TCK Syntax Reference — v1-alpha
Companion to ADR-0001. Audience: TCK authors (Expert Groups, TCK Developers) and Engine implementers.
Notation used in this document
| Marker | Meaning |
|---|---|
| [SPEC] | Specified in the Test Suite Development presentation (2026-07-26). Normative. |
| [OBS] | Observed in the worked certificate-management-tck example in the deck, but not written out in the field-by-field slides. Treated as normative; flagged so it can be confirmed. |
| [PROP] | Proposed here to close a gap. Not yet ratified — see ADR-0001 §2 D10 and §6. |
Field tables use: R = required, O = optional.
Sections
| Section | Covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Package Layout · 2. Common Header | The TCK directory, file naming and the header every file starts with |
3. index.yaml — the TCK Manifest |
Manifest header and metadata, dataspace and infrastructure, env and tests |
| 4. Test File Syntax | Test file header, metadata and phases |
| 5. Step / Building Block Syntax | Step anatomy, expressions, capability naming and validation functions |
| 6. Mapping CACs to Syntax · 7. Worked Example · 10. Checklist | Turning conformity assessment criteria into a TCK |
| 8. Execution Logs | The CloudEvents / JSONL log a run produces |
| 9. Proposed Extensions | Unratified additions: cac:, conditionals, negative tests, digests |
Every step a test can name in uses:, with its inputs and outputs, is listed in the Step Reference.
Source
Test Suite Development — Achieving a "sustainable" certification environment, Catena-X e.V., 2026-07-26.
Slides 8–12 (CAC structure and mapping), 14–15 (package structure), 17–21 (index.yaml), 23–32 (test, phase,
step and capability syntax), 36–39 (execution logs and SSE).
The slides are available as PDF.