Learn IntentLang, from the idea to the draft syntax.

Core concepts

IntentLang has a small vocabulary. These are the terms you will see throughout the docs and examples.

Mission

A unit of intent: a goal, its inputs and outputs, and its guarantees.

Goal

The outcome a mission is meant to achieve, in plain language.

Requires

What must be true or available before the mission runs.

Input / Output

The typed values a mission consumes and produces.

Guarantees

Properties that must always hold when the mission completes.

Never

Forbidden behavior the implementation must never exhibit.

Constraints

Bounds and limits, such as a token time-to-live.

Target

A language the mission should compile toward, e.g. TypeScript.

Verify

The checks (types, tests, scans) that prove the guarantees hold.

Architecture

Services, APIs, events, data, dependencies, and ownership.

The Mission block

A Mission is the core unit of intent. It names a goal, declares what it requires, lists the guarantees that must hold, and names the targets it should compile toward.

1mission CreateInvoice
2
3goal
4  Generate an invoice from approved orders
5
6why
7  Customers need accurate invoices that are auditable and never duplicated.
8
9requires
10  Customer
11  ApprovedOrders
12
13input
14  customer: Customer
15  orders: List<Order>
16  idempotencyKey: IdempotencyKey
17
18output
19  invoice: Invoice
20
21guarantees
22  invoice.total is never negative
23  duplicate invoices are not created
24  every invoice is auditable
25
26never
27  create invoice for unapproved order
28  expose payment token in logs
29
30target
31  TypeScript
32  DotNet
33  OpenAPI
34  Tests
35  Markdown
36  Mermaid
37
38verify
39  unit tests
40  duplicate prevention test
41  audit trail test
42  security scan

Three layers

The same mission can be written at three levels of precision: readable Human Intent, a more exact Typed Intent with semantic types and constraints, and compiler-ready Executable Intent that names a target and its checks. See all three side by side on the examples page.

Contracts & guarantees

Guarantees are not tests bolted on afterward. They are part of the program. Each guarantee is a property the implementation must never violate, and the one IntentLang aims to verify for you across every target.

• • Guarantees read as plain, checkable statements.
• • They travel with the Mission, not in a separate suite.
• • Verification can be satisfied by types, tests, runtime checks, or proofs.

Semantic types

IntentLang favors semantic types over primitives. Writing email: Email instead of email: string lets the compiler and verification tools reason about meaning, not just shape. Planned built-in types include:

Security model

Security is first-class. Fields can be marked so the compiler and verifier can enforce how they are handled.

1field paymentToken: Secret
2  never log
3  never return to client
4  store encrypted

Sensitive

Handle with care; may appear in audits.

Secret

Never logged, never returned to a client.

Encrypted

Stored and transmitted encrypted.

PII

Personal data with handling obligations.

Internal

Not exposed outside the service boundary.

Public

Safe to expose.

AuditRequired

Access must be recorded.

RequiresPermission

Gated behind an explicit permission.

Targets

A single Mission can target multiple languages. The meaning stays the same; the generated implementation adapts to each target's idioms. Planned early targets include TypeScript, Python, .NET, Java, Go, and Rust, plus artifacts like OpenAPI, Markdown, and Mermaid diagrams.

The intent CLI

A planned command-line interface drives the pipeline from source to proof. AI assistance is optional and traceable; every generated artifact records how it was produced.

intent check

Parse and validate a .intent file.

intent plan

Produce a deterministic implementation plan.

intent generate

Generate code for a target language.

intent verify

Run the checks that prove the guarantees.

intent docs

Generate Markdown documentation.

intent graph

Render the architecture as a diagram.

intent proof

Emit an .intent-proof.json artifact.

These commands are proposed, not shipped. Track them on the roadmap.

Status & stability

Want to follow along? Join the waitlist or check the roadmap.