Open-source TCG data infrastructure
Build the connections.
Four foundations. A shared contract. Clear steps from source data to useful tools.
Reviewed 2026-09-29. This is a delivery plan; source availability and release dates are not promised.
Foundation implemented
SKU & identity
Give each printing a clear, traceable identity.
- In place
- Versioned syntax, validation and bounded card lookup. A valid SKU is not proof of an exact printing.
- Next
- Evidence-backed source mappings with language, finish and variant preserved. Keep ambiguous matches unresolved.
Ready when
Collision fixtures pass; every exact mapping carries evidence; raw source IDs and correction history survive normalization.
Reference contract implemented
Images & rights
Connect artwork to the right card and its permissions.
- In place
- Market, universal-card and starter/practice reads share source checks and explicit image references. Artist/gallery readers, catalogue provenance and cache removal remain open.
- Next
- One image contract: exact or reference image, source, credit, allowed uses, dimensions, checksum and removal status.
Ready when
Human and API paths apply the same reviewed permissions. Unknown rights stay withheld; corrections and removals reach caches.
Partial integrations
Prices & provenance
Keep the amount, source and meaning together.
- In place
- Native decimal amounts, currency, source metrics and retained history contracts exist. Member access and imports determine availability.
- Next
- Reproducible permitted imports, mapping review, freshness reporting and comparison only across compatible observations.
Ready when
No guessed zero, FX or source average. Units, metric, printing, condition, time and source/use permission travel with every record.
Integration design planned
Market observations
Separate asking prices, sales and market summaries.
- In place
- Existing listing and history code is not a unified market feed. New paid commerce remains retired.
- Next
- A source-qualified observation contract that distinguishes listings, completed sales, aggregates and computed references.
Ready when
Asks never become sold prices. Aggregates identify their sample, exclusions and delay; personal trading records require an approved publication basis.
The delivery order
Each step depends on the evidence from the one before it.
Reconcile the foundations In progress
Align image/text publication paths, inventory code and data rights, and verify a clean public release route.
Release gate
One reviewed policy per source and use; consistent human/API output; release scan and reproducible build evidence.
Make identity dependable Planned
Version printing identity and source crosswalks, with ambiguity, evidence and corrections as first-class records.
Release gate
Golden fixtures cover aliases, leading zeros, languages, reprints and finishes without silent merges.
Connect images and prices Planned
Attach rights-labelled image records and native price observations to the same printing contract.
Release gate
Field-level permission, attribution, native units, freshness and removal behavior pass shared contract fixtures.
Pilot permitted providers Planned
Expand reviewed Scryfall and Cardmarket paths; assess a multilingual Pokémon catalog and licensed market inputs.
Release gate
Permission recorded; imports are repeatable and bounded; mapping quality, failures and source coverage are measurable.
Release interoperable tools Planned
Publish independently usable packages, conformance fixtures and client examples; expose qualified market data through the same read layer.
Release gate
External consumers reproduce fixtures; compatibility and correction policies are documented; repository/package access and every published field are verified.
Open in layers
Reference packages are workspace-only. Public repository access and package distribution require verification before release. Code, specification text, images and source data have separate terms. Normalization does not create redistribution rights.