Rationalize the root export surface and scope-method vocabulary

[lan17]

Priority

P2 — Medium — finish the stable public/package boundary before v1; not a production correctness blocker.

Current state at v0.11.0

Most of the original surface-area cleanup has shipped:

• feat: decouple Prometheus metrics adapter #56 and feat: add Datadog metrics adapter #59 moved Prometheus and Datadog integrations to caller-owned subpaths.
• feat: require caller-owned Redis clients #67 removed the lazy Redis factory/constructor mode.
• feat: overlay runtime cache configuration on defaults #68 removed the unused MissingKeyConfigError export.
• feat: decouple GLIDE adapter runtime #81 kept Valkey GLIDE behind an explicit integration subpath.
• feat: add inline getOrLoad API #84 added getOrLoad() as an intentional everyday root API.
• refactor: internalize deterministic ramp sampling #86 removed public ramp-sampler configuration and four related root exports.
• refactor: derive watermark TTLs from active state #88 removed public watermark-TTL configuration and protocol fields.
• feat: require Node.js 22 or newer #94 moved the maintained runtime floor to Node.js 22 without changing runtime API shape.

The root correctly retains backend-neutral serializer, metrics, and semantic Redis contracts needed for dependency injection. Vendor-specific adapters and the Redis protocol use explicit package subpaths.

Draft #89 is now based on v0.11.0, mergeable, and green. It clarifies the everyday API, advanced integration contracts, and lower-level reference material, but it is documentation-only and does not resolve this issue.

Current evidence:

• Root exports: https://github.com/lan17/DialCache/blob/e06d833ba245706a499d66056fdad15dc1210b68/src/index.ts
• Scope aliases:

  DialCache/src/dialcache.ts

  Lines 234 to 248 in e06d833

  	enable<T>(fn: () => Awaitable<T>): Promise<T> {
  	return this.context.enable(fn);
  	}
  	disable<T>(fn: () => Awaitable<T>): Promise<T> {
  	return this.context.disable(fn);
  	}
  	withEnabled<T>(fn: () => Awaitable<T>): Promise<T> {
  	return this.enable(fn);
  	}
  	withDisabled<T>(fn: () => Awaitable<T>): Promise<T> {
  	return this.disable(fn);
  	}

• Package subpaths:

  DialCache/package.json

  Lines 11 to 71 in e06d833

  	"exports": {
  	".": {
  	"import": {
  	"types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
  	"default": "./dist/index.js"
  	},
  	"require": {
  	"types": "./dist/index.d.cts",
  	"default": "./dist/index.cjs"
  	}
  	},
  	"./node-redis": {
  	"import": {
  	"types": "./dist/node-redis.d.ts",
  	"default": "./dist/node-redis.js"
  	},
  	"require": {
  	"types": "./dist/node-redis.d.cts",
  	"default": "./dist/node-redis.cjs"
  	}
  	},
  	"./datadog": {
  	"import": {
  	"types": "./dist/datadog.d.ts",
  	"default": "./dist/datadog.js"
  	},
  	"require": {
  	"types": "./dist/datadog.d.cts",
  	"default": "./dist/datadog.cjs"
  	}
  	},
  	"./prometheus": {
  	"import": {
  	"types": "./dist/prometheus.d.ts",
  	"default": "./dist/prometheus.js"
  	},
  	"require": {
  	"types": "./dist/prometheus.d.cts",
  	"default": "./dist/prometheus.cjs"
  	}
  	},
  	"./valkey-glide": {
  	"import": {
  	"types": "./dist/valkey-glide.d.ts",
  	"default": "./dist/valkey-glide.js"
  	},
  	"require": {
  	"types": "./dist/valkey-glide.d.cts",
  	"default": "./dist/valkey-glide.cjs"
  	}
  	},
  	"./redis-protocol": {
  	"import": {
  	"types": "./dist/redis-protocol.d.ts",
  	"default": "./dist/redis-protocol.js"
  	},
  	"require": {
  	"types": "./dist/redis-protocol.d.cts",
  	"default": "./dist/redis-protocol.cjs"
  	}
  	}

Remaining audit items

The v0.11 holistic review found these unresolved public-boundary questions:

1. DialCache exposes duplicate scope-method pairs: enable / disable and withEnabled / withDisabled. Documentation consistently teaches enable / disable.
2. Prometheus and Datadog subpaths expose both adapter classes and one-line factory functions. Supporting two equivalent construction idioms adds API without adding capability.
3. The root exports RedisConfig from src/internal/redis-cache.ts. The contract may be intentional, but a public type should live behind a public module boundary rather than making internal part of the source-level API architecture.
4. redisClusterHashTag("") returns "{}"; Redis does not treat an empty brace pair as an effective cluster hash tag. The helper should either reject an empty value or cease to be a public supported helper.
5. DialCacheKeyConfig.enabled(ttlSec) enables both local and remote layers at 100%. That shorthand can broaden behavior when Redis is later configured and is less explicit than the normal layer-map API. Decide whether to remove it, rename it to make both layers explicit, or retain it with a strong contract before v1.
6. The root mixes everyday API with lower-level context, key, metrics, serializer, and semantic Redis contracts. Some are necessary public types—for example, DialCacheKey is the input to CacheConfigProvider—while others still need an explicit supported-consumer justification.

The new cached-definition snapshot, runtime key validation, and CommonJS error-identity findings are tracked separately because they are correctness/package-runtime work rather than export-inventory decisions:

• Validate cache-key shapes before canonicalization #97
• Preserve payload-error identity across CommonJS package subpaths #99
• Snapshot cached definition options at registration #101

Recommended simplicity-first direction — decision required

Subject to explicit approval before any public removal or rename:

• Make enable / disable canonical and consider removing withEnabled / withDisabled before v1 with a concise migration note.
• Pick one construction idiom per metrics integration unless both have a demonstrated consumer need.
• Move any retained public RedisConfig definition out of internal without introducing another user-facing concept.
• Make the hash-tag helper incapable of returning a value that does not provide the advertised Redis Cluster behavior.
• Prefer explicit layer configuration over a broad enabled() shorthand unless real usage justifies it.
• Classify every root export as everyday consumer API, backend-neutral extension/injection contract, or unsupported internal helper.
• Remove or relocate only exports that lack a supported consumer contract.
• Do not create new package subpaths merely to move clutter elsewhere.
• Preserve the existing Prometheus, Datadog, node-redis, Valkey GLIDE, and Redis-protocol boundaries.

Acceptance criteria

• Record the approved canonical scope vocabulary and compatibility policy.
• Decide and document the supported construction idiom for both metrics integrations.
• No public type is sourced from an internal module after the cleanup.
• The public hash-tag helper either rejects empty input or is removed/moved; it cannot imply colocation that Redis will not provide.
• Record the approved future of DialCacheKeyConfig.enabled() with an explicit migration path if it changes.
• Classify every root export by supported role.
• Keep normal consumer API and intentional backend-neutral injection contracts accessible without vendor dependencies.
• Add packed ESM/CommonJS declaration coverage for every retained or moved contract.
• Include a migration table for every public removal, rename, or move.
• Reconcile the resulting API reference with docs: focus README on safe cache rollouts #89 if that documentation PR merges first.
• Do not remove an export solely because repository tests do not consume it.
• Obtain explicit approval before public removals, renames, or subpath changes.