Flow

SDK Parity

Where each Pilot Protocol SDK stands today and what's planned to close the gap.

Status at a glance

SDK	Package	Coverage	Notes
Node.js	pilotprotocol on npm	Feature complete	TypeScript types, using support, Buffer I/O. The reference surface alongside Python.
Python	pilotprotocol on PyPI	Feature complete	Full type hints (py.typed), context managers, snake_case naming.
Swift	sdk-swift (SwiftPM)	Core trust + datagrams	Embedded daemon (XCFramework, no separate process). Streams, networks, managed networks, policy, member tags, high-level services, and most registry admin are not yet exposed.

Summary by feature category

Feature category	Node	Python	Swift	Notes
Lifecycle (construct, dispose)	✅	✅	✅	Each SDK uses its native idiom (using, with, deinit).
Daemon admin — info, health	✅	✅	✅
Daemon admin — rotateKey	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Trust — initiate handshake, list trusted peers	✅	✅	✅
Trust admin — approve/reject/pending/revoke	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Trust convenience — waitForTrust	—	✅	✅	Shipped in Swift and Python (wait_for_trust). Planned for Node.
Datagrams — sendTo, recvFrom	✅	✅	✅	Swift uses send(to:port:data:) and returns a typed Datagram.
Datagrams — broadcast	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Streams — dial, listen, Conn, Listener	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Registry admin — hostname / visibility / deregister / tags / webhook	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Networks — list/join/leave/members/invite/respond	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Managed networks — status/forceCycle/reconcile	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Managed networks — score/rankings	—	—	—	Removed in v1.10 — the symbols are no longer present in shipped libpilot builds.
Policy — get/set	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
Member tags — get/set	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
High-level services — sendMessage, sendFile, publishEvent, subscribeEvent	✅	✅	—	Planned for Swift.
FFI loader — findLibrary / loadLibrary	✅	private	n/a	Intentional: Swift embeds the library in an XCFramework — no loader needed.
Typed response structs (Config, StartResult, Datagram, Error)	n/a	n/a	✅	Swift idiom. Node/Python return untyped Record<string, unknown> / dict[str, Any] from the same RPCs.

What counts as a gap

Naming differences across languages are not gaps. The matrix collapses idiomatic equivalents into a single canonical row:

• Constructors: new Driver() (Node), Driver() (Python), and Pilot.start(config) (Swift) are the same operation expressed in each language's idiom.
• Cleanup: driver.close(), pilot.stop(), Python's with, and Node's using all resolve to the same teardown call.
• Naming convention: Python's send_message maps to Node's sendMessage — same method, language-appropriate spelling. (Swift does not yet expose the high-level service methods; see the matrix.)
• Datagram receive: Node and Python return a dict; Swift returns a typed Datagram struct. Both surface the same underlying RPC.

A real gap is an operation that one SDK does not expose at all. Those are the rows in the matrix marked unintentional — every one of them has a follow-up ticket to close it.

Full method matrix

The complete row-per-method matrix — including exact signatures and rationale for each gap — is generated by a deterministic script in the main protocol repo (scripts/parity-audit/). Re-running it against newer commits of the three SDKs regenerates the matrix locally (the script writes to ./inventory/).

Roadmap

End-state target: full parity across all three SDKs, except for the two intentional rows above (the FFI loader and Swift's typed response structs).

• Swift: the gap-fill work is tracked as a single follow-up ticket covering streams, networks, managed networks, policy, member tags, registry admin, trust admin, and high-level services. Wire protocol support already exists — what's missing is the Swift surface that exposes it.
• Node: add waitForTrust(peerId, timeoutMs) — the blocking convenience Swift ships and Python now exposes as wait_for_trust. Today, Node users have to poll pendingHandshakes.

Cross-SDK versioning is documented in the GOVERNANCE file in the main protocol repo: all three SDKs share the same MAJOR.MINOR line, with coordinated releases when the wire protocol changes.