Run provenance

A result is reproducible only if what produced it is recorded. Record enough to reconstruct the run.

Provenance checklist

For each reported run, record:

• Crate version — the Syren version (or commit hash for an unreleased build).
• Feature set — the Cargo features the model was built with.
• Toolchain and target — the Rust version and the platform the run executed on. This matters for floating-point comparability.
• Build profile — debug or release. Performance numbers are only meaningful in release.
• Seed — the model seed.
• Configuration — every parameter and option, including the config file or scenario name if one was used.
• Input data — the identity (a content hash or a versioned path) of any external data the run read.
• Command — the exact command line, including arguments.
• Thread count — if reporting timing. Results should not depend on it, but a timing number does.

Why each item

The trajectory is a function of version, features, seed, configuration, and input data. Fix those and the trajectory is fixed. The toolchain, target, build profile, and thread count do not change a correct trajectory, but they do change timing and floating-point comparability, so record them whenever numbers are compared across machines.

Making it routine

Have the model print its provenance at startup, or write it into the output alongside the results, so a stored result carries the information needed to reproduce it.