NTNT

Installation

Run one command to install NTNT. This automatically installs Rust if needed, clones the repo, and builds NTNT.

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

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

git clone https://github.com/ntntlang/ntnt.git
cd ntnt
cargo build --release
cargo install --path . --locked

macOS / Linux:

echo 'print("Hello, World!")' > hello.tnt
ntnt run hello.tnt

Windows (PowerShell):

Set-Content -Path hello.tnt -Value 'print("Hello, World!")' -Encoding UTF8
ntnt run hello.tnt

// api.tnt
import { json } from "std/http/server"

fn home(req) {
    return json(map { "message": "Hello!" })
}

fn get_user(req) {
    return json(map { "id": req.params["id"] })
}

get("/", home)
get("/users/{id}", get_user)

listen(3000)

ntnt run api.tnt
# Visit http://localhost:3000

Hot-reload: HTTP servers automatically reload when you edit the source file. No restart needed.

Intent-Driven Development

IDD bridges human requirements and AI implementation with verifiable traceability. Write .intent files describing features, link code with @implements, and verify everything matches.

# server.intent

## Glossary

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

---

Feature: User Greeting
  id: feature.greeting
  description: "Display a personalized greeting"

  Scenario: Greet by name
    description: "User provides their name and gets a personal greeting"
    When a user visits /?name=Alice
    → page loads successfully
    → they see "Hello, Alice"

  Scenario: Default greeting
    description: "User visits without a name and gets default greeting"
    When a user visits the home page
    → page loads successfully
    → they see "Hello, World"

// server.tnt
import { html } from "std/http/server"

// @implements: feature.greeting
fn home(req) {
    let name = req.query_params["name"] ?? "World"
    return html("<h1>Hello, {name}!</h1>")
}

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

$ ntnt intent check server.tnt

=== NTNT Intent Check ===

Source: server.tnt
Intent: server.intent

Starting server on port 18081...

=== Test Results ===

✓ Feature: User Greeting
  ✓ Greet by name
  ✓ Default greeting
  ✓ GET /?name=Alice
  ✓ GET /

=== Summary ===
Features: 1 total, 1 passed, 0 failed
Scenarios: 2 passed, 0 failed, 0 skipped
Assertions: 4 passed, 0 failed

See live test results as you code:

ntnt intent studio server.intent
# Opens http://127.0.0.1:3001 with live pass/fail indicators

Design by Contract

Contracts are executable specifications. Agents read them as machine-readable specs. Humans read them as documentation.

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, contract violations become proper errors:
// - Failed precondition: 400 Bad Request
// - Failed postcondition: 500 Internal Server Error

Standard Library

Batteries included. No package manager needed.

CLI Commands

Type Safety Modes

NTNT has two independent type control axes, both configurable via environment variables. Start untyped and add constraints incrementally as your codebase matures.

# Gradual adoption: start forgiving, add types over time
NTNT_LINT_MODE=warn NTNT_TYPE_MODE=forgiving ntnt run app.tnt

# Fully strict: all values typed, runtime enforces types
NTNT_LINT_MODE=strict NTNT_TYPE_MODE=strict ntnt run app.tnt

# Lint-only checks (no runtime)
ntnt lint --warn-untyped app.tnt
ntnt lint --strict app.tnt

Structured error messages include file, line number, expected type, actual type, and a fix hint.

Editor Support

Install the VS Code extension for syntax highlighting:

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

Then restart VS Code. The extension provides syntax highlighting, code snippets, and bracket matching for .tnt files.

Examples

After installation, explore the example programs:

ls ntnt-src/examples/

Includes HTTP servers, database examples, JSON/CSV processing, and more.

Documentation

• Language Specification

  Complete language syntax, types, contracts, and features

• AI Agent Guide

  Syntax reference, HTTP server patterns, database patterns for AI agents

• IDD Design

  Intent-Driven Development design document and workflow

• IAL Specification

  Intent Assertion Language term rewriting engine

• Architecture

  System design and components

• Whitepaper

  Technical specification and motivation

• Roadmap

  Implementation phases and future plans