2026-06 audit: NDI-python follow-ups & symmetry parity with merged NDI-matlab #828

[stevevanhooser]

Tracking issue for the NDI-python side of the 2026-06 NDI ecosystem audit. The
NDI-matlab half merged as VH-Lab/NDI-matlab#828 (DID halves:
VH-Lab/DID-matlab#148, VH-Lab/DID-python#24). This captures the changes there
that need an NDI-python counterpart, plus what was deliberately not changed.

Symmetry parity (so the cross-language tests agree)

1. Time time_convert symmetry (audit item 28) — MATLAB is now the reference. NDI-matlab:

   • fixed a real ndi.time.syncgraph/time_convert bug (the same-referent/different-clock
     path indexed the cell-array epoch_clock with == instead of cellfun(@(x) eq(x,...)));
   • rebuilt the symmetry referent as a real ndi.element (the bespoke scenarioReferent
     lacked ==, so every same-referent conversion returned empty);
   • made makeArtifacts/time assert each case equals scenario.expected()
     (MATLAB-authoritative) instead of silently skipping.
     The shared scenario spec (scenarioStruct) is unchanged. Action: ensure the Python
     _time_scenario/_SpecRef produces the same conversions and asserts the same expected
     values; treat the MATLAB scenario as the source of truth.

2. Compute finalize → advance rename. NDI-matlab renamed
   finalizeSession/FinalizeSession/finalize_compute_session →
   advanceSession/AdvanceSession/advance_compute_session to match the cloud API
   (swagger exposes only POST /compute/{sessionId}/advance; there is no /finalize).
   Action: rename the NDI-python cloud client's equivalent finalize call to advance.

3. Symmetry CI infra. The cross-language symmetry workflow is driven from NDI-python.
   NDI-matlab fixed its side (authenticated GITHUB_TOKEN for matbox dependency resolution;
   tests/+ndi/+symmetry/requirements.txt present). Action: confirm the NDI-python-driven
   workflow passes against the updated NDI-matlab main.

Deferred — cross-client, not changed (need a joint decision)

• JWT off environment variables. The cloud token is passed between functions via
  NDI_CLOUD_* env vars; both NDI-matlab and NDI-python deferred removing this "for parity."
  Decide and change together.
• timestamp datenum-vs-epoch (cross-ref). DID-level decision ([Note / no action required] What it would take to move away from MATLAB datenums for timebases/timestamps VH-Lab/DID-matlab#147) on
  the stored time representation; affects time handling broadly. Track here so NDI-python is in the loop.

Deferred — NDI-matlab-side (FYI, no NDI-python action)

requirements.txt SHA-pinning (needs matbox @sha verification), GenBank vocabulary dedup →
git-LFS, and a bulk error()-identifier rewrite were flagged but not done on the MATLAB side;
listed here only so the audit's full deferral set is in one place.