Package lifecycle integration

Omega Lisp packages and Matrix-3 packages have separate manifests: manifest.json (Omega) vs matrix.json (Matrix). They cover different concerns, but the metadata model is parallel — once you know one, you can read the other.

Side-by-side: a Lisp package vs a Matrix package

Omega package — `packages/agents/`

json

// manifest.json
{
  "name": "agents",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "description": "Agent delegation with amb-based selection",
  "entry": "lib/agents.lisp",
  "exports": ["agents"],
  "effects": ["agent.spawn.op", "agent.run.op"],
  "requires": []
}

lisp

;; lib/agents.lisp
(define-package "agents"
  :description "Agent delegation with amb-based selection"
  :exports '(agents)
  :effects '(agent.spawn.op agent.run.op)
  :requires '()
  :version "0.1.0"
)

The two MUST stay in sync. The define-package form is the in-language declaration; manifest.json is the load-time metadata used by the package loader.

Matrix package — `projects/matrix-3/packages/agents/`

json

// matrix.json
{
  "name": "@open-matrix/agents",
  "version": "0.1.7",
  "namespace": "system.agents",
  "tier": 1,
  "root": { "type": "AgentsRoot", "export": "AgentsRoot" },
  "components": [
    { "type": "MemoryActor", "mount": "memory", "surface": "headless" },
    { "type": "EmbeddingService", "mount": "embeddings", "surface": "headless" }
  ],
  "exports": ["memory", "embeddings"],
  "storage": { "sqlite": { ... } },
  "permissions": { "fsPolicy": "project-readwrite", ... }
}

How the lifecycles compare

Stage	Omega	Matrix
Build	`pnpm --filter @omega/<name> build`	`pnpm --filter @open-matrix/<name> build`
Install	`(require '<name>)` at REPL or in another package	`matrix install <name>` then `matrix up <name>`
Discover	`:packages`, `:doc`, `:apropos`	`system.registry.list`, `system.catalog.search`
Mount	implicit on `require` (binds exports into caller's env)	runtime mounts components at declared mounts via `system.runtimes.start`
Unmount	drop the binding	`matrix down <runtime-id>` or `system.runtimes.stop`

Cross-package references

When an Omega Lisp package wants to invoke a Matrix actor (e.g. system.registry), the path is:

The host Matrix actor for the Omega session knows the bus context.
Omega's (effect matrix.invoke.op target op payload) (via the wired EffectBackend) calls RequestReply.execute.
The result is an Omega value the caller can use.

When a Matrix package wants to call an Omega routine, the path is:

The Matrix actor invokes system.agents $eval with the source.
The session's OmegaSandbox evaluates and returns.

Neither model imports the other's package directly. The bridge is always the bus or the sandbox.

Versioning

Omega packages use version in manifest.json and the :version keyword in define-package. Bumps are manual; there's no auto-published registry.

Matrix packages use version in matrix.json and package.json. The tier field (in matrix.json) is a separate organizing concept (tier: 1 for system actors).

Package lifecycle integration ​

Side-by-side: a Lisp package vs a Matrix package ​

Omega package — packages/agents/ ​

Matrix package — projects/matrix-3/packages/agents/ ​

How the lifecycles compare ​

Cross-package references ​

Versioning ​

See also ​