Reference

Manifest reference

Every table and key in slowapp.toml for contract 3, and the rules the checker enforces across keys.

slowapp.toml sits at the root of an app’s repository and is copied into the image at /app/slowapp.toml. It names the app, declares its grants, jobs and feeds, and lists the examples used for test renders.

Check it with python3 -m slowapp_sdk validate (Python SDK reference).
The schema is sdk/slowapp_sdk/schema/slowapp.schema.json in slowapp-base. The rules a schema can’t express are listed below.
Unknown keys are errors in the checker, so a typo can’t silently drop a grant. The hub ignores unknown keys, so a newer manifest still loads on an older hub.

Example: Reminders

From slowapp-reminders: questions on the screen, no network.

[app]
id = "reminders"
title = "Reminders"
contract = 3
image = "ghcr.io/mike-anderson/slowapp-reminders"
memory = "48m"
tmp = "8m"
timeout_s = 30
network = "none"
prompts = true
imports = ["legacy:reminders"]   # P4 transitional: reminders.json, owned by the legacy page

[[job]]
name = "render"
expected_s = 3
daily = "00:01"

[[feed]]
name = "prompts"
size = "slot"

[[example]]
name = "due"
caption = "6 Oct 2026 10:00: watering due, NexGuard re-asks at 18:00, the vet at 15:00"
fixture = "fixtures/two-due"
now = "2026-10-06T10:00:00-07:00"
feeds = { prompts = "452x444.k4" }

The Weather tutorial shows a networked app’s manifest, with storage and three feeds.

`[app]`

Key	Type	Meaning
`id`	`[a-z][a-z0-9-]{1,23}`	The app’s name everywhere: in the layout (`<id>/<feed>`), on the hub, in paths. The repository is `slowapp-<id>` by convention.
`title`	text, up to 40 characters	Shown on the hub’s app card.
`contract`	`3`	The contract version. A hub refuses any other.
`image`	text	The image’s registry path, without a tag. The hub pins the exact digest when the app is installed.
`memory`	size (`48m`, `1g`)	Hard memory limit. `tmp` and `cache` count against it.
`tmp`	size	Size of `/tmp`, a scratch folder in memory.
`timeout_s`	1–3600	The job is stopped after this many seconds (exit 137).
`network`	`none` or `egress`	`egress` allows outgoing connections, to the internet and to your home network, but never to the hub’s own machine.
`secrets`	list of names	Secrets the app needs, as files at `/run/secrets/<name>`. If one is missing the job ends with “needs config” (exit 5).
`optional_secrets`	list of names	Secrets given to the app if they are set.
`data`	`{ max_mb = N }`	A private `/data` folder that survives between runs. The hub pauses the app if it grows past `max_mb`.
`cache`	`{ tmpfs_mb = N }`	A `/cache` folder in memory, emptied when the container stops.
`prompts`	`true` or `false`	The questions grant: the app may put questions on the screen. Needs a feed named `prompts`.
`exports`, `imports`	lists	Transitional, for apps moving out of the older system. New apps don’t use them.

`[settings]`

Each key ([a-z][a-z0-9_]{0,31}) is a setting. The hub shows it in a form and gives the values to the app in /in/settings.json; in Python, ctx.settings fills in the defaults. See Settings, schedules and pages.

Field	Meaning
`type`	`string`, `number`, `integer`, `boolean` or `choice`
`label`, `help`	Text for the form
`optional`	May be left empty
`default`	Default value
`min`, `max`	Bounds for numbers
`choices`	The allowed values of a `choice`

[settings]
tz_override = { type = "string", optional = true }
lookahead_days = { type = "number", default = 14, min = 1, max = 60 }

`[ui]`

Only for apps with a web page. See Settings, schedules and pages.

Key	Meaning
`idle_s`	10–3600. Stop the page’s container after this long with no viewer and no job.
`start_timeout_s`	1–120. How long `serve` may take to start answering.

`[events]`

[events]
accept = ["answer"]

The kinds of answer payload (emit) this app receives. Needs a job named event. See Questions and answers.

`[[job]]`

Key	Meaning
`name`	`[a-z][a-z0-9_-]*`. `render` draws the feeds and is run when a screen needs cards; `event` receives answers.
`every`	A schedule such as `15m` or `1h`, at least 5 minutes.
`daily`	`HH:MM`, local time. Not together with `every`.
`jitter_s`	A random delay added to a schedule.
`inputs`	`self:<export>` or `<app>:<export>`: skip the job while these inputs haven’t changed.
`expected_s`	How long the job usually takes, used until the hub has measured it.

Every job can also be run by hand.

`[[feed]]`

Key	Meaning
`name`	The feed name; the layout refers to it as `<app>/<name>`.
`size`	`"slot"`: the size of whatever slot shows the feed, passed to the app on each run. `"WxH"` fixes the size.

`[[example]]`

A test render. The checking tools and CI render every example and check the output.

Key	Meaning
`name`	Example name; previews are named `<app>-<example>-<feed>-<card>.png`.
`fixture`	`fixtures/<folder>`: the test data, given to the app as a read-only `/data`.
`now`	The fixed time, RFC 3339 with an offset.
`feeds`	Which feeds to draw, at which surface: `{ prompts = "452x444.k4" }`.
`job`	The job to run. Default `render`.
`settings`	Settings for this example.
`tz`	Time zone for this example.
`caption`	A caption for the preview.

`[ci]`

Read only by CI; the hub ignores it. depends is kept for compatibility.

Cross-field rules

The checker enforces:

Job, feed and example names are unique.
An app with feeds has a render job; [events] accept needs an event job.
prompts = true if and only if there is a feed named prompts.
A secret is either required or optional, not both.
every and daily exclude each other; jitter_s needs one of them; every is at least 5 minutes.
tmp plus cache.tmpfs_mb is less than memory.
Setting defaults have the right type and sit within min, max and choices.
Each example’s fixture folder exists, its job and feeds are declared, and a fixed-size feed matches the example’s surface.

It warns, without failing, about a slot surface other than 452 or 456 × 444, a feed with no example, and a required setting with no default.

Manifest reference

Example: Reminders

[app]

[settings]

[ui]

[events]

[[job]]

[[feed]]

[[example]]

[ci]