# Safe Format for Storing Model Checkpoint Headers

A checkpoint header is the metadata at the start of a serialized model file. Here's a robust design:

## Recommended Structure

```
+---------------------------+
| Magic Number (4 bytes)    |  e.g., 0x4D434B50 ("MCKP")
| Version (2 bytes)         |  format version for forward compat
| Header Size (4 bytes)     |  allows skipping unknown fields
| Flags (4 bytes)           |  compression, encryption, endianness
| Payload Length (8 bytes)  |  expected