Path framework registry

Distributable Path frameworks, installable via the Path: Add framework command from any Path installation.

How it works

A user runs Path: Add framework, picks a framework from the index, and Path downloads each declared file into their space. No manual copying, no hand-encoding YAML.

Framework vs Path — the mental model

A Framework is the externally-defined standards: HCPC publishes the CPD standards, AdvanceHE publishes PSF, UoL publishes the TSPP descriptors. The framework is the what — the rules of the game.

A Path is your specific instance of pursuing recognition under that framework. It has a status, a target date, your own claims, your own timeline. The Path is the who and when — you, this attempt, this cycle.

A bundle in this registry installs both:

• Framework files (standards/<slug>.md, criteria/<slug>-*.md) — shared documentation; criterion pages query claims by framework, not by Path slug, so they're reusable across multiple Path instances.
• A Path scaffold (paths/<slug>.md, paths/<slug>-coverage.md) — a starter Path tied to that framework, ready for the user to edit.

Most users have one Path per framework and never think about the distinction. But the architecture supports more:

• A user re-applying after a failed attempt creates a second Path against the same framework — the criterion pages and standards stay shared; only the new paths/ scaffold is added.
• A user starting a new revalidation cycle creates a fresh dated Path (hcpc-cpd-2026, hcpc-cpd-2028); the framework files are not re-installed.

The Path scaffold in each bundle is just a starter. Users can rename, duplicate, or branch it. The framework files are stable across instances.

Repo layout

path-frameworks/
├── index.json           Registry — lists all available frameworks
├── README.md            This file
└── <slug>/              One folder per framework
    ├── info.json        Bundle manifest: version, files list, entry page
    ├── paths/<slug>.md
    ├── paths/<slug>-coverage.md
    ├── standards/<slug>.md
    └── criteria/<slug>-*.md

The index.json is the entry point. It lists each framework with its slug, name, regulator, description, and current version. Path's installer fetches index.json first, presents a picker, then fetches <slug>/info.json to discover which files to install.

index.json schema

{
  "frameworks": [
    {
      "slug": "advance-he-d4",
      "name": "AdvanceHE Principal Fellowship (PFHEA, D4)",
      "regulator": "AdvanceHE",
      "description": "UK Professional Standards Framework — Descriptor 4",
      "version": "2024.1"
    }
  ]
}

Per-framework info.json schema

{
  "slug": "advance-he-d4",
  "name": "AdvanceHE Principal Fellowship (PFHEA, D4)",
  "version": "2024.1",
  "regulator": "AdvanceHE",
  "description": "UK Professional Standards Framework — Descriptor 4",
  "source": "https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/.../psf",
  "entry_page": "paths/advance-he-d4",
  "files": [
    "paths/advance-he-d4.md",
    "paths/advance-he-d4-coverage.md",
    "standards/advance-he-d4.md",
    "criteria/d4-1.md",
    "criteria/d4-2.md",
    "criteria/d4-3.md",
    "criteria/d4-4.md"
  ]
}

entry_page is opened automatically after install. files are fetched relative to <slug>/ and written into the user's space at the same relative path (with .md removed for space.writePage).

Versioning convention

YYYY.N — year of publication, dot, increment within that year. Bump version in both index.json and the framework's own info.json whenever any bundled file changes. Path's Path: Check framework updates command compares the user's installed version against the registry and prompts to pull when they differ.

Contributing a framework

1. Create <slug>/ and add the bundle files (paths, criteria, standards as markdown).
2. Add an info.json with the file list.
3. Add the framework to index.json.
4. Open a PR.

The slug is the framework's identifier across the user's space — it appears in page paths, the path: field on claims, and the paths: list on CPD entries. Choose carefully; renaming after publication breaks every installed instance.