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docs(decisions): TS/RS namespace isolation direction (LAB-640) - #63

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@27Bslash6 27Bslash6 commented Sep 8, 2026

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Stage-1 keystone of epic LAB-680. Records one direction for TS/RS namespace isolation so the stage-2/3 children have something to build on. Documentation-only ADR — no spec key-format change, no server change, no SDK code change.

The decision

Server-side namespace isolation on the CacheKit SaaS (the allowed_namespaces ACL, per-namespace quotas, the ns:/nsapi: write-space split) is driven entirely by the key prefix, and only cachekit-py emits ns:. So TS/RS SDK namespaces, and interop-mode namespaces, are client-side conventions — everything they write is scoped namespace='default', keyClass='open', mutually read/writable within a tenant.

Chosen: option 2 — document the asymmetry loudly; change no keys.

  • Option 1 (TS/RS adopt ns:) — rejected: cache-key-format change (crypto/protocol gate), key-stability break → billed-miss migration, and it still leaves interop in default.
  • Option 3 (per-key default-namespace server override) — deferred, not foreclosed: net-new server state for a problem option 2 resolves by documentation.

Interop story (AC2): interop keys stay in default by the existing spec pin — tenant isolation comes from authentication, not key parsing. This decision does not change that pin. (Acceptance of interop keys is already live server-side via saas#91; the stale interop-mode.md reject-warning is LAB-646 cleanup.)

AC3: no key-format change ⇒ no orphaned-entry/billed-miss migration to schedule; the crypto/protocol gate does not gate implementation. The isolation gap is accepted as a recorded residual risk, not closed — the safe pattern for hard isolation between non-Python apps is a separate tenant or API key, not a namespace ACL.

Review gate

Ran the expert-panel review (Size M + security) before opening this PR. Surviving findings applied: corrected a mischaracterization of LAB-645 (its nsapi:-blindness / unreachable-endpoint / GLOB-bleed defects stand — not "working as intended"); generalized the rule to all non-Python SDKs (PHP included), not just TS/RS; reconciled the saas#91 interop-validator status; added the Residual-risk section separating the closed documentation defect from the accepted isolation gap; scoped the nsapi: escape hatch to direct-API callers with its opt-in re-key cost.

Ratification

Proposed (accepted on merge). The epic owner's merge of this PR is the decision. If you prefer option 1 or option 3, say so here and the stage-2/3 children (LAB-641/642/643/644/645) are re-pointed to match. Please do not treat this as auto-mergeable — I have not merged it.

Closes LAB-640.

Summary by CodeRabbit

  • Documentation
    • Added an unreleased changelog entry documenting the accepted namespace-isolation decision.
    • Added a decision record describing namespace handling across supported SDKs and direct API access.
    • Clarified that Python SDK and direct API namespaces provide server-side isolation, while TypeScript, Rust, PHP and interoperability namespaces remain client-side conventions.
    • Documented that no server behaviour or key-format changes are included.

Summary

This PR refines the documentation for the TS/RS namespace isolation architecture decision record (ADR) in LAB-640, sharpening the language around what within-tenant isolation guarantees actually exist for SDK-generated cache keys.

Key Changes

Clarified terminology (CHANGELOG.md & namespace-isolation.md):

  • Reframed the isolation boundary as coming from "tenant isolation via authentication" rather than "key parsing," making the security model more precise.
  • Replaced the broad "non-Python apps" framing with the more accurate "unprefixed SDK keys" framing, since the isolation gap is fundamentally about whether a key carries an ns: prefix — not about which SDK/language produced it.

More precise isolation guidance (namespace-isolation.md):

  • Restructured the mitigation section to explicitly enumerate the isolation options that do work:
    • A separate tenant — described as the only unconditional isolation boundary.
    • A namespace-prefixed key (ns: or nsapi:) scoped by allowed_namespaces, which gates both reads and writes via validateNamespaceAccess, providing real within-tenant isolation — but only for prefixed keys, at the noted opt-in re-key/billed-miss cost.
  • Added an explicit callout of approaches that must not be published as isolation: a second API key that still emits unprefixed keys, and the ns:/nsapi: write-space split (which blocks cross-class writes for cache-poisoning defence but leaves reads open, so it is a write-space control rather than read isolation).

Purpose

The changes are documentation-only, with no spec key-format change and no server change. The intent is to prevent readers from misreading "documented" as "fixed," and to avoid publishing ineffective mitigations (like restricting a key to ['default']) as if they provide real isolation.

Record the stage-1 direction for epic LAB-680: server-side namespace
isolation (allowed_namespaces ACL, per-namespace quotas, the ns:/nsapi:
write-space split) is driven only by the key prefix, and only cachekit-py
emits ns:. So TS/RS SDK namespaces and interop-mode namespaces are
client-side conventions, scoped server-side to default/open.

Chooses option 2 (document the asymmetry; no key-format change) over
option 1 (TS/RS adopt ns: — key-stability break, billed-miss migration,
and it still leaves interop in default) and option 3 (per-key
default-namespace server override — deferred, reopenable). Interop keys
stay in default by the existing spec pin (isolation from authentication,
not key parsing). Documentation-only: no spec key-format change, no
server change. Proposed (accepted on merge) — the epic owner's merge is
the ratification.
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Walkthrough

The pull request adds the LAB-640 namespace-isolation decision record and an Unreleased changelog entry. It documents namespace behaviour, client-side conventions, interop semantics, accepted risks, and excluded implementation changes.

Changes

Namespace isolation documentation

Layer / File(s) Summary
Decision record and evaluated alternatives
decisions/namespace-isolation.md
The decision record defines server and SDK namespace behaviour and evaluates rejected namespace-isolation options.
Accepted semantics and interop handling
decisions/namespace-isolation.md
The record documents Python SDK and direct API behaviour, interop handling, authentication scope, shared access, and residual risks.
Follow-up and release documentation
decisions/namespace-isolation.md, CHANGELOG.md
The record defines documentation consequences, follow-up scope, excluded implementation work, and ratification. The changelog records the LAB-640 decision.

Priority: ⬇️ Low

Estimated code review effort: 1 (Trivial) | ~5 minutes

Change: Other

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 61362

The documented namespace decision introduces no runtime or deployment changes, and the accepted residual risks are explicitly recorded.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5
✅ Passed checks (5 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Docstring Coverage ✅ Passed No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 0 functions across 0…
Linked Issues check ✅ Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check ✅ Passed Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Description Check ✅ Passed Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check ✅ Passed The title clearly identifies the documentation change and the TS/RS namespace isolation direction. It matches the main purpose of the pull request.
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  • Commit unit tests in branch lab-640-namespace-isolation-adr

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Actionable comments posted: 4

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Inline comments:
In `@CHANGELOG.md`:
- Line 20: Update the changelog wording to state that tenant isolation comes
from authentication, not key parsing, while preserving the existing spec-pin
context.

In `@decisions/namespace-isolation.md`:
- Line 1: Move the breadcrumb below the document’s top-level # heading in the
namespace isolation decision document so it satisfies markdownlint MD041,
preserving the breadcrumb content and the rest of the document.
- Around line 61-64: Update the namespace-isolation statements to explicitly
scope them to TS/RS SDK-generated keys, and limit the API-key access statement
to unprefixed TS/RS SDK and interop traffic so direct API keys such as nsapi:
are excluded.
- Around line 214-216: Update the namespace-isolation documentation to remove
the claim that nsapi: or a separate API key is a hard data-isolation boundary.
Describe nsapi: as write-space separation and a separate API key only as a
mitigation under the documented shared default-data access model, unless an
explicit per-key authorization guarantee is documented.

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Comment thread decisions/namespace-isolation.md Outdated
… (LAB-640)

- CHANGELOG: "tenant isolation comes from authentication, not key parsing"
  (was "isolation from authentication", which reversed the relationship).
- ADR context: scope the cosmetic-namespace claims to SDK-generated
  (unprefixed) keys, since a TS/RS app could use direct-API nsapi: keys.
- ADR residual risk: stop calling a separate API key / nsapi: a hard data
  isolation boundary. Grounded in saas apps/cache/src/index.ts:
  validateNamespaceAccess gates read+write on the namespace (so a prefixed
  key scoped by allowed_namespaces is real within-tenant isolation), while
  the ns:/nsapi: write-space split gates writes only (reads open to both
  classes). The unconditional boundary is a separate tenant; a second API
  key emitting unprefixed keys shares default and does not isolate.
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