Lispex treats a decision rule as a program whose meaning, input, runtime, and result can be named exactly. The language stays close to Scheme while making every production-facing choice explicit.
Five design rules
- One language contract.
LISPEX-RUNTIME.mddefines forms, values, procedures, diagnostics, and execution semantics. - Deterministic requests. Exact source and explicit input produce a deterministic observation under a named resource profile.
- Fixed grammar. Core and derived forms normalize to one canonical meaning, and the 205 built-in procedure names come from one registry.
- Explicit host boundary. The host application supplies data and consumes the decision. Files, network, clocks, transactions, and external actions stay visible in the application architecture.
- Typed artifacts. Source, Lispex Images, Core IR, bytecode, receipts, authentication reports, re-execution reports, and gate reports each answer a named question and have a named consumer.
Product choices
| Choice | Product value |
|---|---|
| fixed semantic profile | repeatable results and stable diagnostics |
| explicit input and host boundary | portable rules and reviewable application integration |
| exact source identity | byte-level review, images, policy allowlists, and request binding |
| resource profiles | predictable execution and comparable observations |
| receipts and Vouch | durable decision records, publisher authentication, current re-execution, and local grants |
One path from rule to action
exact source + explicit input
→ reference-interpreter observation
→ optional canonical image, Core IR, or bytecode
→ receipt or signed Vouch evidence
→ recipient policy and current re-execution
→ local gate
→ host application actionEach arrow names the product responsible for the next transformation. This keeps integrity, authentication, current execution, policy, and business action easy to inspect together.
Evolution
New language forms enter the language contract, normalizer, reference runtime, direct behavior checks, and public documentation as one change. New runtime products keep their own identities, resource profiles, and observation scopes. This lets Lispex grow while preserving the exact meaning of published artifacts.
Current Product Catalog · Runtime and Backends · Lispex Vouch