alis define

Compile a service's .proto files in its product's definitions repo into a new definition version, and generate language packages.

Synopsis

❯ alis define [<package-id>] [flags]

Description

By default the command waits for the operation to finish, streaming progress to stderr and printing the result to stdout. The service is addressed by package ID, for example acme.shop.orders.v1, which maps to the service folder orders/v1 in the definitions repo. The package ID may be omitted inside the service's directory.

The define uses the latest pushed commit of the definitions repo; pass --commit to pin an earlier, reviewed commit. --install runs alis packages install for the service once the define succeeds, so generated Go, Node, Python, Dart, .NET, Swift and Rust packages are immediately usable.

--dry-run validates the service's local .proto files, uncommitted edits included, with the same protoc and dependency resolution as a define. Problems are reported with file, line and column. Nothing is defined. It also catches a package statement that does not match the service folder, which a define silently skips. It exits non-zero when there are errors.

Flags

Flag	Type	Default	Meaning
--async	bool	false	Start the operation and print its name without waiting.
--commit <sha>	string	latest commit	Definitions-repo commit to define.
--dry-run	bool	false	Validate the local .proto files (including uncommitted edits) without defining.
--install	bool	false	After a successful define, install the defined version into the service's packages.
--install-language <lang>	string		With --install, limit to one language: go, node, python, dart, dotnet, swift or rust.
--poll-interval <duration>	duration	2s	How often to poll the operation.
--timeout <duration>	duration	0	Give up waiting after this duration (0 = wait indefinitely; the operation keeps running).

Plus the global flags.

Examples

Shell

alis define acme.shop.orders.v1 --dry-run --json
alis define acme.shop.orders.v1 --json --install
alis define --json --install --install-language go
alis define acme.shop.orders.v1 --json --async

JSON output

The final operation on stdout, following the output contract. Define-specific failure detail appears under errorDetails (the first 40 lines).

--dry-run --json returns valid, diagnostics[] (severity, file, path, line, column, message) and git (uncommitted files, unpushed commits, the commit a define would use). Offline, only local checks run and the error envelope carries them under error.details with compiled: false.

Notes

• Do not inspect protos through runtime reflection in service code; if generated types look stale, re-run define and alis packages install.
• define is a mutating-class command under the automation tiers. See Exit codes.