Cache
zetl uses mtiame-based incremental caching for both the Link Graph and the Reasoning Engine’s theory. On subsequent runs, only files modified since the last scan are re-parsed.
How it works
The cache lives in .zetl/ at the vault root:
index.json — serialised link graphtheory.json — serialised reasoning theory and conclusions
Each entry records the file’s last-modified timestamp. When zetl starts, it compares mtimes and only re-scans changed files. Use --no-cache to force a full rebuild.
(given mtime-based-cache)
(given incremental-rebuild)
Design tension
There is an unresolved design tension in how aggressively to cache reasoning results:
; Cache the theory for fast startup
(normally r-cache-theory
mtime-based-cache
cache-reasoning-results)
; But recomputing ensures results are always fresh
(normally r-recompute-theory
incremental-rebuild
(not cache-reasoning-results))
Both arguments have merit. Try zetl reason conflicts on this vault to see how zetl surfaces this kind of tension. A future Plugin System could let users configure the trade-off.
Safety