### Description
`db://`-style connections that use the lance-namespace path
(`LanceNamespaceDatabase` → `NativeTable` + the lance-namespace REST
client) never sent a read-freshness signal. Against a server configured
to serve cached table metadata up to some staleness window, this allows
stale-read-after-write across handles and processes. The remote table
path already solved this (#3439). This brings the namespace path to
parity.
The namespace REST client doesn't let callers attach headers directly,
but it forwards a `DynamicContextProvider`'s `headers.*` context entries
as HTTP headers per request. So:
- A shared per-table baseline map is created before the namespace
client. I built and installed on the `ConnectBuilder` via a context
provider.
- On read operations the provider emits ·x-lancedb-min-timestamp =
max(baseline, now − read_consistency_interval)`
(RFC3339), keyed by the operation's `object_id`.
- Each table handle bumps its baseline (monotonically) on
`checkout_latest()`, `restore()`, and every data/schema write.
`checkout_latest()` is the primary hook: consumers refresh a handle
there after writing elsewhere, then poll.
Read operations that carry the floor: `describe_table`,
`list_table_versions`, `query_table`, `list_tables`.
`list_table_versions` is what resolves "latest" for managed-versioning
tables (`get_latest_version`), so it's the op that makes
`checkout_latest()` actually observe a prior write.
`describe_table_version` is excluded (pinned to an immutable version).
This mirrors #3439 (timestamp baseline, `max(baseline, now − interval)`,
monotonic); no `min_version` and no body channel, since the namespace
path has no version-returning write responses.
### Testing
- Unit tests for `compute_min_timestamp` / `next_freshness_baseline` and
the provider (header at/after a bumped baseline; nothing for an empty
baseline + no interval; interval floor applies; non-read ops emit
nothing; `list_tables` uses only the interval floor).
- Verified end-to-end against a local server that honors the header:
reads carry `x-lancedb-min-timestamp`, writes don't, and read-your-write
holds.
### Description
Adding branch support for RemoteTable by threading a branch selector
onto every operation the data plane accepts it on. Exposes the
currentBranch to nodejs and python through the bindings.
Matching the server handlers, the branch rides as:
- a `?branch=` query parameter for Arrow-body and query-only ops
(insert, merge_insert, multipart_*, version/list, drop_index)
- a `branch` field in the JSON body for everything else (count_rows,
query, update, delete, create_index, column ops, index list/stats,
stats, restore, describe, tags create/update)
A main-branch handle (`branch == None`) produces byte-identical requests
to before: no `branch` field and no `?branch=`
- Handle-per-branch: `create_branch` / `checkout_branch` return a new
handle with fresh caches and reset version/freshness state, mirroring
`NativeTable`.
- `create_branch` maps 409 to already-exists, 400 to invalid, and 404 to
not-found with source context, and sends without retry so the 409 stays
observable.
- `Ref` translation covers version, version-number (relative to the
handle's branch), and tag (resolved via the tags endpoint); `"main"` and
empty normalize to the main branch.
- Python branch handles persist their branch (and pinned version) across
pickle/fork, so a forked or pickled handle reopens on its branch rather
than silently reverting to main.
### Tests
- Rust mock tests per op category (query-param and body mechanisms,
branch CRUD, error paths, backward-compat).
- Python sync branch CRUD, `open_table(branch=)`, and a pickle
round-trip regression test.
### Description
Stacked on #3490. Adds an optional version to branch checkout across the
Rust core and the Python and TypeScript SDKs, so you can open a specific
version on a branch ("version V of branch B"), not just the branch's
latest version
Rust
```rust
// Open version 3 of branch "exp" (a read-only view): check out from an
// existing table, or open it directly from the connection.
let exp_v3 = table.checkout_branch("exp", Some(3)).await?;
let exp_v3 = db.open_table("items").branch("exp").version(3).execute().await?;
// checkout_latest re-attaches to the branch's writable HEAD.
exp_v3.checkout_latest().await?;
// With no branch, a version opens main at that version.
let main_v3 = db.open_table("items").version(3).execute().await?;
```
Python
```python
# Open version 3 of branch "exp" (a read-only view): check out from an
# existing table, or open it directly from the connection.
branch_v3 = await table.branches.checkout("exp", version=3)
branch_v3 = await db.open_table("items", branch="exp", version=3)
# checkout_latest re-attaches to the branch's writable HEAD.
await branch_v3.checkout_latest()
# With no branch, a version opens main at that version.
main_v3 = await db.open_table("items", version=3)
```
TypeScript
```typescript
// Open version 3 of branch "exp" (a read-only view): check out from an
// existing table, or open it directly from the connection.
const branchV3 = await (await table.branches()).checkout("exp", 3);
const opened = await db.openTable("items", undefined, { branch: "exp", version: 3 });
// checkoutLatest re-attaches to the branch's writable HEAD.
await branchV3.checkoutLatest();
// With no branch, a version opens main at that version.
const mainV3 = await db.openTable("items", undefined, { version: 3 });
```
### Testing
- Added unit tests (Rust, Python sync + async, TypeScript):
branch-scoped resolution at a version number shared with `main` and with
another branch, read-only enforcement on a pinned handle,
`checkout_latest` recovery to the branch's HEAD, fork-point reads, and
the nonexistent-version/branch error paths.
- Ran smoke tests against the Python and TypeScript SDKs on local
machine.
### Description
Adds first-class support for table branches across the Rust core and the
Python and TypeScript SDKs.
Rust
```rust
use lance::dataset::refs::Ref;
// Create a branch from main and write to it — main is untouched.
let exp = table.create_branch("exp", Ref::Version(None, None)).await?;
exp.add(batches).await?;
// Reopen the branch later: check out from a table, or open it directly.
let exp = table.checkout_branch("exp").await?;
let exp = db.open_table("items").branch("exp").execute().await?;
let branches = table.list_branches().await?;
table.delete_branch("exp").await?;
```
Python
```python
# Create a branch from main and write to it
branch = await table.branches.create("exp", from_ref="main")
await branch.add(data)
# Reopen the branch later: check out from a table, or open it directly.
branch = await table.branches.checkout("exp")
branch = await db.open_table("items", branch="exp")
await table.branches.list()
await table.branches.delete("exp")
```
TypeScript
```typescript
const branches = await table.branches();
// Create a branch from main and write to it
const branch = await branches.create("exp");
await branch.add(data);
// Reopen the branch later: check out from a table, or open it directly.
const checkedOut = await branches.checkout("exp");
const opened = await db.openTable("items", undefined, { branch: "exp" });
await branches.list();
await branches.delete("exp");
```
### Testing
- Added unit tests
- ran smoke tests against python and typescript sdks on local machine
### Next steps
- Add RemoteTable support
- Add Branch Comparison support
- Merge Branching support
Adds a REVIEW.md at the repo root with cross-SDK parity guidance for
automated code review. The Claude Code review feature automatically
loads `REVIEW.md` as review-only context.
This is intentionally a semantic nudge, not a deterministic check, it
relies on the reviewer reading the sibling SDK, so it will catch most
gaps.
### Summary
Deprecates the Python replace_field_metadata (on Table and AsyncTable)
in favor of update_field_metadata. Mirrors Lance, which already
deprecated Dataset.replace_field_metadata for update_field_metadata.
Stacked on top of #3482 as this was a follow-up task after adding
update_field_metadata
### Summary
Adds update_field_metadata to the client SDK (Rust core, Python, and
TypeScript) so clients can edit per-field (column) Arrow metadata
(schema.fields[].metadata)
### Testing
- added unit tests
- ran E2E against a local server on both local and remote tables (set →
merge → delete), across Python sync/async and TypeScript
### Next steps
- deprecate replace_field_metadata in the python lancedb favor of this
(typescript didn't have replace_field_metadata method). This matches
Lance's API direction (Lance already deprecated replace_field_metadata
for update_field_metadata)
Closes client side work of #3370
### Summary
- Plumbs `read_consistency_interval` from `ConnectBuilder` through
`RestfulLanceDbClient` so remote reads attach an
`x-lancedb-min-timestamp` freshness header. None = no header (default),
zero = "now", positive = `now - interval`.
- Adds per-table `FreshnessState` on `RemoteTable`: write responses
(`update`, `delete`, `merge_insert`, `add_columns`, `alter_columns`,
`drop_columns`) track the committed version, and the next read sends
`x-lancedb-min-version` so the server's cache honors read-your-write.
- `checkout(v)` / `checkout_tag(t)` / `checkout_latest()` / `restore()`
reset the freshness state appropriately; the validating `/describe/` and
tag-resolve requests are sent without freshness headers so they don't
carry stale state.
- Updates Rust, Python, and Node docstrings and calls out that stronger
consistency raises per-read latency and cost.
### Testing
- Unit tests cover default behavior, interval=0, positive interval,
checkout_latest baseline, min_version-after-write, checkout clears
state, and the two no-stale-header invariants on `checkout(v)` and
`checkout_tag(t)`.
- Ran smoke tests against local remote table to verify functionality
### Summary
- Add an optional `progress` callback to `Table.add(data, { progress
})`. Callback fires once per batch written and once more with `done:
true` when the write completes.
- Errors thrown from the user's callback are logged with `console.warn`
and swallowed
### Testing
- npm test
- ran smoke test script to verify functionality
Follow-up to #3371 , which added runtime validation for namespace `mode`
and `behavior` parameters in the NodeJS SDK. Bringing the same fix to
Python for cross-SDK consistency.
**Before:** unrecognized values were silently dropped to `None`, so
`db.create_namespace(["x"], mode="foobar")` would quietly fall through
to the server's default mode and hide caller typos.
**After:** raises `ValueError` listing the valid values.
Brendan Clement