Reference

Manifest and project files

The fields of brico.manifest.json, brico.json and the global config file.

BricoWerx uses three JSON files:

File	Where	Owned by
`brico.manifest.json`	Inside every Vault snapshot	The brick: written by capture, read by add, upgrade and doctor
`brico.json`	Your project root	Your project: which bricks are installed, and where
`~/.brico/config.json`	Your home directory	You: Vault location, defaults and publish repository

brico.manifest.json

The contract every brick carries. capture generates it, and you can edit it before publishing a new version. The JSON Schema is docs/manifest.schema.json in the repository.

Required fields

Field	Type	Description
`schemaVersion`	integer ≥ 1	Version of the manifest format, separate from the brick’s own version
`name`	string	Lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, up to 64 characters, unique in the Vault. An `@scope/` prefix is allowed and will be required for the public registry
`version`	semver	The brick’s version
`framework`	string	`nest` or `next`
`language`	string	Currently always `typescript`
`files`	string[]	Brick-relative paths included in the snapshot
`visibility`	string	`public` or `private`

Optional fields

Field	Type	Description
`description`	string	One line, used by search
`tags`	string[]	Used by search and the terminal UI filter
`author`	string	Defaults to author in the global config
`license`	string	SPDX identifier
`createdAt / updatedAt`	string	ISO timestamps
`dependencies`	object	npm package → semver range, read from the source project’s package.json
`peerDependencies`	object	Packages the host must provide. Never filled in by capture; write them by hand
`bricoDependencies`	string[]	Other bricks this one needs. Recorded, not yet resolved by add
`env`	object[]	Environment variables: `{ name, required, description?, default?, secret? }`
`exports`	string[]	Public entry points, such as `ui/index.ts`
`compatibility`	object	`framework`, `supportedVersions` (semver range), `adapters`, `language`
`hooks`	object	`install`, `remove`, `migrate`, `postAdd`, `postBuild` command lists. Recorded only, never run yet
`installPath`	string	Where the files land in a target, relative to its root. Overrides the adapter default
`documentation`	string	Link or path to further documentation

brico.manifest.json

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "name": "auth",
  "description": "JWT authentication with Passport and bcrypt",
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "framework": "nest",
  "language": "typescript",
  "author": "platform-team",
  "visibility": "private",
  "tags": ["security", "jwt", "auth"],
  "dependencies": {
    "@nestjs/jwt": "^10.2.0",
    "@nestjs/passport": "^10.0.3",
    "bcrypt": "^5.1.1"
  },
  "env": [
    { "name": "JWT_SECRET", "required": true, "secret": true },
    { "name": "JWT_EXPIRES_IN", "required": false, "default": "1h" }
  ],
  "exports": ["auth.module.ts"],
  "files": ["auth.module.ts", "auth.service.ts", "jwt.strategy.ts"],
  "compatibility": { "framework": "nest", "supportedVersions": ">=10.0.0" },
  "installPath": "src/auth"
}

brico.json

Created by the first brico add, and updated by add, upgrade and remove. Commit it.

brico.json

{
  "framework": "nest",
  "adapter": "nest",
  "modules": [
    {
      "name": "auth",
      "version": "0.2.0",
      "installPath": "src/auth",
      "addedAt": "2026-09-14",
      "updatedAt": "2026-10-02"
    }
  ]
}

Field	Description
`framework`	Detected framework
`adapter`	Adapter that installed the bricks
`modules[].name / version`	What is installed. upgrade compares this version with the Vault
`modules[].installPath`	Where it was installed. remove deletes this directory
`modules[].addedAt / updatedAt`	When it was added, and last upgraded

~/.brico/config.json

{
  "vaultPath": "/Users/you/.brico/vault",
  "defaultVisibility": "private",
  "author": "platform-team",
  "publishRepo": "git@github.com:acme/team-vault.git"
}

Key	Description	Overridden by
`vaultPath`	Vault location	`--vault`, `BRICO_VAULT`
`defaultVisibility`	Visibility for new captures	`--visibility`
`author`	Author written into new manifests	—
`publishRepo`	Main repository for publish and pull. Saved on the first publish	`--repo`, `-l`, `BRICO_PUBLISH_REPO`

All environment variables are listed in Configuration.