Incremental cook decisions
validate first, only process when the cache cannot prove the output is current
Source + metadata
processor + dependencies
DataCache validation
dates → hashes when needed
Data up to date
do nothing
output matches
Cache copy required
restore payload + header
cache valid, Data stale
Data cook required
run the processor again
input or cache changed
Write cache + Data
payload hash recorded
Transient assets always take the cook-required path and never create a permanent cache record.