ll-lang 1.1.7

lllc — compiler for ll-lang, a minimal statically-typed functional language that compiles to F#, TypeScript, Python, Java, and C#.

ll-lang

Write once → compile to F#, TypeScript, Python, Java, and C#. Statically typed. Token-efficient. LLM-optimized. Self-hosting.

module Factorial

fact(n Int) Int =
  if n <= 1
    1
  else n * fact (n - 1)

Target	Output
lllc build fact.lll	fact.fs — let rec fact (n: int64) ...
lllc build --target ts fact.lll	fact.ts — function fact(n: number) ...
lllc build --target py fact.lll	fact.py — def fact(n: int) ...
lllc build --target java fact.lll	fact.java — static long fact(long n) ...
lllc build --target cs fact.lll	fact.cs — static long Fact(long n) ...

Install

Platform	Command	.NET needed?
npm / Bun	npm install -g @neftedollar/lllc	No — TS/JS output works standalone
pip	pip install lllc	No — Python output works standalone
.NET tool	dotnet tool install -g lllc	Yes — full compiler, all targets
from source	git clone https://github.com/Neftedollar/ll-lang && dotnet build	Yes

Jump to Getting Started, Syntax, Problem.

Status

The compiler is written in ll-lang itself and compiled to .NET, TypeScript, and Python distributions. The F# bootstrap (src/LLLangCompiler/) is a one-time seed — the canonical compiler lives in stdlib/src/.

Fixpoint achieved: compiler₁.fs == compiler₂.fs — compiling the compiler with itself produces byte-identical output. All 10 pipeline phases self-hosted: lexer → parser → elaborator → Hindley-Milner inference → F# codegen → CLI → stdlib → module system → MCP server → TypeScript + Python + Java + C# + LLVM codegen.

Current release: 1.1.1 | Packages: npm · pip · nuget

Release contract (1.x):

• Stable: lllc build/check/run/new/install/mcp + targets fs/ts/py/java/cs
• Experimental: lllc reverse, --target llvm (subset backend)
• Full contract: docs/release-contract-1.0.md

Self-hosted stdlib — 10 modules (5857 LOC of ll-lang), covering parsing, type inference, codegen, and data structures:

Module	LOC	Description
Map.lll	223	Okasaki red-black tree, O(log n)
Toml.lll	292	TOML config parser
Lexer.lll	473	Tokenizer
Parser.lll	802	Recursive descent parser
Elaborator.lll	344	Type checker / name resolver
Codegen.lll	569	F# emitter
CodegenTS.lll	492	TypeScript emitter
CodegenPy.lll	501	Python emitter
CodegenJava.lll	633	Java 21 emitter
Compiler.lll	1516	Full pipeline (source → F#)

Token efficiency — ll-lang is 8–17% more compact than F# on real code, and 1.3–5.9× more compact than TypeScript / Python / Java on type definitions.

Phase	Description	Status
1	Spec (grammar + corpus)	✅
2	Lexer + Parser	✅
3	Elaborator (exhaustiveness, tag/unit checks)	✅
4	Hindley-Milner + TypedAST + trait dispatch	✅
5	F# codegen + lllc CLI	✅
6	Stdlib (~50 builtins)	✅
7	Bootstrap fixpoint — ll-lang compiles itself (compiler₁.fs == compiler₂.fs)	✅
8	Module system — lll.toml, multi-file builds, lllc new, topo-sort, E020/E024	✅
9	MCP server — lllc mcp stdio server with 10 tools for Claude Code / Cursor / Zed	✅
10	Multi-platform codegen — lllc build --target ts|py|java|cs|llvm; TypeScript DU + Python @dataclass + Java sealed interfaces + C# records + LLVM IR (llvm is experimental subset in 1.0)	✅

Getting Started

Pick your platform and run your first program in under 2 minutes:

# npm/Bun
npm install -g @neftedollar/lllc

# pip
pip install lllc

# .NET tool (all targets)
dotnet tool install -g lllc

Hello, ll-lang!

cat > hello.lll << 'EOF'
module Hello

main() = printfn "Hello, ll-lang!"
EOF

lllc run hello.lll            # compile + run (F# by default)
lllc run --target ts hello.lll  # compile + run via TypeScript
lllc run --target py hello.lll  # compile + run via Python

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/Neftedollar/ll-lang.git
cd ll-lang
dotnet build
dotnet test    # run full test suite

CLI

lllc build <file.lll>               # compile → <file>.fs  (F# default)
lllc build --target ts <file.lll>   # compile → <file>.ts  (TypeScript)
lllc build --target py <file.lll>   # compile → <file>.py  (Python)
lllc build --target java <file.lll> # compile → <file>.java (Java 21)
lllc build --target cs <file.lll>   # compile → <file>.cs  (C#)
lllc build --target llvm <file.lll> # compile → <file>.ll  (LLVM IR)
lllc build [dir]                    # compile project (reads lll.toml)
lllc check <file.lll>               # type-check single file (no codegen)
lllc check [dir]                    # type-check project (no codegen)
lllc run   <file.lll>               # compile and run via temporary F# project
lllc new   <name>                   # scaffold new project
lllc install                        # resolve direct+transitive deps into vendor/ + rewrite ll.sum
lllc mod tidy                       # same as install (canonical dependency sync)
lllc mod add dep=https://repo#ref   # add dependency and sync
lllc mod why dep                    # explain dependency chain + local direct importers
lllc mcp                            # run MCP server (stdio, for Claude/Cursor)

Create a multi-file project

lllc new myapp          # creates myapp/lll.toml + myapp/src/Main.lll
cd myapp
# edit src/Main.lll, add more .lll files to src/
lllc build              # → bin/fsharp/myapp.fsproj (+ Prelude.fs + module .fs files)
dotnet run --project bin/fsharp/myapp.fsproj

Multi-target from lll.toml

# lll.toml
[project]
name = "myapp"

[platform]
use = ["fsharp", "typescript"]

lllc build    # compiles once, emits to both targets:
              #   bin/fsharp/myapp.fs
              #   bin/typescript/myapp.ts

For LLM Agents: MCP Integration

ll-lang ships a built-in MCP server. Wire it to Claude Code, Cursor, or Zed — your LLM client gains structured tools to compile, check, and run ll-lang code without parsing shell output:

// claude_desktop_config.json / .cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lllc": {
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["run", "--project", "/path/to/ll-lang/src/LLLangTool", "--", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Available MCP tools (10): compile_file, compile_source, check_file, check_source, run_file, list_errors, lookup_error, stdlib_search, grammar_lookup, project_info.

The agent can ask "does this compile?" and get a structured JSON response with error codes, line numbers, and fix hints — no scraping required.

Problem

LLMs writing code in mainstream languages face two compounding problems: verbose syntax wastes tokens on ceremony rather than logic, and type errors only surface at runtime — after execution, often after damage is done. An LLM generating Python or TypeScript gets no signal that a tagged UserId string was passed where an Email is expected until the server blows up.

The feedback loop is slow, expensive, and noisy.

Solution

ll-lang is built around four properties:

• Token-efficient syntax — no braces, no semicolons, no boilerplate. No fn/type/in/then/with keywords — declarations use an uppercase/lowercase convention.
• Static types with inference — Hindley-Milner type inference. Declare types where they matter, elide them everywhere else.
• Compiled = works — tag violations, unbound variables, non-exhaustive matches, and unit mismatches are caught at compile time, not runtime.
• LLM-readable errors — all errors follow a compact machine-readable format (E001 12:5 TypeMismatch ...) designed for direct consumption by an LLM agent.

Syntax

Functions and let bindings

No fn keyword — uppercase names declare types, lowercase names declare values. The body follows =.

module Examples.Basics

pi = 3.14159

add(a Int)(b Int) Int = a + b
double(x Int) = x * 2

-- inferred return type
square(x Int) = x * x

-- multi-branch if
clamp(x Int)(lo Int)(hi Int) Int =
  if x < lo
    lo
  else if x > hi
    hi
  else x

-- lambda
triple = \x. x * 3

-- local binding
example =
  y = double 5
  y + 1

Algebraic Data Types and Pattern Matching

Uppercase names introduce type declarations. tag declares a zero-cost wrapper.

module Examples.ADTs

-- sum type
Shape = Circle Float | Rect Float Float | Empty

-- parametric types
Maybe A = Some A | None
Result A E = Ok A | Err E

-- exhaustive pattern match
area(s Shape) Float =
  match s
    | Circle r -> 3.14159 * r * r
    | Rect w h -> w * h
    | Empty    -> 0.0

-- returning Maybe
safeDivide(a Float)(b Float) Maybe[Float] =
  if b == 0.0
    None
  else Some (a / b)

Traits

module Examples.Traits

trait Show A =
  show(a A) Str

impl Show Int =
  show(n Int) Str = intToStr n

impl Show Bool =
  show(b Bool) Str =
    if b
      "true"
    else "false"

printVal(x A) [Show A] = printfn (show x)

Tags, Phantom Types, and Unit Algebra

module Examples.Tags

-- declare tags (zero-cost type wrappers)
tag UserId
tag Email

-- tagged value
uid = "user-42"[UserId]

-- functions reject wrong tags at compile time
getUser(id Str[UserId]) Maybe[Str] = Some "alice"
sendEmail(to Str[Email]) = to

-- unit algebra: inferred return type Float[m/s]
tag m
tag s

speed(d Float[m])(t Float[s]) = d / t

Modules and Imports

module Examples.App

import Map
import Toml

config = Toml.parse (readFile "config.toml")

Keywords

ll-lang has 15 keywords: match, if, else, import, export, module, trait, impl, external, opaque, tag, unit, true, false, let. Everything else — most function/type declaration forms — is expressed through the uppercase/lowercase convention.

For TypeScript developers

Install without .NET — the npm package bundles the TypeScript compiler:

npm install -g @neftedollar/lllc
lllc build --target ts app.lll   # → app.ts
lllc run   --target ts app.lll   # compile + run via tsc/bun

Sum types become discriminated unions, pattern matching becomes type-narrowing:

// generated from Shape = Circle Float | Rect Float Float | Empty
type Shape =
  | { tag: "Circle"; _0: number }
  | { tag: "Rect"; _0: number; _1: number }
  | { tag: "Empty" };

Full npm docs: packages/npm/lllc

For Python developers

Install without .NET — the pip package bundles the Python compiler:

pip install lllc
lllc build --target py app.lll   # → app.py
lllc run   --target py app.lll   # compile + run via python3

Sum types become @dataclass + Union, pattern match becomes isinstance dispatch:

# generated from Shape = Circle Float | Rect Float Float | Empty
@dataclass
class Circle:
    _0: float

@dataclass
class Rect:
    _0: float
    _1: float

@dataclass
class Empty:
    pass

Shape = Union[Circle, Rect, Empty]

Full pip docs: packages/pip

For .NET / F# developers

Install as a global dotnet tool:

dotnet tool install -g lllc
lllc build app.lll              # → app.fs + .fsproj (default)
lllc run   app.lll              # compile + dotnet run

F# output uses discriminated unions, let bindings, and LLLang.Prelude for the runtime. Multi-file projects emit a .fsproj ready for dotnet build.

Error Format

All compiler errors are short, structured, and machine-readable — designed so an LLM agent can parse them without extracting from prose:

Code	Meaning	Example
E001	Type mismatch	E001 12:5 TypeMismatch Str Str[UserId]
E002	Unbound variable	E002 8:3 UnboundVar username
E003	Non-exhaustive match	E003 15:1 NonExhaustiveMatch Shape missing:Empty
E004	Unit mismatch	E004 20:9 UnitMismatch Float[m] Float[s]
E005	Tag violation	E005 7:14 TagViolation Str[Email] Str[UserId]

Format: EXXX line:col ErrorKind details. No stack traces, no paragraphs, one line per error, parseable by regex.

Multi-Platform Output

Write once in ll-lang, compile to any target:

lllc build --target fs   adts.lll   # → F# discriminated unions
lllc build --target ts   adts.lll   # → TypeScript sealed interfaces
lllc build --target py   adts.lll   # → Python @dataclass + Union
lllc build --target java adts.lll   # → Java 21 sealed interfaces
lllc build --target cs   adts.lll   # → C# records + interfaces
lllc build --target llvm adts.lll   # → LLVM IR (experimental subset)

Same source, same semantics on stable targets (fs/ts/py/java/cs), with an additional experimental LLVM backend.

Compiler Pipeline

Source (.lll)
    ▼  Lexer       — tokenizes with synthetic INDENT/DEDENT
    ▼  Parser      — produces AST
    ▼  Elaborator  — name resolution, tag checks, exhaustiveness
    ▼  HMInfer     — Algorithm W, let-generalization, trait dispatch (E006),
                     occurs check (E008), unit algebra preservation
    ▼  Codegen     — emits idiomatic F# / TS / Python / Java / C# / LLVM
    ▼  dotnet run --project <tmp fsproj>  — runs the result (via `lllc run`)

Project Structure

spec/                      — formal grammar (EBNF), type rules, example corpus
  grammar.ebnf
  type-system.md
  error-codes.md
  examples/valid/          — working .lll programs (hello, basics, ADTs, ...)
  examples/invalid/        — programs annotated with expected error codes
src/LLLangCompiler/        — compiler library (F#)
  AST.fs                   — untyped surface AST
  Lexer.fs                 — tokenizer with layout (INDENT/DEDENT)
  Parser.fs                — recursive-descent parser
  Elaborator.fs            — name resolution, declared-type checking (E001-E005)
  Types.fs                 — TypeScheme, Subst, generalize/instantiate
  TypedAST.fs              — typed AST after H-M inference
  HMInfer.fs               — Algorithm W, unification (E008), trait dispatch
  Codegen.fs               — F# source emitter
  CodegenTS.fs             — TypeScript source emitter
  CodegenPy.fs             — Python source emitter
  CodegenJava.fs           — Java 21 source emitter
  Compiler.fs              — end-to-end pipeline + Target dispatch
src/LLLangTool/            — `lllc` CLI (build / run / self / new / install / mcp + experimental reverse)
  Mcp.fs                   — MCP server (10 tools for LLM clients)
  Program.fs               — entry point
stdlib/                    — self-hosted stdlib (10 modules, 5857 LOC ll-lang)
tests/LLLangTests/         — xUnit test suite (see CI for current count)
docs/user-guide/           — user documentation
docs/compiler-dev/         — compiler developer documentation

Roadmap

All 10 phases complete. Upcoming work:

• Language quality — structured LLError fields, lexer error recovery, parser module split
• Stdlib expansion — more string/list/IO builtins, async IO primitives
• Package registry — lllc install with a central package index
• LLVM parity + WASM target — close remaining LLVM feature gaps, then native executables
• Language server — LSP hover, go-to-definition, inline errors

Design Philosophy

ll-lang is not a general-purpose language. It is optimized for one use case: LLM agents writing correct code on the first attempt. Every design decision — significant indentation, juxtaposition-based application, compact error codes, unit algebra, concise keyword vocabulary — is evaluated against that goal.

Less syntax to generate. More errors caught before execution. Faster iteration loops.

License

MIT