@warlock.js/herald 4.0.174 → 4.1.2

package/package.json

@@ -1,47 +1,47 @@
 {
-    "name": "@warlock.js/herald",
-    "version": "4.0.174",
-    "description": "Message bus/communicators for RabbitMQ, Kafka, and more",
-    "main": "./cjs/index.js",
-    "dependencies": {
-        "@mongez/copper": "^1.0.1",
-        "@mongez/events": "^2.1.0",
-        "@mongez/reinforcements": "^2.3.17",
-        "@warlock.js/logger": "4.0.174",
-        "@warlock.js/seal": "4.0.174"
-    },
-    "scripts": {
-        "update": "npx ncu -u",
-        "fix": "eslint --fix -c ./.eslintrc.json ./src",
-        "format": "prettier --write ./src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx,css,md,json} --config ./.prettierrc.json",
-        "test": "vitest",
-        "test:coverage": "vitest --coverage",
-        "test:watch": "vitest --watch"
-    },
-    "repository": {
-        "type": "git",
-        "url": "https://github.com/warlockjs/herald"
-    },
-    "peerDependencies": {
-        "amqplib": "^0.10.0"
-    },
-    "peerDependenciesMeta": {
-        "amqplib": {
-            "optional": true
-        }
-    },
-    "keywords": [
-        "message-bus",
-        "rabbitmq",
-        "kafka",
-        "queue",
-        "pub-sub",
-        "communicator",
-        "amqp",
-        "message-broker"
-    ],
-    "author": "hassanzohdy",
-    "license": "MIT",
-    "module": "./esm/index.js",
-    "typings": "./cjs/index.d.ts"
-}
+  "name": "@warlock.js/herald",
+  "description": "Message bus/brokers for RabbitMQ, Kafka, and more",
+  "keywords": [
+    "message-bus",
+    "rabbitmq",
+    "kafka",
+    "queue",
+    "pub-sub",
+    "broker",
+    "herald",
+    "amqp",
+    "message-broker"
+  ],
+  "author": "hassanzohdy",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "repository": {
+    "type": "git",
+    "url": "https://github.com/warlockjs/herald"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@mongez/copper": "^2.1.2",
+    "@mongez/events": "^2.2.6",
+    "@mongez/reinforcements": "^3.2.0",
+    "@warlock.js/logger": "4.1.2",
+    "@warlock.js/seal": "4.1.2"
+  },
+  "peerDependencies": {
+    "amqplib": "^0.10.0"
+  },
+  "version": "4.1.2",
+  "main": "./cjs/index.cjs",
+  "module": "./esm/index.mjs",
+  "types": "./esm/index.d.mts",
+  "exports": {
+    ".": {
+      "import": {
+        "types": "./esm/index.d.mts",
+        "default": "./esm/index.mjs"
+      },
+      "require": {
+        "types": "./esm/index.d.mts",
+        "default": "./cjs/index.cjs"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}

package/skills/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# `@warlock.js/herald` — skills index
+
+Per-task skills. All cross-references use the form `@warlock.js/<pkg>/<skill>/SKILL.md`.
+
+## Skills
+
+### [`consume-message/`](./consume-message/SKILL.md)
+
+Subscribe to a channel via .subscribe(handler, options?) — handler receives (message, ctx). Control flow via ctx.ack / ctx.nack(requeue?) / ctx.reject / ctx.retry(delayMs). Configure prefetch, retry policy, dead-letter, consumer groups. Load when implementing a worker processing events, a queue background processor, or consuming an event log.
+
+### [`herald-basics/`](./herald-basics/SKILL.md)
+
+Start with @warlock.js/herald — connectToBroker config, herald() factory, channel concept, multi-broker support. Load when wiring connectToBroker at boot, choosing a herald skill, or wiring multiple brokers (notifications + analytics + events).
+
+### [`publish-message/`](./publish-message/SKILL.md)
+
+Publish messages to a channel — .publish(payload, options?) for single, .publishBatch([...], options?) for batch, with priority / ttl / delay / persistent / correlationId / headers options. Optional schema validation via .channel(name, {schema}). Load when emitting an event after a domain change, fanning out a notification, or scheduling delayed work.
+
+### [`request-and-respond/`](./request-and-respond/SKILL.md)
+
+Synchronous-style RPC over the message bus — channel.request<R>(payload, {timeout}) waits for a reply, channel.respond(handler) registers the responder, ctx.reply(response) sends the answer. Load when needing a request-response shape across services with loose coupling instead of direct HTTP.

package/skills/consume-message/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,217 @@
+---
+name: consume-message
+description: 'Subscribe to a channel via .subscribe(handler, options?) — handler receives (message, ctx). Control flow via ctx.ack / ctx.nack(requeue?) / ctx.reject / ctx.retry(delayMs). Configure prefetch, retry policy, dead-letter, consumer groups. Triggers: `subscribe`, `ctx.ack`, `ctx.nack`, `ctx.reject`, `ctx.retry`, `prefetch`, `group`, `retry`, `deadLetter`, `@Consumable`, `EventConsumer`, `defineConsumer`, `autoAck`; "consume messages from a queue", "implement a worker", "background queue processor", "set up retry and dead-letter", "class-based event consumer"; typical import `import { herald, Consumable, EventConsumer } from "@warlock.js/herald"`. Skip: setup — `@warlock.js/herald/herald-basics/SKILL.md`; producing — `@warlock.js/herald/publish-message/SKILL.md`; RPC reply — `@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md`; competing libs `amqplib`, `bullmq`, `kafkajs`; NestJS `@MessagePattern` / `@EventPattern`.'
+---
+
+# Consume messages
+
+Subscribe to a channel; receive each message with a flow-control `ctx`.
+
+## Minimal subscribe
+
+```ts
+import { herald } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+
+herald()
+  .channel<{ userId: number; email: string }>("user.created")
+  .subscribe(async (message, ctx) => {
+    try {
+      await sendWelcomeEmail(message.payload.email);
+      await ctx.ack();          // success — message removed from queue
+    } catch (error) {
+      await ctx.nack(true);     // failure — requeue for redelivery
+    }
+  });
+```
+
+**Smart auto-ack is on by default** (when `autoAck` is unset or `false`). The consumer runs with manual-ack enabled, and herald acks/nacks based on how your handler ends:
+
+- Handler returns without calling any `ctx` method → herald **auto-acks**.
+- Handler **throws** → herald **auto-nacks** (requeue, or DLQ/reject once retries are exhausted — see below).
+- Handler calls `ctx.ack()` / `ctx.nack()` / `ctx.reject()` / `ctx.retry()` → herald respects that and does nothing further.
+
+So the `try/catch` above is optional — letting the error throw produces the same auto-nack. Call `ctx` methods explicitly only when you want a *non-default* outcome (reject without requeue, route to DLQ, delayed retry). The one mode that loses messages is `autoAck: true`, where the broker acks on delivery before your handler runs.
+
+## Message context — flow control
+
+```ts
+ctx.ack();              // acknowledge — message removed from the queue
+ctx.nack(requeue?);     // negative ack — requeue (true) or send to DLQ (false)
+ctx.reject();           // shorthand for nack(false)
+ctx.retry(delayMs);     // delayed retry — requeue after delay
+ctx.reply(payload);     // for request-response pattern (see request-and-respond skill)
+```
+
+Pick by intent:
+
+| Intent | Use |
+| --- | --- |
+| Processed cleanly | `ctx.ack()` |
+| Transient failure, try again | `ctx.nack(true)` or `ctx.retry(5000)` |
+| Permanent failure, send to DLQ | `ctx.nack(false)` or `ctx.reject()` |
+| Validation failure (bad message) | `ctx.reject()` — don't requeue |
+
+## Subscribe options
+
+```ts
+await channel.subscribe(handler, {
+  group: "email-workers",      // consumer group / tag — multiple consumers share work
+  prefetch: 10,                 // concurrency — how many in-flight messages this consumer holds
+  autoAck: false,               // default; keep it false in production
+  exclusive: false,             // single consumer only on this channel?
+  retry: {
+    maxRetries: 3,              // redelivery ceiling on handler throw (delay not auto-applied — see below)
+    delay: 1000,
+  },
+  deadLetter: {
+    channel: "user.created.failed",
+    preserveOriginal: true,
+  },
+});
+```
+
+`group` is the unit of "share work" — N consumers in the same group split messages across them. Different groups each receive every message (fanout).
+
+`prefetch` is the per-consumer concurrency cap. Higher = throughput; lower = even spread. For CPU-bound handlers, set ~= CPU cores. For IO-bound, can go higher (50+).
+
+## Retry policy
+
+```ts
+retry: {
+  maxRetries: 3,
+  delay: 1000,                  // see the caveat below — delay is not auto-applied
+}
+```
+
+`maxRetries` is the part that does the work: when a handler **throws**, herald reads the message's `x-retry-count` header and, while it's under `maxRetries`, nacks with requeue so the broker redelivers. Once `x-retry-count` reaches `maxRetries`, it nacks-without-requeue (→ DLQ if configured) or rejects outright.
+
+**Caveat on `delay`.** `RetryOptions.delay` (number or `(attempt) => number`) is **not applied on the automatic throw path** — a thrown handler requeues immediately, with no wait. The only place a delay takes effect is the explicit `ctx.retry(delayMs)` call, which republishes the message with an `x-delay` header — and even that needs the RabbitMQ delayed-message-exchange plugin installed, or the delay is ignored. So if you need real backoff, call `ctx.retry(ms)` from inside the handler and install the plugin; don't rely on the channel-level `retry.delay` for timing.
+
+## Dead-letter queue
+
+```ts
+deadLetter: {
+  channel: "user.created.failed",
+  preserveOriginal: true,        // accepted, but currently a no-op (see note)
+}
+```
+
+The DLQ always forwards the full original payload plus the message metadata, so `preserveOriginal` makes no observable difference today — the field is part of the type but the RabbitMQ driver doesn't branch on it yet. Set it or omit it; behaviour is the same.
+
+Messages that exhausted retries land in `user.created.failed`. Subscribe to it separately for alerting / manual inspection:
+
+```ts
+herald().channel("user.created.failed").subscribe(async (message, ctx) => {
+  await alerts.notify(`Failed: ${JSON.stringify(message.payload)}`);
+  await ctx.ack();
+});
+```
+
+## Decorator-style consumers — `@Consumable` + `EventConsumer`
+
+For class-based consumers that pair with the [`EventMessage`](@warlock.js/herald/publish-message/SKILL.md) producer layer. This is a **different handler shape** from the raw `.subscribe()` above — ack/nack is automatic, and you get the unwrapped payload plus an event-metadata object (no `ctx`):
+
+```ts
+import { Consumable, EventConsumer } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+import type { ConsumedEventMessage } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+
+@Consumable()  // or @Consumable({ broker: "analytics" }) to target a non-default broker
+export class UserCreatedConsumer extends EventConsumer<{ id: number; email: string }> {
+  public static eventName = "user.created";
+
+  // handle(payload, event) — NOT (message, ctx). No ctx.ack() here.
+  public async handle(payload: { id: number; email: string }, event: ConsumedEventMessage) {
+    await sendWelcomeEmail(payload.email);
+    // return cleanly → herald acks. throw → herald nacks (requeue).
+  }
+}
+```
+
+The handler receives the **already-unwrapped payload** as the first argument and a `ConsumedEventMessage` as the second — `{ messageId, eventName, payload, version?, occurredAt?, metadata?, message }` (where `message` is the raw `Message` if you need `message.metadata.headers`). There is **no `ctx`**: the framework auto-acks when `handle` resolves and auto-nacks-with-requeue when it throws, so you never call `ack`/`nack` yourself in this style.
+
+Wiring: the channel name comes from `static eventName`, and `@Consumable` self-registers the moment the class module is **imported** — if a broker is already connected it subscribes immediately, otherwise it buffers and subscribes once `connectToBroker` fires. So the only wiring you need is to import the consumer file on the boot path (e.g. your module's `main.ts`).
+
+**Pair it with the producer:** an `EventConsumer` expects the envelope shape that `publishEvent(new SomeEvent(...))` emits — it reads `envelope.payload`. Don't point one at a channel fed by a bare `channel(name).publish(rawBody)`; the payload nesting won't match.
+
+### Validation + version gating
+
+Two optional gates run before `handle`, both driven by fields on the class:
+
+```ts
+import { Consumable, EventConsumer } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+import { v } from "@warlock.js/seal";
+
+@Consumable()
+export class UserCreatedConsumer extends EventConsumer {
+  public static eventName = "user.created";
+
+  // Only accept events whose `version` falls in [minVersion, maxVersion].
+  // Out-of-range events are acked and skipped (not requeued).
+  public static minVersion = 2;
+  public static maxVersion = 3;
+
+  // Seal schema — invalid payloads are nacked before handle() runs.
+  public schema = v.object({ id: v.int(), email: v.string().email() });
+
+  public async handle(payload, event) {
+    // payload is validated + version-accepted here
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### `defineConsumer` — no-class shorthand
+
+```ts
+import { defineConsumer } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+
+export const userCreatedConsumer = defineConsumer<{ id: number; email: string }>("user.created", {
+  schema: userCreatedSchema,                 // optional seal validation
+  handle: async (payload, event) => {
+    await sendWelcomeEmail(payload.email);
+  },
+});
+```
+
+`defineConsumer` self-registers via `@Consumable` internally, so importing the module is all the wiring it needs — same as the class form. (`subscribeConsumer(SomeConsumerClass)` is the imperative equivalent if you'd rather register explicitly.)
+
+## Subscription handle
+
+`subscribe()` resolves to a `Subscription` you can manage:
+
+```ts
+const subscription = await channel.subscribe(handler);
+
+subscription.id;            // the consumer id (string)
+subscription.isActive();    // boolean
+
+await subscription.unsubscribe();   // cancel the consumer on the broker
+await subscription.pause();          // also cancels the consumer (RabbitMQ has no native pause)
+```
+
+On the RabbitMQ driver, `pause()` and `unsubscribe()` both cancel the consumer; `resume()` is **not supported and throws** — create a fresh subscription to start consuming again. You can also cancel by id from the channel: `await channel.unsubscribeById(consumerId)`, or drop every consumer on the channel with `await channel.stopConsuming()`.
+
+## Channel admin
+
+The channel exposes queue-management helpers beyond pub/sub:
+
+```ts
+const { messageCount, consumerCount } = await channel.stats(); // queue depth + live consumers
+const purged = await channel.purge();    // drop all pending messages, returns the count
+const ok = await channel.exists();        // does the queue exist on the broker?
+await channel.assert();                   // create the queue with its options (idempotent)
+await channel.delete();                   // remove the queue entirely
+```
+
+`assert()` runs lazily on the first `publish` / `subscribe`, so you rarely call it directly — reach for it only to pre-create a queue before any traffic.
+
+## Things NOT to do
+
+- Don't catch the handler's error and return normally. Smart auto-ack reads a clean return as success and **acks** — silently dropping the work. Let it throw (auto-nack) or call `ctx.reject()` / `ctx.nack(false)` deliberately.
+- Don't `ctx.nack(true)` in an infinite loop. With no `retry` policy, a perpetually-failing message ping-pongs forever. Set `retry.maxRetries` + a `deadLetter` so failures eventually move out.
+- Don't ignore the `deadLetter` channel. Subscribe to it (or at least monitor its depth) — DLQ growth means real failures piling up.
+- Don't use `autoAck: true` for messages that matter. The broker acks on delivery, so a crash mid-handling loses the message.
+
+## See also
+
+- [`@warlock.js/herald/publish-message/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/publish-message/SKILL.md) — the producing side
+- [`@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md) — when you need to reply to a message

package/skills/herald-basics/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+---
+name: herald-basics
+description: 'Start with @warlock.js/herald — connectToBroker config, herald() factory, channel concept, multi-broker support. Triggers: `connectToBroker`, `herald`, `channel`, `isDefault`, `autoAck`; "set up herald", "wire connectToBroker at boot", "configure multiple brokers", "notifications + analytics + events"; typical import `import { connectToBroker, herald } from "@warlock.js/herald"`. Skip: publishing — `@warlock.js/herald/publish-message/SKILL.md`; consuming — `@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md`; RPC — `@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md`; competing libs `amqplib`, `kafkajs`, `bullmq`, `nats`; NestJS messaging; native `EventEmitter`.'
+---
+
+# Herald basics
+
+Message bus library — wraps RabbitMQ (Kafka WIP) behind a unified pub/sub API. `herald()` returns a broker, `.channel(name)` returns a pub/sub interface, type-safe via TypeScript generics.
+
+> This skill is the herald **map** — read it first, then load the specific skill for the task.
+
+## Install
+
+```bash
+yarn add @warlock.js/herald amqplib   # amqplib for RabbitMQ
+```
+
+## Foundations
+
+1. **`connectToBroker(config)` is the bootstrap.** Call once per broker at app startup, before any publish/subscribe.
+2. **`herald()` returns the default broker.** `herald("name")` returns a named one. Most apps have one broker; multi-broker is for "notifications + analytics + events" scale.
+3. **`.channel(name)` is the queue / topic.** Publish into it from producer, subscribe to it from consumer.
+4. **Channels are typed.** `channel<UserPayload>("user.created")` gives full TS inference on publish and subscribe.
+5. **`@warlock.js/seal` schemas validate on publish + receive.** Pass `{ schema }` to `.channel(name, { schema })`.
+6. **Subscribers control message flow** via `ctx.ack()` / `ctx.nack()` / `ctx.reject()` / `ctx.retry(ms)`.
+7. **Smart auto-ack is the default** (`autoAck` unset/`false`). The consumer runs with manual-ack enabled, but herald acks for you when the handler returns cleanly and nacks-with-requeue when it throws — so a crash mid-handling re-delivers, and a clean handler that forgot `ctx.ack()` is still acked. Call `ctx` methods explicitly only when you need a non-default outcome (reject, DLQ, delayed retry). `autoAck: true` is the dangerous mode: the broker acks on delivery, so a crash loses the message.
+
+## Minimal example
+
+```ts
+import { connectToBroker, herald } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+
+// Boot
+await connectToBroker({
+  driver: "rabbitmq",
+  host: "localhost",
+  port: 5672,
+  username: "guest",
+  password: "guest",
+});
+
+// Produce
+await herald().channel("user.created").publish({ userId: 1, email: "ada@example.com" });
+
+// Consume
+herald()
+  .channel<{ userId: number; email: string }>("user.created")
+  .subscribe(async (message, ctx) => {
+    console.log("New user:", message.payload.userId);
+    await ctx.ack();
+  });
+```
+
+## Multi-broker
+
+```ts
+await connectToBroker({
+  driver: "rabbitmq",
+  name: "notifications",
+  isDefault: true,
+  host: process.env.NOTIFICATIONS_HOST,
+});
+
+await connectToBroker({
+  driver: "rabbitmq",
+  name: "analytics",
+  isDefault: false, // ← required: `isDefault` defaults to true, so omitting it makes analytics the default
+  host: process.env.ANALYTICS_HOST,
+});
+
+herald().channel("emails").publish({ /* ... */ });           // → notifications
+herald("analytics").channel("events").publish({ /* ... */ }); // → analytics
+```
+
+`connectToBroker` defaults `isDefault` to `true`, and the registry promotes the most-recently-registered default. So when you register more than one broker, mark the secondaries `isDefault: false` — otherwise the last one wins and `herald()` returns the wrong broker.
+
+## Pick a skill
+
+| If the task is about… | Load |
+| --- | --- |
+| Publishing messages — single + batch + publish options (priority, ttl, delay, persistent, headers) | [`@warlock.js/herald/publish-message/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/publish-message/SKILL.md) |
+| Subscribing to messages — handler signature, message context (ack/nack/retry), prefetch, retry policy, dead-letter | [`@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md) |
+| Request/response (RPC) — `channel.request(...)` + `channel.respond(...)` for synchronous-style calls over a message bus | [`@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md) |
+| Schema-validated channels — `.channel(name, { schema })` with `@warlock.js/seal` | See [`@warlock.js/seal/seal-basics/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/seal/seal-basics/SKILL.md) + skills below |
+
+## Things NOT to do
+
+- Don't `connectToBroker` from inside a request handler. Call once at boot.
+- Don't catch a handler error and swallow it — under smart auto-ack a thrown handler auto-nacks (re-delivers), but a caught-and-ignored error looks like success and gets auto-acked, silently dropping the work. Either let it throw or call `ctx.reject()` / `ctx.nack(false)` deliberately.
+- Don't use `autoAck: true` in production. The default smart auto-ack re-delivers on a mid-handling crash; `autoAck: true` acks on delivery, so a crash loses the message.
+- Don't share a typed channel across producer and consumer code without a shared type / schema file. Drift between sides causes silent payload corruption.
+
+## See also
+
+- README at `@warlock.js/herald/README.md` for the full API surface and RabbitMQ / Kafka driver config
+- [`@warlock.js/seal/seal-basics/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/seal/seal-basics/SKILL.md) — schema validation

package/skills/publish-message/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+---
+name: publish-message
+description: 'Publish messages to a channel — .publish(payload, options?) for single, .publishBatch([...], options?) for batch, with priority / ttl / delay / persistent / correlationId / headers options. Optional schema validation via .channel(name, {schema}). Triggers: `publish`, `publishBatch`, `channel`, `priority`, `ttl`, `delay`, `persistent`, `correlationId`, `headers`, `schema`; "publish a message", "emit an event after a domain change", "fan out a notification", "schedule delayed work", "batch publish"; typical import `import { herald } from "@warlock.js/herald"`. Skip: setup — `@warlock.js/herald/herald-basics/SKILL.md`; consuming — `@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md`; RPC — `@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md`; competing libs `amqplib`, `kafkajs`, `bullmq`; NestJS `ClientProxy.emit`.'
+---
+
+# Publish messages
+
+Push messages into a channel. The consumer side picks them up via [`@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md).
+
+## Single publish
+
+```ts
+import { herald } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+
+await herald().channel("user.created").publish({
+  userId: 1,
+  email: "ada@example.com",
+});
+```
+
+Returns when the broker has accepted the message (not when a consumer has handled it — that's `.request()` territory).
+
+## Typed channels
+
+```ts
+type UserPayload = { userId: number; email: string };
+
+const channel = herald().channel<UserPayload>("user.created");
+
+await channel.publish({ userId: 1, email: "test@example.com" });   // ✅ typed
+await channel.publish({ userId: "1" } as never);                    // ❌ compile error
+```
+
+Share the payload type between producer and consumer via a common `types/` file.
+
+## Schema-validated publish
+
+```ts
+import { v } from "@warlock.js/seal";
+
+const userSchema = v.object({
+  userId: v.int(),
+  email: v.string().email(),
+});
+
+const channel = herald().channel("user.created", { schema: userSchema });
+
+await channel.publish({ userId: 1, email: "invalid" });   // Throws — fails .email()
+```
+
+The schema runs `validate()` before the message hits the broker. Invalid payloads never leave the producer. See [`@warlock.js/seal/seal-basics/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/seal/seal-basics/SKILL.md).
+
+## Publish options
+
+```ts
+await channel.publish(payload, {
+  priority: 5,           // 0-9, higher = served first
+  expiration: 60_000,    // ms — message expires if not consumed (RabbitMQ uses `expiration`, not `ttl`)
+  delay: 5_000,          // ms — delayed delivery (requires RabbitMQ delay plugin)
+  persistent: true,      // survive broker restart (default true)
+  correlationId: "uuid", // for tracking across services
+  headers: {
+    tenantId: "42",
+    source: "billing-service",
+  },
+});
+```
+
+The headers field is free-form — consumers read `message.metadata.headers?.tenantId` to route or filter (headers live under `message.metadata`, alongside `messageId`, `correlationId`, `timestamp`, and `retryCount`).
+
+## Batch publishing
+
+```ts
+await channel.publishBatch([
+  { userId: 1, email: "a@example.com" },
+  { userId: 2, email: "b@example.com" },
+  { userId: 3, email: "c@example.com" },
+], {
+  // Options apply to every message in the batch
+  persistent: true,
+});
+```
+
+Under the hood `publishBatch` iterates and calls `.publish()` per message — there's no AMQP-level batching today. It's an ergonomic shape for "emit these N items" (bulk import, fanout to many recipients), not a throughput optimization. The same `options` apply to every message.
+
+## Publish + transaction (outbox pattern)
+
+Don't publish inside a database transaction — if the transaction rolls back but the publish already happened, you've emitted an event for a state that never persisted.
+
+The outbox pattern: write to an `outbox` table inside the transaction, dispatch from the outbox via a worker after commit:
+
+```ts
+await transaction(async () => {
+  await Order.create(orderData);
+  await Outbox.create({
+    channel: "order.created",
+    payload: { orderId: order.id, ... },
+    status: "pending",
+  });
+});
+
+// In a separate worker:
+const pending = await Outbox.where("status", "pending").get();
+for (const row of pending) {
+  await herald().channel(row.get("channel")).publish(row.get("payload"));
+  await row.merge({ status: "sent", sent_at: new Date() }).save();
+}
+```
+
+Full recipe at `domains/cascade/docs/recipes/outbox-pattern.md`.
+
+## Broadcasting use-case results
+
+`@warlock.js/herald` ships `heraldBroadcast()` — a channel adapter that lets a `@warlock.js/core` `useCase()` publish its result to the bus automatically on success. Register it once in the use-cases config; each use case opts in with `broadcast: true`.
+
+```ts title="src/config/use-cases.ts"
+import { type UseCaseConfigurations } from "@warlock.js/core";
+import { heraldBroadcast } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+
+export default {
+  broadcast: {
+    enabled: true,
+    channels: [heraldBroadcast({ broker: "default" })], // omit broker for the default
+  },
+} satisfies UseCaseConfigurations;
+```
+
+```ts
+// The use case opts in — channel name defaults to the use case name.
+export const createUserUseCase = useCase({
+  name: "users.create",      // → publishes to channel "users.create"
+  schema: createUserSchema,
+  handler: async (data) => User.create(data),
+  broadcast: true,
+});
+```
+
+The adapter publishes the broadcast envelope's `payload` to `channel(event.event)`. It's structurally typed, so herald keeps no dependency on core. See [`@warlock.js/core/write-use-case/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/core/write-use-case/SKILL.md) for the `broadcast` option (payload projection, custom event name, payload-safety rules).
+
+## Event classes (`EventMessage`) — the typed event layer
+
+Raw `channel(name).publish(payload)` is the low-level path. For domain events that travel between modules, herald ships a higher-level pair: define the event once as a class, publish instances of it, and consume them with an [`EventConsumer`](@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md). The channel name comes from the event's `eventName` — no string to keep in sync across producer and consumer.
+
+```ts
+import { defineEvent, publishEvent } from "@warlock.js/herald";
+
+// `defineEvent<IncomingData, OutgoingData>` — `toJSON` projects the wire payload.
+const UserCreatedEvent = defineEvent<User, { id: number; email: string }>("user.created", {
+  toJSON: (user) => ({ id: user.id, email: user.email }),
+  // schema?: an @warlock.js/seal ObjectValidator (held on the instance; the consumer side validates)
+});
+
+// `publishEvent` serializes the instance and publishes to channel "user.created" on the default broker.
+await publishEvent(new UserCreatedEvent(user));
+```
+
+`publishEvent(event)` is shorthand for `herald().publish(event)` — it calls `event.serialize()` and sends an **envelope**: `{ payload, metadata, messageId, eventName, version, occurredAt }`. That nesting is why an `EventConsumer` reads `envelope.payload`, not the raw body — pair this only with the consumer side, not a bare `.subscribe()`.
+
+Set an optional `version` on the event (instance field) to drive the consumer's `minVersion` / `maxVersion` acceptance gate. The class form (`class X extends EventMessage`) is equivalent — override `toJSON()` and set `eventName`, `version`, `schema` as fields.
+
+## Things NOT to do
+
+- Don't publish inside a transaction. Use the outbox pattern.
+- Don't pass non-JSON-serializable values (functions, `BigInt`, class instances with methods). Serialization happens at the broker boundary; functions go silent, BigInt throws.
+- Don't `expiration: 0` — set a real expiry or omit. `0` means "expire immediately."
+- Don't omit `persistent: true` for messages where loss matters. Default is `true` in this lib, but worth being explicit when the message represents money / customer state.
+- Don't put secrets in headers. Headers travel in plaintext (encrypted only by TLS in transit, not at rest in the broker).
+
+## See also
+
+- [`@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/consume-message/SKILL.md) — the receiving side
+- [`@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md`](@warlock.js/herald/request-and-respond/SKILL.md) — when you need a reply