Dagger Design Proposals

Guidelines for writing design proposals for Dagger features.

Before Writing

Always research first:

1. Check relevant internal docs, such as internal-docs/dagger-codegen.md, for context
2. Look at related code in the Dagger codebase:
   • GraphQL schema: core/schema/*.go
   • CLI commands: cmd/dagger/*.go
   • Core types: core/*.go
3. For public API or workspace proposals, read internal-docs/version-gating.md
4. Understand existing patterns before proposing new ones

Structure

# Part N: Title

*Builds on [Part N-1: Title](link)*

## Table of Contents
- [Problem](#problem)
- [Solution](#solution)
- [Core Concept](#core-concept)
- [CLI](#cli)
- [Status](#status)

## Problem

Numbered, concise limitations:

1. **Short title** - One sentence explanation.
2. **Short title** - One sentence explanation.

## Solution

One paragraph summary.

## Core Concept

GraphQL type definitions with inline docstrings:

```graphql
"""
Type description here.
"""
type Example {
  """Method description."""
  method(arg: String!): Result!
}
```

Go for implementation examples:

```go
func New(ws dagger.Workspace) *Example {
    // ...
}
```

## CLI

Real command examples:

```bash
$ dagger command --flag
OUTPUT
```

## Status

One line.

---

- Previous: [Part N-1](link)
- Next: [Part N+1](link) or "Part N+1: Title (coming soon)"

Style

• Concise - Trust the reader. Remove fluff.
• Tables - Use for comparisons.
• GraphQL for APIs - Type definitions, not Go interfaces.
• Go for implementation - Examples showing how modules use the API.
• Real examples - go-toolchain, node-toolchain, not abstract Foo/Bar.
• Less is more - Remove sections when challenged.

What to Avoid

• Separate "Methods" sections (use GraphQL docstrings)
• "Design Rationale" sections unless specifically valuable
• "Open Questions" that aren't real blockers
• Go for type definitions (use GraphQL)
• Layout examples that might confuse
• Over-explaining

Process

1. Gists as source of truth - Publish early, iterate in gist
2. Link parts together - Previous/Next at bottom, "Builds on" at top
3. Each part stands alone - But builds on previous
4. Iterate quickly - User feedback drives changes

Iterating with User

When you have clarifying questions or notes:

1. List them first - Present a high-level numbered list of all questions/notes
2. One at a time - Walk through each item individually, waiting for user response
3. Don't dump - Never present all questions with full details at once

Codebase References

When writing proposals, reference actual Dagger code:

Example: To understand how Host.findUp works before proposing Workspace.findUp:

# Find the schema definition
grep -r "findUp" core/schema/host.go

# Find the implementation
grep -r "FindUp" core/host.go

Publishing

# Create new gist
gh gist create file.md --desc "Dagger Design: Part N - Title" --public

# Update existing gist
gh gist edit GIST_ID file.md

# Post changelog comment (always do this after updates)
gh api --method POST /gists/GIST_ID/comments -f body="## Changelog
- Change 1
- Change 2"

Always post a changelog comment after updating a gist with significant changes.

Related Skills

Check for other Dagger skills that may help with research:

• engine-debugging - Engine debugging workflows, trace inspection, cache snapshots
• internal-docs/dagger-codegen.md - SDK codegen, templates, bindings
• internal-docs/version-gating.md - schema views and public API version gates
• internal-docs/ - Cache and engine implementation references