Core Concepts

Concept	Meaning for the user
Program	A Culsma source file and its imported protocol definitions. The language owns syntax, types and experimental semantics.
Run	One admitted execution, with a run ID, saved plan, state and outcomes.
Station	A persistent identity for devices, positions, consumables and reservations.
Driver plugin	An external implementation that maps supported requests to a device or simulator.
Evidence	The device-side outcome recorded for a particular execution attempt.
Checkpoint	Saved execution state used to continue without blindly repeating confirmed actions.

Language and OS

culsma is the language CLI. culsma-os is the separate OS CLI. With the compatible OS plugin installed, the language CLI can hand a complete program to the OS through its generic driver extension. Use culsma-os for the explicit station and resident commands in this manual.

The OS hosts language execution, checks constraints and resources, asks the plugin to execute supported effects, records evidence, and registers accepted material changes. A predicted material change and a returned device command are different facts. Neither is a biological measurement unless a measurement provides that evidence.

Run State and Station State

A run owns its program, material model and execution history. The station owns shared device positions, tip usage and resource reservations. Changing a run database or output directory does not reset station state.

Runs execute serially in the current resident host. A paused or unresolved run may retain resources and block successors. An entire protocol is not a database transaction: physical actions cannot generally be rolled back.

Completion and Uncertainty

completed follows successful body execution, confirmed finalization and resource release. body_outcome: succeeded alone is not the terminal result. If an action or cleanup result is unknown, inspect the evidence and retained ownership; do not assume that retrying is safe.