Incremental Compilation
Incremental compilation is an optimization strategy used in compilation pipelines where only the portions of input that have changed since the last run are reprocessed, rather than recompiling everything from scratch. This approach reduces both processing time and resource costs. ^[knowledge-compilation.md]
How It Works
The core mechanism relies on Change Detection. Each source is fingerprinted using a SHA-256 hash, and those hashes are persisted in a state file between runs. On subsequent compilations, the system compares current hashes against stored ones and skips any source whose hash hasn't changed. ^[knowledge-compilation.md]
Cross-Source Dependencies
Incremental compilation becomes more nuanced when multiple sources contribute to the same output. In a Knowledge Compilation pipeline, if several sources discuss the same concept, the system uses Semantic Dependency Tracking to detect that overlap. A change in any one of those contributing sources triggers recompilation of the shared concept, drawing from all relevant sources — not just the one that changed. ^[knowledge-compilation.md]
Benefits
- Faster turnaround on large source sets
- Reduced API or compute costs by avoiding redundant work
- Scales well as the number of sources grows
Related Concepts
Sources
knowledge-compilation.md