Sync Identity

Sync name, version, description, keywords, displayName, and license fields in workspace package.json files.

Summary

The sync-identity recipe ensures that identity-related fields in each workspace's package.json match the conventions defined in nova.config.json.

It enforces consistent naming, versions that match the project's configured SemVer or CalVer strategy, and (for distributable workspaces with the setting enabled) syncs description, keywords, and displayName from the project-level config.

Why Use This Command?

1. Keeps package names, versions, licenses, and public identity aligned with workspace policy.
2. Shares approved project descriptions and keywords without duplicating them across manifests.
3. Removes identity fields from workspaces where publishing policy says they do not apply.

Requirements

• Node.js runtime — Use a supported Node.js LTS release with the Nova CLI available.
• Project config — Register the workspace and enable recipes.package-json.<workspace>.sync-identity in nova.config.json.
• Workspace manifest — The configured workspace must contain a readable package.json file.

Behavior

For each eligible workspace, the recipe inspects identity fields and applies the following rules. See Workspace Rules for how tags are determined.

• name (Required) — Synced from the workspace manifest name. If the value is not a string or does not match the manifest, it is overwritten.
• version (Required) — A freezable workspace must use the reserved 0.0.0 sentinel. A trackable or distributable workspace must use a non-zero clean numeric SemVer when settings.versionStrategy is "semver", or YYYY.M.MICRO no later than the current UTC month when it is "calver". Before release history exists, the recipe normalizes an invalid value to 0.0.1 for SemVer or the current UTC YYYY.M.0 period for CalVer. Once release history exists, an invalid established version stops the recipe without writing manifests.
• description (Conditional) — Removed if the workspace policy is not distributable. For distributable workspaces with the description setting enabled, the value is synced from project.description.short in nova.config.json. If no description is defined, the field is removed.
• keywords (Conditional) — Removed if the workspace policy is not distributable. For distributable workspaces with the keywords setting enabled, the value is synced from project.keywords in nova.config.json. If no keywords are defined, the field is removed.
• displayName (Conditional) — Removed if the workspace policy is not distributable. For distributable workspaces with the displayName setting enabled, the value is synced from project.name.title in nova.config.json; if the setting is absent, false, or no title is defined, the field is removed. It is an ecosystem field read by Homebridge plugins and VS Code extensions, not part of the npm package.json specification.
• license (Required) — Validated against the SPDX license list. If the value is not a string or not a recognized SPDX identifier, the recipe searches for a LICENSE or LICENSE.md file in the package directory and then the project root. If found, the field is set to SEE LICENSE IN ./path. If no license file is found, the field is set to UNLICENSED.

Settings

Settings are configured per workspace in nova.config.json under the recipes key:

displayName is an ecosystem field read by tools like Homebridge plugins and VS Code extensions — it is not part of the npm package.json spec. Leaving the setting off (or unset) actively removes an existing displayName value rather than leaving it untouched.

Usage

Options