For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at https://flow.jig.md/llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at https://flow.jig.md/llms-full.txt, and this page is available as Markdown at https://flow.jig.md/guide/concepts.md.
FLOW
DocumentationGuidePrerelease

#Concepts and questions

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FLOW's core idea is capability compounding: useful methods become a starting point for further capability. These definitions introduce its boundaries; the linked specifications define exact requirements.

TermMeaningExact or explanatory source
FLOWIndependent package and invocation standardWhy FLOW exists
FlowPackage containing one reusable methodPackage/1
FLOW.mdRequired readable package description and metadataPackage/1
HostConsumer that supplies invocation and local execution policyRun/1
RuntimeProgram or library advancing a method's internal executionThe boundary
Run/1Protocol for one finite process exchangeRun/1
OutcomeMethod-declared result meaning, paired with output dataRun/1
SchemaA declared shape used to validate a portable valueSchema/1
Capability contractExact interface for independently maintained collaboratorsCapability Contract/1
Channel contractExact declared meaning for live messagesChannel Contract/1

#Is FLOW tied to Jig?

No. Jig is one host. FLOW does not require Jig's admission, containment, provider, or persistence model. Another host can implement the public boundary and choose its own local policy.

#Is every Flow executable?

No. A description-only package can share guidance and resources. It needs an implementation before it can perform a Run/1 invocation.

#Does portability mean every host runs every package?

No. A host must support the implementation and the required public interfaces. SDK availability and host support are separate. Missing support must stay visible rather than silently substituting a different method.

#Must a method use an Agent or graph library?

No. Ordinary code can implement a Flow. Agents, Skills, tools, libraries, and graphs are choices inside the method, not mandatory categories in the standard.

#Must I define a capability contract?

No. Formal contracts earn their place when independently maintained consumers need an exact interface. A sophisticated procedure does not automatically need every optional mechanism. Start from the authoring path.

#Do methods bring their own permissions?

A method can describe the interfaces it needs. The receiving host supplies local authority; a declaration does not grant credentials, access, or provider selection rights.

#Does reuse guarantee improvement?

No. Evaluation establishes whether reuse, adaptation, or combination adds usable capability. A portable method can still be wrong or unsuitable for a new setting. Compounding is the ambition, not an automatic property of copying.