[community-group] Pull Request: Resolver spec updates

drwpow has just submitted a new pull request for https://github.com/design-tokens/community-group:

== Resolver spec updates ==
## Changes

This makes 2 significant changes to **syntax** and **removing `namespacing`**.

### Syntax

The syntax was changed from `sets` and `modifiers` being declared separately, to being merged in the same array. This solves the following problems:

- Modifier types (enumerated and include) are no longer needed, because the “include” modifier was really just a set in disguise (a set declared after a modifier now serves the same function)
- If someone wanted to include a token file that override a modifier, that was impossible before.
- Boilerplate is reduced significantly
- No more contextual `name` and `values` being used in both sets and modifiers. Now sets and modifiers have distinct syntax that are easy to scan.

The changes seem significant, but are backwards-compatible. In many ways this is just a cleanup.

### Namespace removal 

Namespacing tokens doesn’t have a clear usecase, rather, introduces complexity in the specification.

- The existing DTCG format relies on a **global token schema** that is consistent across the design system. This disrupts that by making the global token schema unknowable.
- The responsibility of naming is now split between resolver and token files, with neither  having complete control. Aliases become unusable if a modifier, at any stage in the process, is able to break the link. In other words, it’s a circular dependency.
- By removing namespacing, the naming responsibility and schema is now 100% back on tokens, with the resolver mostly resolving conflicts. 

## How to Review

Discussed in this week’s DTCG meeting; see [notes](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sfiVmnIxgeiA20JJ4IOkm8da_CM9hTnsL2gpzO8vEOM/edit?tab=t.0#heading).


See https://github.com/design-tokens/community-group/pull/301


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Received on Thursday, 28 August 2025 01:53:52 UTC