Catalyst Design Wiki¶
This folder is the working design wiki for Catalyst. It separates accepted near-term compiler contracts from longer-term language direction.
Catalyst source files use the .ct extension.
Reference map¶
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Language Reference
Syntax, control flow, functions, errors, modules, attributes, and pattern matching — the source-level language.
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Types & Contracts
The type system, built-in and numeric types, reflection, and the semantic contracts that drive dispatch.
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Standard Library
Prelude and
stddesign — memory, collections, formatting, IO, math, sorting, and testing. -
Compiler
The pipeline, phase boundaries, IR and lowering, interpreter backend, diagnostics, and linting.
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Proposals
Catalyst Enhancement Proposals — substantial language-design directions recorded before acceptance.
Start Here¶
The Reference map above is the entry point for each major area. Every card links to that area's own index, which owns the detailed page list:
- Language Reference — source forms and type semantics.
- Standard Library Design — prelude and
std. - Prelude — the compiler-provided implicit namespace.
- Catalyst Enhancement Proposals — deferred and longer-term direction.
The remaining areas below have no folder index of their own and are listed here directly.
Interop and Performance¶
Compiler Design¶
- Compiler Pipeline
- Comptime Bootstrapping and Compiler Objects
- Phase Boundaries
- SIR, IR, and Lowering
- Target and Safety Modes
- IR
- Interpreter Backend
- V1 Compiler Implementation Tasks
- Diagnostics
- Formatter
- Code Style
- Lint Catalog
- First-Class Linting
- Tooling and Linting
- Testing
Status Terms¶
- Accepted: Project direction already recorded in design decisions or stable design contracts.
- Needs acceptance: A working direction exists, but one or more choices still need to be frozen or moved to a later version.
- In progress: V1 source semantics are mostly settled, but diagnostics, lowering, reflection, or lint integration still need completion.
- Working direction: Preferred design direction, but not yet accepted or complete.
- Open: Known unresolved design area mapped to V1 acceptance work in Scope Backlog or deferred proposal work in Catalyst Enhancement Proposals.
- Deferred: Intentionally out of scope for the relevant version.
Scope Backlog is the canonical source for V1 status and remaining acceptance work. Deferred non-V1 work lives in Catalyst Enhancement Proposals.
Maintenance¶
- Review Checklist: manual readability and information-architecture checklist for design-doc passes.