Compatibility and data formats

This is the release contract for MediaTether 1.0.0.

Supported environment

MediaTether supports the Unreal Engine 5.8 Windows 64-bit Editor. The exact package was built and installed with UE 5.8.2 (CL 56702186). It is Editor-only; runtime and packaged-game use are not supported. Image-sequence support depends on Epic’s built-in ImgMedia plugin, which Epic labels Beta in UE 5.8. Optional AI tools use Unreal Toolset Registry/Python only when the user enables those engine plugins; neither is bundled or required for the panel.

Public integration

The exported Blueprint/C++ class UMediaTetherAIEditorLibrary provides StartInventory, GetStatus, CancelOperation, ExportManifest(bAllowPartial), and GetReportPage(Section, Offset, Limit). Its reflected results are FMediaTetherAIStatus, FMediaTetherAIReportPage, and FMediaTetherAIReportItem. The optional Toolset Registry operations are start_inventory, get_status, get_report_page, cancel_operation, and export_manifest.

Within the 1.0.x line, existing names, parameter meanings, and safety behavior remain stable. Compatible releases may add result fields or operations, but will not silently change or remove an existing field or operation. Ignore fields you do not consume. Binary compatibility is not promised across Unreal Engine versions/builds: rebuild for the target UE 5.8 Editor installation.

Persisted data

• Exported report JSON is schema version 1 and identifies pluginName: "MediaTether". It contains plugin/engine versions, run and coverage state, delivery root, source/file rows, and findings. It can include local paths; inspect before sharing.
• Profiles are schema version 1 with maxRecords, deliveryRoot, assets, and sequences (each sequence rule contains assetPath, pattern, start, and end).
• Local Saved/MediaTether/Preferences.json is schema version 1 and stores the last deliveryRoot; it is machine-local rather than a portable project contract.

Readers accept schema version 1 and reject unknown future versions instead of guessing or silently rewriting them. New profile files use a new name; failed writes preserve the existing file. No automatic schema migration is performed. Any future incompatible format must use a new schema version and include an explicit upgrade note. The 1.0.x line keeps schema-1 files readable.

Scope of the guarantee

Version 1.0.0 is the initial compatibility baseline. Breaking public API or data-schema changes require a new major product version and an explicit migration path; compatible additions remain optional. A completed inventory is a filesystem snapshot, not a live/atomic guarantee, playback check, codec validation, or delivery certification.