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📦 Authority

Runtime, netcode-agnostic authority hooks that determine who may mutate an inventory.

This folder defines authority contracts and resolution logic used by the inventory service to gate write operations.

🎯 Purpose

Provide a consistent way to determine whether a caller may mutate inventory state.

🧩 What Lives Here

IInventoryAuthority

Minimal policy interface:

public interface IInventoryAuthority
{
    bool HasAuthority(UnityEngine.GameObject owner);
}

Implemented by components that determine whether mutation is allowed for a given owner.

InventoryAuthority (resolver)

Static resolver and cache for locating an authority provider.

Resolves authority using a defined search order and caches the result for reuse.

Key methods:

IInventoryAuthority Resolve(MonoBehaviour ctx);
IInventoryAuthority Resolve(Component c);
IInventoryAuthority Resolve(GameObject go);
void Invalidate();

⚠️ Important Notes

  • This folder defines authority contracts and resolution only
  • It does not provide replication, prediction, or rollback systems
  • It does not enforce networking behaviour

If no authority provider is found, the default runtime behaviour may allow mutations.

🧠 Usage Guidance

Service integration

Inventory services consult authority before executing mutation operations.

If denied, operations return InvOpCode.NoAuthority.

Read operations are not gated.

Resolution behaviour

Authority is resolved from:

  • Cached instance (if valid)
  • Same GameObject
  • Parent hierarchy
  • Scene roots
  • Global scan fallback

The first valid provider is used.

Runtime updates

Call InventoryAuthority.Invalidate() if authority providers are added or removed at runtime.

🚫 Not for Production Use

This folder does not:

  • Implement multiplayer systems
  • Replicate inventory state
  • Provide prediction or rollback
  • Guarantee a specific authority model

These concerns must be handled by the host project or networking layer.