PluralPort - draft v0.1
A shared file format for plurality apps.
Most plurality apps store the same kinds of data: members, systems, fronting history, custom fields, and notes. The problem is that they don’t agree on the shape. PluralPort gives apps one common export and import format, instead of a pile of one-off converters.
{
"pluralport_version": "0.1",
"producer": { "app_id": "sheaf" },
"members": [
{
"id": "01J8Z9...",
"name": "wren",
"pronouns": "they/them",
"privacy": { "level": "trusted" },
"source_refs": [
{ "app": "sheaf", "id": "mem_4482" }
],
"extensions": { "sheaf": { "tint": 3 } }
}
],
"warnings": []
}Apps keep their own model
PluralPort is a format, not a schema rewrite. Apps keep their internal structure and agree on the export shape.
Modules can be partial
Importers don't have to support everything. capabilities.modules tells you what a file contains.
Nothing gets silently lost
Original IDs stay in source_refs, and app-specific fields live in namespaced extensions.
What the problem looks like
There are a lot of plurality apps, and most of them store the same basic things: systems, members, fronting history, custom fields, and notes. But they do not store them in the same shape. The result is a lot of one-off conversions, and a lot of places where data gets lost, guessed, or silently reshaped.
PluralPort is a common format for exports and imports. It is not a new app and not a service. It is a shared file shape that lets apps move data without rebuilding the same conversion logic over and over.
Where it stands
A few app maintainers have expressed interest, and the draft is already being checked against real-world app data rather than abstract examples. The current version is draft v0.1: early enough to change, but concrete enough to test.
A few open questions still matter:
- Whether the fronting model covers the edge cases apps actually hit.
- Which optional modules belong in the first version and which should wait.
- Whether the extension namespaces are flexible enough for app-specific fields that haven’t been invented yet.