Edict

Edict

A programming language designed for AI agents. No parser. No syntax. Agents produce AST directly as JSON.

Edict is a statically-typed, effect-tracked programming language where the canonical program format is a JSON AST. It's purpose-built so AI agents can write, verify, and execute programs through a structured pipeline — no text parsing, no human-readable syntax, no ambiguity.

Agent (LLM)
  │  produces JSON AST via MCP tool call
  ↓
Schema Validator ─── invalid? → StructuredError → Agent retries
  ↓
Name Resolver ────── undefined? → StructuredError + candidates → Agent retries
  ↓
Type Checker ─────── mismatch? → StructuredError + expected type → Agent retries
  ↓
Effect Checker ───── violation? → StructuredError + propagation chain → Agent retries
  ↓
Contract Verifier ── unproven? → StructuredError + counterexample → Agent retries
  (Z3/SMT)            ↓
                  Code Generator (pure-JS WASM encoder) → WASM → Execute

Features

• JSON AST — Programs are JSON objects, not text files. No lexer, no parser.
• Structured errors — Every error is a typed JSON object with enough context for an agent to self-repair.
• Type system — Int, Float, String, Bool, Array<T>, Option<T>, Result<T,E>, records, enums, refinement types.
• Effect tracking — Functions declare pure, reads, writes, io, fails. The compiler verifies consistency.
• Contract verification — Pre/post conditions verified at compile time by Z3 (via SMT). Failing contracts return concrete counterexamples.
• WASM compilation — Verified programs compile to WebAssembly via a pure-JS encoder and run in Node.js.
• MCP interface — All tools exposed via Model Context Protocol for direct agent integration.
• Schema migration — ASTs from older schema versions are auto-migrated. No breakage when the language evolves.

Execution Model

Edict compiles to WebAssembly and runs in a sandboxed VM. This is a deliberate security decision — not a limitation:

• No ambient authority — compiled WASM cannot access the filesystem, network, or OS unless the host explicitly provides those capabilities via the pluggable EdictHostAdapter interface
• Compile-time capability declaration — the effect system (io, reads, writes, fails) lets the host inspect what a program requires before running it
• Runtime enforcement — RunLimits controls execution timeout, memory ceiling, and filesystem sandboxing
• Defense-in-depth — agent-generated code that runs immediately needs stronger isolation than human-reviewed code. The effect system + WASM sandbox + host adapter pattern provides exactly that

Host capabilities available through adapters: filesystem (sandboxed), HTTP, crypto (SHA-256, MD5, HMAC), environment variables, CLI arguments. New capabilities are added by extending EdictHostAdapter.

Quick Start

For AI Agents (MCP)

The fastest way to use Edict is through the MCP server — it exposes the entire compiler pipeline as tool calls:

npx edict-lang          # start MCP server (stdio transport, no install needed)

Or install locally:

npm install edict-lang
npx edict-lang          # start MCP server

Two calls to get started: edict_schema (learn the AST format) → edict_check (submit a program). See MCP Tools for the full tool list.

For Development

npm install
npm test          # 2675 tests across 136 files
npm run mcp       # start MCP server (stdio transport)

Docker

Run the Edict MCP server in a container — no local Node.js required:

# stdio transport (default — for local MCP clients)
docker run -i ghcr.io/sowiedu/edict

# HTTP transport (for remote/networked MCP clients)
docker run -p 3000:3000 -e EDICT_TRANSPORT=http ghcr.io/sowiedu/edict

Supported platforms: linux/amd64, linux/arm64.

Browser

Run the Edict compiler entirely in the browser — no server required:

Bundle	Size	Phases	Use case
edict-lang/browser	318 KB	1–3 (validate, resolve, typecheck, effects, lint, patch)	Lightweight checking
edict-lang/browser-full	~14 MB	1–5 (+ WASM codegen, Z3 contracts, WASM execution)	Full compile & run

import { compileBrowser, runBrowserDirect } from 'edict-lang/browser-full';

const result = compileBrowser(astJson);
if (result.ok) {
    const run = await runBrowserDirect(result.wasm);
    console.log(run.output);  // "Hello, World!"
}

Note: ESM modules require HTTP serving. Use npx serve . or any static server — file:// won't work.

See examples/browser/index.html for a working example.

QuickJS (Sandboxed Environments)

The Edict compiler also runs inside QuickJS WASM — useful for sandboxed runtimes, edge workers, or embedding in other WASM applications:

Bundle	Size	Phases	Slowdown vs Node.js
dist/edict-quickjs-check.js	373 KB	1–3 (validate, resolve, typecheck, effects)	~3.7x
dist/edict-quickjs-full.js	932 KB	1–5 (check + WASM compile)	~3.7x

import { EdictQuickJS } from "edict-lang/quickjs";

const edict = await EdictQuickJS.createFull();  // phases 1-5
const result = edict.compile(ast);
if (result.ok) {
    console.log(result.wasm);  // Uint8Array of valid WASM
}
edict.dispose();

Note: quickjs-emscripten is an optional peer dependency — install it alongside edict-lang to use EdictQuickJS. For fs-free environments, pass bundleSource directly instead of loading from disk.

See docs/quickjs-feasibility-report.md for full benchmarks and recommendations.

MCP Tools

Tool	Description
edict_schema	Returns the full AST JSON Schema — the spec for how to write programs
edict_version	Returns compiler version and capability info
edict_examples	Returns 41 example programs as JSON ASTs (includes schema snippet)
edict_validate	Validates AST structure (field names, types, node kinds)
edict_check	Full pipeline: validate → resolve names → type check → effect check → verify contracts
edict_compile	Compiles a checked AST to WASM (returns base64-encoded binary)
edict_run	Executes a compiled WASM binary, returns output and exit code
edict_patch	Applies targeted AST patches by nodeId and re-checks
edict_errors	Returns machine-readable catalog of all error types
edict_lint	Runs non-blocking quality analysis and returns warnings
edict_debug	Execution tracing and crash diagnostics
edict_compose	Combines composable program fragments into a module
edict_explain	Explains AST nodes, errors, or compiler behavior
edict_export	Packages a program as a UASF portable skill
edict_import_skill	Imports and executes a UASF skill package
edict_generate_tests	Generates tests from Z3-verified contracts
edict_replay	Records and replays deterministic execution traces
edict_deploy	Compiles and deploys an Edict program to edge runtimes (Cloudflare Workers)
edict_invoke	Invokes a deployed Edict WASM service via HTTP
edict_invoke_skill	Invokes a UASF skill package directly
edict_package	Packages a compiled program as a deployable skill bundle
edict_support	Returns diagnostics and environment info for troubleshooting

MCP Resources

URI	Description
edict://schema	The full AST JSON Schema
edict://schema/minimal	Minimal schema variant for token-efficient bootstrap
edict://examples	All example programs
edict://errors	Machine-readable error catalog
edict://schema/patch	JSON Schema for the AST patch protocol
edict://guide	Agent bootstrap guide for MCP-first onboarding
edict://support	Diagnostics and environment info

Example Program

A "Hello, World!" in Edict's JSON AST:

{
  "kind": "module",
  "id": "mod-hello-001",
  "name": "hello",
  "imports": [],
  "definitions": [
    {
      "kind": "fn",
      "id": "fn-main-001",
      "name": "main",
      "params": [],
      "effects": ["io"],
      "returnType": { "kind": "basic", "name": "Int" },
      "contracts": [],
      "body": [
        {
          "kind": "call",
          "id": "call-print-001",
          "fn": { "kind": "ident", "id": "ident-print-001", "name": "print" },
          "args": [
            { "kind": "literal", "id": "lit-msg-001", "value": "Hello, World!" }
          ]
        },
        { "kind": "literal", "id": "lit-ret-001", "value": 0 }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The Agent Loop

The core design: an agent submits an AST → the compiler validates it → if wrong, returns a StructuredError with enough context for the agent to self-repair → the agent fixes it → resubmits.

// 1. Agent reads the schema to learn the AST format
const schema = edict_schema();

// 2. Agent writes a program (may contain errors)
const program = agentWritesProgram(schema);

// 3. Compile — returns structured errors or WASM
const result = edict_compile(program);

if (!result.ok) {
  // 4. Agent reads errors and fixes the program
  //    Errors include: nodeId, expected type, candidates, counterexamples
  const fixed = agentFixesProgram(program, result.errors);
  // 5. Resubmit
  return edict_compile(fixed);
}

// 6. Run the WASM
const output = edict_run(result.wasm);

Architecture

src/
├── ast/           # TypeScript interfaces for every AST node
├── validator/     # Schema validation (structural correctness)
├── resolver/      # Name resolution (scope-aware, with Levenshtein suggestions)
├── checker/       # Type checking (bidirectional, with unit types)
├── effects/       # Effect checking (call-graph propagation)
├── contracts/     # Contract verification (Z3/SMT integration)
├── codegen/       # WASM code generation (pure-JS encoder)
│   ├── codegen.ts       # IR → WASM module orchestration
│   ├── compile-ir-expr.ts  # IR expression compilation
│   ├── compile-ir-*.ts  # Specialized IR compilers (calls, data, match, scalars)
│   ├── runner.ts        # WASM execution (Node.js WebAssembly API)
│   ├── host-adapter.ts  # EdictHostAdapter interface + platform adapters
│   ├── closures.ts      # Closure capture and compilation
│   ├── hof-generators.ts # Higher-order function WASM generators
│   ├── wasm-encoder.ts  # Pure-JS WASM binary encoder (replaced binaryen)
│   ├── wasm-interpreter.ts # Pure-JS WASM interpreter (no WebAssembly API needed)
│   ├── recording-adapter.ts # Execution recording for replay
│   ├── replay-adapter.ts  # Deterministic replay from recorded traces
│   └── string-table.ts  # String interning for WASM memory
├── ir/            # Mid-level IR (lowering, optimization)
├── builtins/      # Builtin registry and domain-specific builtins
├── compact/       # Compact AST format (token-efficient for agents)
├── compose/       # Composable program fragments
├── deploy/        # Edge deployment scaffolding (Cloudflare Workers)
├── incremental/   # Incremental checking (dependency graph + diff)
├── lint/          # Non-blocking quality warnings
├── patch/         # Surgical AST patching by nodeId
├── migration/     # Schema version migration (auto-upgrade older ASTs)
├── skills/        # Skill packaging and invocation
├── mcp/           # MCP server (tools + resources + prompts)
└── errors/        # Structured error types

tests/             # 2675 tests across 136 files
examples/          # 41 example programs (⭐→⭐⭐⭐ difficulty in README)
schema/            # Auto-generated JSON Schema

Type System

Type	Example
Basic	Int, Int64, Float, String, Bool
Array	Array<Int>
Option	Option<String>
Result	Result<String, String>
Record	Point { x: Float, y: Float }
Enum	Shape = Circle { radius: Float } | Rectangle { w: Float, h: Float }
Refinement	{ i: Int | i > 0 } — predicates verified by Z3
Function	(Int, Int) -> Int

Effect System

Functions declare their effects. The compiler enforces:

• A pure function cannot call an io function
• Effects propagate through the call graph
• Missing effects are detected and reported

Effects: pure, reads, writes, io, fails

Contract Verification

Pre/post conditions are verified at compile time using Z3:

{
  "kind": "post",
  "id": "post-001",
  "condition": {
    "kind": "binop", "id": "binop-001", "op": ">",
    "left": { "kind": "ident", "id": "ident-result-001", "name": "result" },
    "right": { "kind": "ident", "id": "ident-x-001", "name": "x" }
  }
}

Z3 either proves unsat (contract holds ✅) or returns sat with a concrete counterexample the agent can reason about.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from agents and humans alike. See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions, coding standards, and the PR workflow.

Looking for a place to start? Check issues labeled good first issue.

Roadmap

See ROADMAP.md for the full development plan, FEATURE_SPEC.md for the language specification, and Crystallized Intelligence for how agents store and reuse verified WASM skills.

Support

Edict is free and open source under the MIT license. If your agents find it valuable, consider sponsoring its development.

License

MIT