TL;DR

The Scrollcase mental model is simple:

write a recipe
↓
define and lock dependencies
↓
build the box

flowchart TB
    subgraph Dev ["1. Developer Workspace"]
        direction TB
        A["Recipe & Code"]
        B["Dependencies"]
        C["Scrollcase CLI"]
    end

    subgraph CLI ["2. Scrollcase Engine"]
        direction TB
        D["scrollcase lock"] --> E["scrollcase build"]
    end

    subgraph Package ["3. Build Result"]
        direction TB
        F["Runtime Box (.zip)"]
        G["Signed Manifest"]
    end

    subgraph Consumer ["4. Consuming Application"]
        direction TB
        H["Download, Verify & Run"]
    end

    Dev --> CLI
    CLI --> Package
    Package --> I["Distribution"]
    I["Distribution"] --> Consumer
    Consumer --> L["End User"]

Initial setup

1. run npm install -g scrollcase to install the CLI
2. run scrollcase init
3. write the recipe
4. define the dependencies
5. run scrollcase lock
6. generate or configure the signing key
7. run scrollcase build

Normal update

1. update code, version, weights, or dependencies
2. re-run scrollcase lock only when required
3. run scrollcase build

Responsibility split

Decides what the box contains, writes the recipe, defines dependencies, runs the commands, publishes releases, and implements integration in the application.

Builds the environment, downloads and verifies assets, prepares the box, runs tests, creates archives, generates manifests, calculates hashes, and signs the release.

Selects the box, downloads it, verifies it, extracts it, starts it, and manages updates and uninstallation.

Uses the feature exposed by the application; does not interact with Scrollcase directly.

The most demanding parts are usually:

• defining a correct recipe;
• dealing with difficult scientific dependencies;
• implementing download, verification, and execution in the consuming application.

Conceptually, Scrollcase is therefore fairly linear: the developer declares the desired environment, and the tool turns that declaration into a distributable and verifiable release.

What Scrollcase simplifies

Scrollcase removes much of the repetitive work required to turn a Python environment into a distributable product.

Without a tool like this, the developer would have to manage:

• environment creation;
• exact dependency versions;
• relocatability;
• native dependencies;
• verified downloads;
• manifests;
• signatures;
• hashes;
• release structure;
• tests;
• distribution conventions.

With Scrollcase, these concerns are collected into a recipe and a small number of commands.