Daemon or oneshot

Use a daemon when the program must remember something between calls. A panel, a login, and a ticker all need a daemon. Delegated sign-in requires a daemon, because the start and the poll share memory.

Use a oneshot when the program answers one call and can forget everything. A tool that only transforms text is a oneshot.

Both kinds use the same handshake. The manifest field is kind.

{ "kind": "daemon" }

{ "kind": "oneshot" }

runtime names the binary Koma launches.

{
  "runtime": {
    "exec": "echo-tool-daemon",
    "args": []
  }
}

The echo sample is a daemon even though it keeps no state, so you can leave it running while you try the next call. The upper-tool sample is the oneshot version of the same idea.