Schema as Source of Truth

Sora is schema-first. The TOML schema is the contract for configuration data; source files and generated outputs are projections of that contract.

schema modules
  -> normalized IR
  -> Excel headers
  -> validation
  -> runtime exports
  -> generated language code

This design avoids the common problem where a spreadsheet, a hand-written parser, and runtime code all define slightly different versions of the same data shape.

Consequences

• Field names, types, keys, defaults, references, and validation rules live in schema.
• Excel and CSV files provide values, not a second schema.
• Runtime export formats do not change the data model.
• Language options belong to codegen targets, not to the IR.
• Downstream users can add generators or exporters without changing schema semantics.

The schema can still include editing hints such as comment, parser hints, ranges, and length limits. Those hints are part of the data contract because they affect validation or generated projections.