NTNT Programming Language

NTNT (/ɪnˈtɛnt/) is an open-source agent-native language with Intent-Driven Development built in. You define constraints and expected behavior. Agents implement. NTNT verifies continuously.

Experimental: NTNT is a research language exploring AI-assisted development. It is not ready for production use.

Quick Start

Installation

macOS / Linux:

curl -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ntntlang/ntnt/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ntntlang/ntnt/main/install.ps1 | iex

Manual Installation

# Install Rust if needed: https://rustup.rs/
git clone https://github.com/ntntlang/ntnt.git
cd ntnt
cargo build --release
cargo install --path . --locked

Hello World with Intent-Driven Development

1. Define requirements (hello-world.intent):

## Glossary

| Term | Means |
|------|-------|
| a user visits {path} | GET {path} |
| the home page | / |
| the page loads | status 200 |
| they see {text} | body contains {text} |

---

Feature: Hello World
  id: feature.hello

  Scenario: Greeting
    When a user visits the home page
    → the page loads
    → they see "Hello, World"

2. Implement (hello-world.tnt):

import { text } from "std/http/server"

// @implements: feature.hello
fn home(req) {
    return text("Hello, World!")
}

get("/", home)
listen(8080)

3. Verify:

$ ntnt intent check hello-world.tnt -vv

✓ Feature: Hello World
  ✓ Greeting
      When a user visits the home page
      → the page loads
      → they see "Hello, World"
        ✓ status: 200
        ✓ body contains "Hello, World"

1/1 features passing

For visual development, use Intent Studio:

ntnt intent studio server.intent
# Opens http://127.0.0.1:3001 with live ✓/✗ indicators

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Why NTNT?

AI agents generate code quickly. The hard part is knowing whether the result satisfies the original requirements. Specs live in docs or prompts. Tests assert implementation details. When requirements change, there's no reliable signal for what is now invalid.

NTNT explores a different approach. Requirements are executable specifications written in Intent Assertion Language (IAL). IAL defines enforceable assertions that continuously check implementation compliance. The @implements annotation links code to requirements, and ntnt intent check verifies everything matches.

Key Features

Feature	Description
Intent-Driven Development	Write requirements in .intent files. Link code with @implements. Run ntnt intent check to verify. Full traceability from requirement to implementation.
Design by Contract	requires and ensures built into function syntax. In HTTP routes, contract violations return 400/500 automatically.
Agent-Native Tooling	ntnt inspect outputs JSON describing every function, route, and contract. ntnt validate returns machine-readable errors.
Batteries Included	HTTP servers, PostgreSQL, JSON, CSV, file I/O, crypto, concurrency - all in the standard library. No package manager needed.
Hot Reload	HTTP servers reload automatically when you save. Edit code, refresh browser, see changes.

Design by Contract

fn withdraw(amount: Int) -> Int
    requires amount > 0
    requires amount <= self.balance
    ensures result >= 0
{
    self.balance = self.balance - amount
    return self.balance
}

// In HTTP routes:
// - Failed requires → 400 Bad Request
// - Failed ensures → 500 Internal Server Error

Standard Library

Category	Modules	Includes
Web	std/http/server, std/http	HTTP server with routing, middleware, static files; HTTP client
Data	std/json, std/csv, std/db/postgres	Parse/stringify; PostgreSQL with transactions
I/O	std/fs, std/path, std/env	File operations, path manipulation, environment variables
Text	std/string, std/url	Split, join, trim, regex; URL encode/decode
Utilities	std/time, std/math, std/crypto	Timestamps, trig/log/exp, SHA256/HMAC/UUID
Collections	std/collections	push, pop, keys, values, get_key
Concurrency	std/concurrent	Go-style channels: send, recv, try_recv

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Who Should Use NTNT?

Good fit: Prototypes, AI-assisted development experiments, internal tools, learning projects.

Not a fit: Production systems, performance-critical code, projects needing third-party libraries.

Limitations: Interpreted (not compiled), no package ecosystem, no debugger (use print + contracts).

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CLI Commands

ntnt run <file>              # Run a .tnt file
ntnt lint <file>             # Check for errors
ntnt intent check <file>     # Verify code matches intent
ntnt intent studio <intent>  # Visual studio with live tests
ntnt intent coverage <file>  # Show feature coverage
ntnt inspect <file>          # Project structure as JSON
ntnt docs [query]            # Search stdlib documentation
ntnt completions <shell>     # Generate shell completions

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Documentation

Document	Description
Language Guide	Learning guide with examples
AI Agent Guide	Syntax rules for AI-assisted development
Stdlib Reference	All standard library functions
IAL Reference	Intent Assertion Language primitives
Architecture	System design details

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Editor Support

VS Code: Copy the extension for syntax highlighting:

cp -r editors/vscode/intent-lang ~/.vscode/extensions/

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License

MIT + Apache 2.0