docs: focus codecs on provider normalization

[afourniernv]

Overview

Refocuses the Codecs concept on provider request and response normalization.

• I confirm this contribution is my own work, or I have the right to submit it under this project's license.
• I searched existing issues and open pull requests, and this does not duplicate existing work.

Details

• Makes provider codecs the primary concept and keeps typed-value codecs as a linked secondary path.
• Adds separate request and response flow diagrams.
• Explains the lossless patch contract and the difference between preserving unknown fields and understanding their semantics.
• Moves implementation links to their first relevant mention.

Where should the reviewer start?

Review Provider Request and Response Codecs and Preservation Is Not Semantic Support in docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx.

Related Issues: (use one of the action keywords Closes / Fixes / Resolves / Relates to)

• Closes RELAY-613

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Documentation
  • Updated codec documentation to clarify provider codecs, typed value codecs, and their responsibilities.
  • Documented request and response normalization, lossless patching, unknown-field preservation, and payload fidelity.
  • Added request/response flow diagrams and clarified gateway, agent, and provider-specific extraction behavior.
  • Refined terminology for route selection, correlation, semantic support, and scope ownership.
  • Removed outdated “Read Next” links.

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MDX top-of-file SPDX comments must use {/* ... */} delimiters instead of HTML comment delimiters (Must-Fix)

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If dynamic plugin behavior changed, use maintain-dynamic-plugins and include the native SDK, worker protocol, Python SDK, docs, packaging, and Codecov surfaces in the validation plan.
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Keep package names, repository references, and build commands current.
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Update entry-point documentation when examples or reading paths change.
Keep release-process and release-notes guidance in maintainer documentation such as RELEASING.md, rather than user-facing documentation pages or CHANGELOG.md.
Use stable user-facing wrappers at the scripts/ root in documentation and examples; reference namespaced helper paths only for internal maintenance documentation.
When detailed dynamic plugin guides exist, keep Rust native plugin examples, Python worker plugin examples, and grpc-v1 protocol details on separate pages.
Dynamic plugin manifests in documentation and examples should use compat.relay = ">=0.5,<1.0" unless deliberately narrower.
Render images, diagrams, tables, and other visual content at representative page widths, ensuring legibility and complete access without clipping; use responsive scaling, reflow, or overflow as appropriate and scope visual styling narrowly.
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Format code elements, commands, parameters, package names, expressions, directories, file names, and paths in monospace; represent path placeholders with angle brackets inside monospace.
Format UI buttons, menus, fields, and labels in bold, and separate consecutive UI navigation labels with >.
Use quotation marks for error messages and strings when appropriate, italics for newly introduced terms and publication titles, and plain text for keyboard shortcuts.
Represent GitHub repositories with owner/repository link text, such as [NVIDIA/NeMo](link), rather than generic repository wording.
Introduce every code block with a complete sentence; do not let a code block complete or interrupt the grammar of surrounding prose; use syntax highlighting when supported.
Keep inline method, function, and class references consistent with nearby documentation; omit empty parentheses in prose when no call is shown.
Use descriptive link text matching the destination title when possible; avoid raw URLs, generic anchors, long-sentence links, and unnecessary links that distract from procedures.
Ensure lists have a complete lead-in sentence, more than one item, no more than two levels, parallel construction, one idea or action per item, and appropriate punctuation; use bullets for unordered items and numbers for ordered tasks.
Format definition lists with a bold term followed by a complete, parallel, punctuated definition.
Use tables for reference information, decision support, compatibility matrices, and comparable choices; flag one-row tables, missing captions or lead-ins, sentence-case headers where title case is expected, unexplained empty cells, and code or links that would be clearer as prose.
Write procedure steps as imperative ...

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docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx (1)

59-60: LGTM!

Also applies to: 72-73, 110-110

---

Walkthrough

The codecs documentation now focuses on provider codecs. It describes normalization, lossless payload preservation, provider-specific extraction, fallback identifiers, semantic-support limits, and scope ownership.

Changes

Provider codec documentation

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Provider codec contract docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx	The overview distinguishes provider codecs from typed value codecs. It documents request and response normalization, supported use cases, lossless preservation, and normalized-data consumers.
Gateway and agent extraction docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx	The page defines gateway route responsibilities, correlation data, fallback inputs, provider hints, host-specific agent extraction, and compatibility identifier fallbacks.
Scope and navigation docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx	The codec limitation now refers to scope ownership. The Read Next links were removed.

Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~10 minutes

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

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Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title follows Conventional Commits format, uses the allowed lowercase docs type, states the documentation change, and is under 72 characters.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description includes all required sections, completed confirmations, specific change details, reviewer starting points, and a valid related-issue action.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

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Actionable comments posted: 2

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Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

Inline comments:
In `@docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx`:
- Around line 57-76: Add a complete introductory sentence immediately before
each Mermaid fence under the “Request Path” and “Response Path” headings, such
as “The request flow is:” and “The response flow is:”, while leaving the
diagrams unchanged.
- Around line 104-106: Update the codec documentation’s description of top-level
extra to state that it contains unmodeled fields, including provider-supplied
fields not represented by the codec, rather than limiting it to unknown future
fields. Keep the surrounding description of provider-only messages and native
JSON unchanged.

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MDX top-of-file SPDX comments must use {/* ... */} delimiters instead of HTML comment delimiters (Must-Fix)

**/*.mdx: In MDX files, top-of-file comments must use JSX comment delimiters ({/* and */}); do not use HTML comments for MDX SPDX headers.
New or regenerated MDX files must use {/* ... */} for top-of-file SPDX comments.

Files:

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{docs,examples}/**/*

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Update docs and examples.

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**/*: Format changed files with the language-native formatter before the final lint/test pass.
If dynamic plugin behavior changed, use maintain-dynamic-plugins and include the native SDK, worker protocol, Python SDK, docs, packaging, and Codecov surfaces in the validation plan.
If code changes alter APIs, bindings, commands, paths, packaging behavior, observability/adaptive semantics, or documented best practices, update any dependent maintainer or consumer skills in the same branch.
During iteration, prefer uv run pre-commit run --files <changed files...>.
Before review or handoff, run uv run pre-commit run --all-files.

**/*: Use release tags in raw Rust-compatible SemVer without a leading v; tags such as v0.1.0 are prohibited.
Use branch prefixes feat/, fix/, docs/, test/, or refactor/ according to the change purpose.
Every commit in a pull request must include a DCO Signed-off-by: sign-off.
Before submitting a pull request, ensure pre-commit hooks, relevant tests, target-specific builds, documentation updates, and a rebase on the latest main are complete.
Use commit messages in the form type: short description, with a valid type and a first line under 72 characters.

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docs/**/*

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**/*.{md,mdx}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/validate-change/SKILL.md)

If links in documentation change, run just docs-linkcheck.

Use documented public APIs and stable wrapper commands in examples and user-facing documentation; do not rely on internal helpers.

**/*.{md,mdx}: Prefer the documented public API over internal shortcuts in documentation and examples.
Keep package names, repository references, and build commands current.
Contribution workflow documentation must require an issue before external contribution pull requests and note that NVIDIA contributors may use a GitHub or Linear issue.
Update entry-point documentation when examples or reading paths change.
Keep release-process and release-notes guidance in maintainer documentation such as RELEASING.md, rather than user-facing documentation pages or CHANGELOG.md.
Use stable user-facing wrappers at the scripts/ root in documentation and examples; reference namespaced helper paths only for internal maintenance documentation.
When detailed dynamic plugin guides exist, keep Rust native plugin examples, Python worker plugin examples, and grpc-v1 protocol details on separate pages.
Dynamic plugin manifests in documentation and examples should use compat.relay = ">=0.5,<1.0" unless deliberately narrower.
Render images, diagrams, tables, and other visual content at representative page widths, ensuring legibility and complete access without clipping; use responsive scaling, reflow, or overflow as appropriate and scope visual styling narrowly.
Dynamic plugin entry pages should link to native, worker, Rust example, Python example, and protocol pages when those pages exist.
Images, diagrams, tables, and custom visual content must remain legible and fully accessible at representative desktop and narrow page widths.
Release-policy documentation must point to GitHub Releases as the only release-history source of truth.
Run just docs when the documentation site changes; retain ./scripts/build-docs.sh html as the compatibility wrapper.

Files:

• docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx

**/*.{md,mdx,py,go,js,ts}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/maintain-observability/SKILL.md)

Examples and documentation must use each exporter's documented flush/deregister order before shutdown.

Files:

• docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx

docs/**/*.{md,mdx}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (CONTRIBUTING.md)

Update relevant reference documentation when public behavior or APIs change.

Files:

• docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx

**/*.{rs,py,go,js,jsx,ts,tsx,c,h,html,md,mdx,toml}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (CONTRIBUTING.md)

Include the appropriate SPDX copyright and Apache-2.0 license header in every source file.

Files:

• docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx

**/*.{md,mdx,rst}

📄 CodeRabbit inference engine (.agents/skills/review-doc-style/assets/nvidia-style-technical-docs.md)

**/*.{md,mdx,rst}: Use title case consistently for technical documentation headings and table headers; avoid quotation marks, ampersands, and exclamation marks in headings, while preserving official product, event, research, and whitepaper title case.
Format code elements, commands, parameters, package names, expressions, directories, file names, and paths in monospace; represent path placeholders with angle brackets inside monospace.
Format UI buttons, menus, fields, and labels in bold, and separate consecutive UI navigation labels with >.
Use quotation marks for error messages and strings when appropriate, italics for newly introduced terms and publication titles, and plain text for keyboard shortcuts.
Represent GitHub repositories with owner/repository link text, such as [NVIDIA/NeMo](link), rather than generic repository wording.
Introduce every code block with a complete sentence; do not let a code block complete or interrupt the grammar of surrounding prose; use syntax highlighting when supported.
Keep inline method, function, and class references consistent with nearby documentation; omit empty parentheses in prose when no call is shown.
Use descriptive link text matching the destination title when possible; avoid raw URLs, generic anchors, long-sentence links, and unnecessary links that distract from procedures.
Ensure lists have a complete lead-in sentence, more than one item, no more than two levels, parallel construction, one idea or action per item, and appropriate punctuation; use bullets for unordered items and numbers for ordered tasks.
Format definition lists with a bold term followed by a complete, parallel, punctuated definition.
Use tables for reference information, decision support, compatibility matrices, and comparable choices; flag one-row tables, missing captions or lead-ins, sentence-case headers where title case is expected, unexplained empty cells, and code or links that would be clearer as prose.
Write procedure steps as imperative ...

Files:

• docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx

{docs/**,README.md,CONTRIBUTING.md,RELEASING.md,SECURITY.md}

⚙️ CodeRabbit configuration file

{docs/**,README.md,CONTRIBUTING.md,RELEASING.md,SECURITY.md}: Review documentation for technical accuracy against the current API, command correctness, and consistency across language bindings.
Flag stale examples, missing SPDX headers where required, and instructions that no longer match CI or pre-commit behavior.

Files:

• docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx

🔇 Additional comments (4)

docs/about-nemo-relay/concepts/codecs.mdx (4)

18-19: 📐 Maintainability & Code Quality

Run the required documentation checks.

This change adds or relocates documentation links. Run just docs and just docs-linkcheck before handoff.

As per coding guidelines, **/*.{md,mdx} requires just docs-linkcheck when documentation links change, and documentation site changes require just docs.

Also applies to: 44-46, 129-131

Source: Coding guidelines

---

107-165: LGTM!

---

181-198: LGTM!

---

212-221: LGTM!

Also applies to: 235-241