Slate React v2 Persistent Projection Proof Plan

Goal

Extend the slate-react-v2 projection store so persistent annotation layers can use durable RangeRefs directly instead of pretending every overlay is an ephemeral Range.

Working Hypothesis

The smallest honest public cut is:

• keep projection ownership in slate-react-v2
• allow each projection target to be either:
  • a plain Range
  • a durable RangeRef
• keep external add/remove of anchors explicit through existing refresh()

That gives persistent overlays a first-class path without inventing a comment model or pushing overlay state into slate-v2.

Proof Priorities

1. a persistent anchor based on RangeRef stays projected after text edits
2. a persistent anchor rebases across fragment insertion
3. removing the anchor plus refresh() removes the projection
4. unrelated slices still do not rerender

Phases

Phase 0

Freeze the projection target shape.

Phase 1

Write the first failing runtime tests for RangeRef-backed projections.

Phase 2

Implement the minimal store/type changes.

Phase 3

Verify, deslop, re-verify, architect review, cleanup.

Progress Log

2026-04-03

• grounded the seam from the approved projection proof and the approved slate-v2 range-ref proof
• first attempt extended the headless projection store with direct RangeRef support
• architect rejected that boundary: persistent RangeRef integration was React-shaped, not headless-store-shaped
• fixed the seam by:
  • reverting the headless store to raw Range projections only
  • adding useSlateRangeRefProjectionStore(editor, projections) in slate-react-v2
  • making refresh() force-invalidating for explicit external refreshes
  • updating runtime tests to use rerendered anchor props instead of manual store refresh after unref()
• fresh verification evidence:
  • zsh -lc 'yarn workspace slate-react-v2 test'
  • zsh -lc 'yarn build:rollup'
  • zsh -lc 'yarn lint:typescript'
  • LSP diagnostics 0 on changed files
• final architect verdict: APPROVE
• reusable note captured in: 2026-04-03-persistent-range-ref-projections-belong-in-a-react-hook-not-the-headless-store.md