Curl Programming Language

Curl is an open-source programming language built on Python technology, designed to be simple and expressive. Every statement uses a keyword{...}\ style, and blocks are opened with - and closed with --\.

📖 Wiki — full language reference  |  💬 Discussions — questions, ideas, and show-and-tell

Why Curl?

Most programming languages treat AI as an afterthought — a third-party library you install, a client you configure, boilerplate you copy from a docs page. By the time you write response.choices[0].message.content, you've already forgotten what you were building.

Curl does it differently. pcAI is part of the language itself, the same way print is part of Python. There is no setup, no import, no client object. From the very first line of your program, you can ask a question and get an answer:

pcAI.ask{"What should I name this variable?"}\

That's the entire program. Not a demo — that actually runs.

This is what makes Curl different from every other language: AI is native syntax, not a library. You don't bolt it on at the end. You design around it from the start. Want a bot that remembers what you said three messages ago? It already does. Want to give it a personality? One line. Want to drop into a full interactive chat from inside a script? One line. Want to run it against your own local model with no API key at all? Point one environment variable at Ollama and you're done.

Curl is for people who want to build AI-powered programs without wading through infrastructure. For students writing their first script. For developers who want to prototype an idea in ten minutes instead of an afternoon. For anyone who's ever thought I just want to ask the computer a question and had to install four packages first.

Other languages got AI added to them. Curl was designed with it at the center.

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Node.js (optional — only needed for otherCoding{"JavaScript", ...} blocks)

Installation

From PyPI (recommended):

pip install curl-programming-lang

To upgrade:

pip install --upgrade curl-programming-lang

From source:

git clone https://github.com/gautamritvik/Curl-Programming.git
cd Curl-Programming
pip install -e .

Running the Curl terminal (REPL)

curlang

Running a Curl program

curlang [YOUR-FILE].curl

CLI flags

curlang --version    show version
curlang --license    show license
curlang --credits    show credits
curlang --help       show help

Syntax Reference

Print — pcType

Outputs text to the console. Supports string concatenation with +.

pcType{"Hello, World!"}\
pcType{"Hello, " + var{name} + "!"}\

Input — pcAsk

Prompts the user for input. The result is accessed anywhere with input{ans}.

pcAsk{"What is your name? >>"}\
pcType{"You said: " + input{ans}}\

Variables — var

Assign a value with var{name, value}\. Reference it later with var{name}.

var{name, "Ritvik"}\
pcType{var{name}}\

Variables can hold strings, numbers, or lists.

Lists — list

Create a list with items separated by ;. Typically assigned to a variable.

var{colors, list{"red"; "green"; "blue"}}\
pcType{var{colors}}\

Functions — createFunc / func

Define a function with createFunc{name}- and close it with --\. Call it with func{name}\.

createFunc{greet}-
    pcType{"Hello from greet!"}\
--\

func{greet}\

Conditionals — if / elif / else

Simple if:

if{var{score} >= 90, then}-
    pcType{"Grade: A"}\
--\

If / else:

if{var{score} >= 90, then}-
    pcType{"Grade: A"}\
else:
    pcType{"Grade: B or below"}\
--\

If / elif / else:

if{var{score} >= 90, then}-
    pcType{"Grade: A"}\
elif{var{score} >= 80, then}-
    pcType{"Grade: B"}\
else:
    pcType{"Grade: C or below"}\
--\

For if+elif chains without an else, close with --\--\.

Supported comparison operators: == != < > <= >=

Loops — while / for

While loop — repeats while a condition is true:

var{x, 0}\
while{var{x} < 5}-
    pcType{var{x}}\
    var{x, var{x} + 1}\
--\

For loop — iterates a variable from start up to (not including) end:

for{i, 0, 5}-
    pcType{var{i}}\
--\

The loop variable i is available inside the block as var{i}.

Embedded code blocks — otherCoding

Run a block of code written in another language. The closing }\ must be on its own line.

otherCoding{"Python",

x = 10
print("x =", x)

}\

Supported languages:

Import — import

Import a Python package and give it a nickname.

import{"math", m}\

AI — pcAI + Curl-Bot

pcAI is a built-in AI module — no import required. It defaults to DeepSeek via OpenRouter (free).

Setup — get a free key at openrouter.ai/keys, then:

export CURL_AI_KEY=sk-or-your_key_here

That's all. pcAI defaults to Curl-Bot automatically.

Ask a question:

var{reply, pcAI.ask{"What is the capital of France?"}}\
pcType{var{reply}}\

Interactive chat loop (type exit to quit):

pcAI.chat{""}\

Set a custom persona:

pcAI.context{"You are a friendly pirate who answers in rhymes."}\
var{reply, pcAI.ask{"What is 2 + 2?"}}\
pcType{var{reply}}\

Other methods:

var{s, pcAI.summarize{"some long text"}}\
var{a, pcAI.analyze{"some data"}}\
var{mood, pcAI.sentiment{"I love this!"}}\
var{t, pcAI.translate{"Bonjour — translate to English"}}\
pcAI.reset{""}\

Conversation history is kept across pcAI.ask calls and auto-compacts when it gets long.

Want to use a different model? Override with env vars:

Works with OpenRouter (recommended, free models available), OpenAI, Ollama, or any OpenAI-compatible API.

Symbols

Example program

var{name, "Ritvik"}\
pcType{"Hello, " + var{name} + "!"}\

var{score, 95}\
if{var{score} >= 90, then}-
    pcType{"You got an A!"}\
else:
    pcType{"Keep trying!"}\
--\

createFunc{sayBye}-
    pcType{"Goodbye, " + var{name} + "!"}\
--\

func{sayBye}\

Example AI program

pcAI.context{"You are a helpful tutor."}\
var{answer, pcAI.ask{"Explain what a variable is in one sentence."}}\
pcType{var{answer}}\

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (OSI-approved). See the full license at: https://github.com/gautamritvik/Curl-Programming/blob/main/LICENSE