.