transpilatron

Write Python. Get a native C binary. No C knowledge required.

uvx transpilatron your_code.py

Benchmarks

Verified on the same machine. Same output. Fully static binaries.

Benchmarker's PC:
CPU: Ryzen 5 5500
Python 3.14
Zorin OS 18

Demo: Flask app → C web server

This Flask app:

from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello():
    return 'Hello from the webserver!'

@app.route('/ping')
def ping():
    return 'pong'

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=8080)

Becomes a native C HTTP server with one command:

uvx transpilatron web.py

$ ./out/web &
Server running on http://0.0.0.0:8080

$ curl http://localhost:8080/
Hello from the webserver!

$ curl http://localhost:8080/ping
pong

No Flask. No Python runtime. No dependencies. Verified memory-safe by valgrind (0 errors, 0 leaks).

Demo: It transpiles itself

transpilatron is written in Python. So we transpiled it.

uvx transpilatron src/transpilatron/agent.py

The result is a fully working C binary that does exactly what the Python version does — reads your entry file, invokes the AI agent, and produces a C binary. Verified valgrind-clean.

$ ./out/agent --help
Usage: ./agent [--minimal|--full] <entry_file>
  --minimal  Use minimal mode: static linking, raw sockets only
  --full     Use full mode (default): dynamic linking, libcurl, etc.

$ ./out/agent examples/web.py
Thinking...
I'll help you convert the Python project to C...

A C binary, orchestrating an AI agent, transpiling Python to C.

How it works

transpilatron uses an AI agent to convert your Python project into C, compiles it (using -O2 or -O3 flags), and hands you a native binary. No runtime, no interpreter, no dependencies.

1. Reads your Python entry file and follows all imports
2. Transpiles the full project to C
3. Writes a Makefile and compiles (static for --minimal, dynamic for --full)
4. Automatically installs any missing build tools via your system package manager (with sudo)
5. Runs the binary under valgrind to verify zero memory leaks and zero segfaults
6. Audits the generated C for race conditions, NULL dereferences, and logic bugs
7. Drops the verified binary in out/

Requirements

That's it. The AI agent automatically detects, installs, and configures all other dependencies (C compilers, make, valgrind, system headers, and the Poolside CLI itself) on first run.

Install

# Run without installing
uvx transpilatron your_code.py

# Or install globally
uv tool install transpilatron

On first run, the tool bootstraps all its dependencies and asks you to authenticate with Poolside (free).

Usage

# Default (full mode) — dynamic linking, libcurl, torch/tflite, web frameworks
uvx transpilatron your_code.py

# Minimal mode — fully static, raw sockets, initramfs-safe
uvx transpilatron --minimal your_code.py

The binary lands at out/<your_code>. That's it.

Modes

What it handles

• Pure Python logic → idiomatic C
• HTTP (requests, urllib3) → raw BSD sockets (--minimal) or libcurl (--full)
• JSON → cJSON
• Threading → pthreads
• File I/O → POSIX syscalls
• Multi-file projects → one binary
• Web frameworks (flask, fastapi, django) → libmicrohttpd (--full only)
• torch / tensorflow → libtorch / TFLite C API (--full only)
• Detects and fixes common Python bugs during transpilation
• Memory-safe output verified by valgrind on every build

Quality & Safety

Every build goes through an automatic quality pipeline:

• Compile errors — if make fails, the agent reads the errors, fixes the C source, and retries up to 3 times
• Memory safety — the binary is run under valgrind --leak-check=full to catch leaks and segfaults before delivery
• Logic audit — the agent reviews the generated C for race conditions, NULL pointer dereferences, off-by-one errors, and semantic bugs
• Missing deps — build tools and headers are auto-installed via your system package manager with sudo. If sudo fails, you'll get a clear message with instructions to re-run with sudo uvx transpilatron ...

Limitations

• Linux and macOS only
• torch / tensorflow not supported in --minimal mode
• Some dynamic Python patterns (metaclasses, heavy monkey-patching) may not translate cleanly
• Complex projects may occasionally require manual fixes

Examples

examples/
├── sieve.py      # Prime number sieve — 24x speedup
├── sort.py       # Selection sort — 58x speedup
└── web.py        # Flask app → C HTTP server, valgrind clean

Comparison

While tools like Nuitka and PyInstaller package the CPython interpreter to guarantee compatibility, transpilatron completely strips the CPython runtime. By translating Python logic into pure C, it produces binaries that run in environments with zero external libraries.

Why uv?

uv is the fastest Python package manager on the planet. uvx lets you run any Python tool instantly without installing it. If you're not using uv yet, you should be.

transpilatron was originally created to compile standalone initramfs boot scripts for Noodlix, a Python-only operating system — but works for many Python applications.

--minimal mode outputs fully static binaries. Runs even in initramfs. No dynamic linker required.