Whilst not completely oblivious to the problem you are seeking to address, I think there are (at least) two problems with what you are proposing:

1. You would be adding Yet Another Layer to packages that all ready have too many layers.

   And none of the existing layers would 'go away' in the process. Backward compatibility, not to mention vested interests, mean that all the existing layers will need to stay in place. No one is going to give up their 'meta.yml' file or equivalent.

   In the end, you will have just added to the burden.

2. Your all encompassing vision will result in a rat's nest overburden of data in which the actual required information will be entirely obscured.

   As an example of what I mean. this is a 'simple' .vcproj file. Don't just glance at the size of it, take a few moments to peruse the elements it contains, whilst bearing in mind the question -- what does this contribute to the actual building of the application?

   In my assessment, about 80% to 90% of the content of that file is only there to support the metadata of the metafile format itself. Think about that a moment. Take this tiny snippet:

         <xs:sequence>
            <xs:element name="Tool" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded">
               <xs:complexType>
                  <xs:attribute name="Name" type="xs:string" use="require
   +d" />
                  <!-- NOTE: all other attributes are properties of that 
   +particular tool object. -->
                  <!--       any unrecognized attribute will be ignored. 
   +-->
                  <xs:anyAttribute processContents="skip" />
               </xs:complexType>
            </xs:element>
         </xs:sequence>
   [download]

   What does that actually mean? Anyone? What does it actually contribute to the build maintenance of the project? (My conclusion is: Nada!)

   I recently downloaded a VC project that contains 11 source files. I don't use the MSVC IDE, and so I wanted to work out how to build them from the command line and delved into the 400+ line .vcproj file. I got completely lost. So then I tried to build it from the command line, and it came down to:

   cl /MT *.c
   [download]

   That was all that was required. It built the entire thing right through to the executable, which then ran perfectly. Sure, I added a few extra options when I wrote a makefile, but still I ended up with a 10 line makefile.

   What do those 400+ lines buy me?

This kind of thing always reminds me of watching a Michelin starred chef prepare a menu on TV. They stand there screaming orders at a dozen sous chefs, all running around performing gastronomic feats of valour. Eventually, a plate of food is delivered to the pass; the top man wipes away an imagined fingerprint and declares it fit for consumption, to a huge round of applause.

Meanwhile, my wife has cooked and served a fine meal for four, washing up as she went, whilst also watching and commenting on what the great man was doing: "Did you notice? He didn't taste a damn thing!"

When the process becomes more important than the product, seriously, it is time to re-evaluate your priorities.