ww/docs/spec.md

# The ww Language Specification

Version 0.1 (2026-06-21). **Status: normative-intent, in progress.**

ww is a systems language: *Hare semantics + CSP concurrency, no garbage
collector*, with a Rob-Pike / Plan-9 sensibility and Go-style explicit
`package`/`import`. This document is the language contract. Where the two
compiler stages disagree with this text, the text is wrong and is a bug
to be filed (CLAUDE.md rule 10 requires the stages to agree with each
other; this spec requires them to agree with *it*).

Two implementations track this spec and must stay byte-identical
(rule 10): the C bootstrap frontend `cmd/wcc` (the reference) and the ww
reimplementation `lib/ww/syntax`. The token table in §2 is kept
numerically identical between them on purpose.

This is not a tutorial. It is terse by design, modelled on the Go
language specification (golang.org/ref/spec): EBNF where a grammar is
worth pinning, prose for semantics, and a normative appendix (§12) that
consolidates every sanctioned divergence from Hare. The appendix is the
highest-value part of this document — it is the single normative home
for rules currently scattered across CLAUDE.md, `.ai/`, and project
memory.

Sections marked **(reserved)** describe surface that is tokenised but not
yet given meaning; they are written when the feature lands.

---

## 1. Notation

The grammar uses Extended Backus-Naur Form, following the Go spec's
conventions:

```
Production  = production_name "=" [ Expression ] "." .
Expression  = Term { "|" Term } .
Term        = Factor { Factor } .
Factor      = production_name | token | Group | Option | Repetition .
Group       = "(" Expression ")" .
Option      = "[" Expression "]" .
Repetition  = "{" Expression "}" .
```

`|` is alternation, `{}` is zero-or-more, `[]` is zero-or-one, `()` is
grouping. Terminal tokens are in `"quotes"` or are the named token
classes from §2 (`ident`, `int_lit`, …).

---

## 2. Lexical elements

### 2.1 Source representation

Source is UTF-8. The lexer operates on bytes; non-ASCII bytes are legal
only inside string and rune literals and comments.

### 2.2 Comments

Line comments only, introduced by `//` and running to end of line. There
are no block comments (Hare lineage; `/* */` is not recognised).

Two comment forms are *driver directives*, not ordinary comments — they
carry module-bundle structure and lex to dedicated tokens:

- `//ww:module <dotted.path>` — set the mangling module path for the
  decls that follow (token `MODPATH`).
- `//ww:module-reset` — reset the current module to the empty string
  before a package-less bundled file (token `MODRESET`).

These exist for the build driver's source bundling and are not written
by hand in ordinary source.

### 2.3 Tokens

Tokens are identifiers, keywords, operators/punctuation, and literals.
Whitespace (space, tab, CR, LF) separates tokens and is otherwise
ignored. A semicolon `;` terminates declarations and statements and is
written explicitly (no automatic insertion).

### 2.4 Keywords

The following 30 identifiers are reserved and may not be used as ordinary
identifiers:

```
as       break    case     chan     const    continue
def      defer    else     enum     export   false
fn       for      if       is       import   let
match    nil      package  proc     return   static
struct   switch   true     type     void     yield
```

`chan` and `proc` are reserved for the concurrency surface (§11,
reserved). `package` is the package-clause keyword; `import` introduces
an import.

### 2.5 Operators and punctuation

```
Assignment:  =  +=  -=  *=  /=  %=  &=  |=  ^=  <<=  >>=
Arithmetic:  +  -  *  /  %
Bitwise:     &  |  ^  ~  <<  >>
Comparison:  ==  !=  <  <=  >  >=
Logical:     &&  ||  !
Grouping:    (  )  {  }  [  ]
Punctuation: ,  ;  :  .  ..  ...  @  ?
Arrows:      <-  ->  =>
```

`<-` (channel send/receive) and `->` are tokenised but reserved (§11).
`=>` separates a `match` arm pattern from its body. `?` and `!` are the
error operators (§9). `:` introduces a type ascription / cast (§8) and a
field/binding type. `..` is the range operator (`for` range form, §7);
`...` is the variadic / spread marker (§6.3). `@` introduces an
attribute (§5.7).

### 2.6 Identifiers

```
ident = letter { letter | digit } .
letter = "A"…"Z" | "a"…"z" | "_" .
digit  = "0"…"9" .
```

A lone `_` is the *discard* identifier: legal as a binding name to mean
"ignore this", never as a reference.

### 2.7 Literals

```
int_lit   = decimal | hex | octal | binary [ suffix ] .
float_lit = digits "." digits [ exponent ] [ suffix ] .
rune_lit  = "'" ( byte | escape ) "'" .
str_lit   = '"' { byte | escape } '"' .
bool_lit  = "true" | "false" .
nil_lit   = "nil" .
```

- `int_lit` is held as a `u64`. `nil` is the null pointer value (§3.6).
- A numeric literal may carry a *type suffix* naming its type directly:
  `42u8`, `0u64`, `1i64`, `3.0f32`. Suffixes are the fixed-width type
  names (`i8 i16 i32 i64 u8 u16 u32 u64 f32 f64`). Without a suffix a
  literal is an *untyped constant* (§3.5) whose type is inferred from
  context.
- Escapes in rune and string literals: `\\ \" \' \n \t \r \0` and
  `\xNN` (two hex digits). Rune literals additionally accept the
  Unicode escapes `\uHHHH` and `\UHHHHHHHH`, yielding a codepoint.

---

## 3. Types

A type describes the layout and operations of a value. Every type has a
`size` and an alignment, both queryable with `size(T)` (§8). No size is
ever written as a bare literal in size-computing code — it is routed
through the type table (CLAUDE.md rule 13).

### 3.1 Boolean and void

`bool` (1 byte; `true`/`false`). `void` (size 0) is the empty type, used
as a fn result and as the second arm of a nullable pointer (§3.6).

### 3.2 Numeric types

Fixed-width integers: `i8 i16 i32 i64` (signed), `u8 u16 u32 u64`
(unsigned). Floats: `f32 f64`.

Machine-word types (8 bytes on amd64): `int`, `uint`, `uintptr`, `size`.
`int` and `uint` are a full machine word — Go-style, **not** Hare's 32-bit
`int`. The limit constants (`INT_MIN`, `INT_MAX`, `UINT_MAX`) are
**derived** from `size(int)`, never hardcoded to a width (§12).

`rune` is a 32-bit Unicode codepoint (4 bytes).

### 3.3 String and slice

`str` and `[]T` (slice of `T`) are both **24-byte three-word headers**:
`{ ptr, len, cap }`. Their `.ptr`, `.len`, and `.cap` pseudo-fields are
readable (§8.4). A `str` is UTF-8 bytes; reinterpreting `[]u8` as `str`
is `strings.frombytes` (a pure cast — there is no validation; §12).

Array: `[N]T` is `N` elements inline (size `N * size(T)`). `[_]T`
infers `N` from the initialiser's element count.

### 3.4 Aggregate and named types

```
type S = struct { f0: T0, f1: T1, … };   // struct
type Name = T;                            // named type / alias
```

- `struct` — named fields laid out in declaration order with natural
  alignment padding. Duplicate field names are rejected.
- `tuple` — `(T0, T1, …)`. Each element occupies an **8-byte slot**
  (`size((u32, u32)) == 16`), diverging from Hare's packed tuples (§12).
- `enum` — `enum i32 { A = 0, B, … }` (a named integer type with named
  constants) or bare `enum { … }`.
- A named type / alias introduces a new spelling for an underlying type.

TODO(spec): structs carry an internal `packed` property (no padding);
surface its syntax (an `@packed` attribute? a `struct` modifier?) once
confirmed against `cmd/wcc`. Likewise pin the `static let` qualifier
spelling and whether `static` applies outside function bodies.

### 3.5 Untyped constants

A literal without a suffix has an *untyped* type (`untyped int`,
`untyped float`, `untyped str`, `untyped rune`, `untyped bool`,
`untyped nil`). An untyped constant takes a concrete type from its use
context (assignment target, operand of a typed operation, fn argument).
This is the inference that lets `let x: u8 = 5;` work without a suffix.

### 3.6 Pointers and nullability

`*T` is a pointer to `T`. **A plain `*T` is non-null**; dereferencing it
is unconditional and free. A *nullable* pointer is written as the tagged
union `(*T | void)`; `nil` inhabits it. This is a one-flag fold, zero
extra cost for the non-null case, and it is the only optionality
mechanism — there is no separate `nullable` qualifier keyword (§12).
ww has no runtime null-check net, so a non-null `*T` carries the
no-null obligation the way C does.

### 3.7 Tagged unions and the error tag

```
TaggedType = "(" Type { "|" Type } ")" .
```

A tagged union `(A | B | …)` holds one of its variants plus a runtime
tag. Variants are discriminated with `match` (§7) or tested with `is`
and narrowed with `as` (§8). A variant may carry the error mark `!T`,
which participates in the error model (§9): `(i64 | invalid | overflow)`
is a typical fallible result.

### 3.8 Function and channel types

`fn(P0, P1, …) R` is a function type. `chan T` is a channel of `T`
(**reserved**, §11). `never` is the bottom type of an expression that
does not return (e.g. a call to `abort`).

---

## 4. Packages and imports

```
SourceFile = PackageClause { ImportDecl } { TopDecl } .
PackageClause = "package" ident ";" .
ImportDecl    = "import" ( ImportPath | ImportName ImportPath ) ";" .
ImportName    = ident .
ImportPath    = ident { "." ident } .
```

- Every source file begins with a package clause. Within one semantic source
  action, eligible `.ww` files share one declared package name. Ordinary
  production and same-package test sources use `p`; external test sources may
  use the related `p_test`, and the actions remain separate even though one
  canonical directory owns their test product. The declared name need not equal
  the directory name or the final component of its canonical import identity.
- Directory source eligibility uses Go 1.26.5 filename suffix semantics for
  WW's fixed `linux/amd64` target. In the basename stem before the first dot, a
  final `_test` token is ignored for platform matching. A final known OS or
  architecture token must match `linux` or `amd64`; a final known OS followed
  by a known architecture takes precedence and both must match. The known-name
  sets are Go 1.26.5's `syslist.KnownOS` and `syslist.KnownArch`. Unknown or
  misplaced suffixes are ordinary, and a platform word without a nonempty
  underscore prefix is ordinary (`linux.ww` and `plan9_test.ww` are selected;
  `x_windows.ww` and `x_plan9_test.ww` are not). Leading-dot/underscore entries
  are ignored. Eligible names are byte-sorted before source validation.
  Production excludes selected `*_test.ww`; test variants classify only those
  selected test files. An excluded file contributes no declarations, imports,
  package edge, action, export, artifact, initialization, test, or persistent
  invalidation.
- `import acme.codec;` loads the canonical package `acme.codec`. If that
  package declares `package wire;`, the importing file sees its exported names
  as `wire.Name`; `codec.Name` is not an additional binding. An explicit alias
  replaces only that visible qualifier: `import stable acme.codec;` exposes
  `stable.Name`, not `wire.Name` or `codec.Name`. Both kinds of binding are
  scoped to that source file. A sibling file must declare its own import.
  Neither form exposes an imported declaration as a bare `Name`; ordinary
  unqualified lookup remains limited to lexical, builtin, and same-package
  declarations.
- `import _ acme.codec;` is a blank side-effect import. The lone `_` creates no
  qualifier, exposes no bare declaration, and is never diagnosed as unused.
  It is nevertheless a real import occurrence: resolution and all missing,
  self-import, cycle, `internal`, vendor, and imported-command checks use the
  dotted path, and the dependency participates in executable and test package
  initialization. Repeated blank occurrences and blank plus default/explicit
  named occurrences of one path are valid; every named occurrence remains
  independently subject to duplicate-binding and unused checks.
  Each semantic action's package dependency graph is the sorted, deduplicated
  union of real imports in that action's eligible source set. Occurrences retain
  their owning file and position, but equal canonical targets create one graph
  edge. Test-only occurrences never enter ordinary production. Self-import is
  rejected, except that toolchain-owned external-test self wiring is rebound to
  the effective augmented package action after ordinary per-site validation.
- An executable package is one declared `package main` and containing a
  `fn main`; path and directory spelling do not classify commands. An ordinary
  import of a package declared `main` is rejected, except for the toolchain's
  colocated external-test wiring.
- Only names marked `export` (§5) are visible across module boundaries.

Import paths remain unquoted and dotted. Grouped imports, quoted import paths,
and dot imports are not implemented. `_` is reserved here for the blank form;
it is not an ordinary alias.

---

## 5. Declarations

```
TopDecl = [ "export" ] ( FnDecl | TypeDecl | LetDecl | ConstDecl
                       | DefDecl ) .
```

### 5.1 Functions

```
FnDecl = "fn" ident "(" [ Params ] ")" Result "=" Block .
       | "fn" ident "(" [ Params ] ")" Result ";" .   // bodiless: extern/FFI
Params = Param { "," Param } .
Param  = ident ":" Type | ident ":" Type "..." | "..." .
Result = Type | "void" .
```

The `=` between signature and body is required. A bodiless fn (`;`
terminator) declares an external symbol (C FFI); the bare `...` C-style
variadic is legal only on a bodiless declaration (§6.3).

At package scope, exactly `fn init() void = Block;` declares a special package
initializer. It must have a body, no parameters, no result, no `export`, and no
attribute. Multiple init declarations are permitted and retain owner-file and
source order. `init` is not inserted into ordinary package scope: it cannot be
called as `init()`, selected as `pkg.init`, exported, or used by another kind
of declaration. Package-variable initialization completes before these
functions run.

### 5.2 `let`

```
LetDecl = "let" ident ":" Type [ "=" Expr ] ";" .
```

A mutable binding. Without an initialiser, package-level storage is
zero-backed; an uninitialized function-local binding retains the existing
uninitialized-local rule.
A `static` qualifier (`static let …`) gives function-local storage
static lifetime.

For a package-level `let` with an initializer, values representable by the
static-data emitter are installed statically. Every other otherwise valid
initializer is evaluated exactly once at runtime. Checked references through
package functions contribute variable-dependency edges; dependencies precede
dependents, and source declaration order breaks ready ties. Initialization
cycles are errors. Runtime package lets execute after imported package tasks and
before the package's init functions. `const` and `def` are not broadened by
this runtime path.

### 5.3 `const`

`const` introduces an immutable storage binding of the same declaration shape
as `let`; assignment to it is rejected. At package scope its initializer stays
within the existing static-data forms. A `const` is not entered into the
runtime package-variable schedule described above; use mutable `let` when an
otherwise valid initializer requires runtime evaluation.

### 5.4 `def`

```
DefDecl = "def" ident ":" Type "=" ConstExpr ";" .
```

A compile-time constant definition, typically at module level
(`def AF_INET: i32 = 2;`). Hare's `def`.

### 5.5 `type`

```
TypeDecl = "type" ident "=" Type ";" .
```

### 5.6 Visibility

`export` on a top-level declaration makes the name visible to importing
modules. Unmarked names are module-private.

### 5.7 Attributes

`@name` prefixes a declaration with an attribute. The defined attribute
is `@test`: it marks a function as a test (§10).

---

## 6. Functions and calls

### 6.1 Blocks and results

A function body is a `Block` (§7). The body's value is its result; an
explicit `return Expr;` returns early.

### 6.2 Calls

```
Call = Expr "(" [ Args ] ")" .
Args = Arg { "," Arg } [ "..." ] .
```

Arguments are passed by value (a `str`/`[]T`/`struct` copy is a shallow
header/field copy). Aggregates larger than a register use the
aggregate/`sret` ABI.

### 6.3 Variadic

Two distinct variadic forms:

- **Hare-style** `args: T...` — the callee receives a `[]T`. A call
  either gathers loose arguments (`fmt.println(1, "x")`) or forwards an
  existing slice with the spread `xs...`.
- **C-style** bare `...` — only on a bodiless (extern) declaration, for
  calling C variadic functions across the FFI. `f32` arguments in the
  variadic tail are promoted to `f64` per the C ABI.

---

## 7. Statements

```
Stmt = Block | LetDecl | ConstDecl | Assign | If | For | Switch
     | Match | Return | Break | Continue | Defer | Yield | ExprStmt .
Block = "{" { Stmt } "}" .
```

### 7.1 Assignment

```
Assign = Expr AssignOp Expr ";" .
AssignOp = "=" | "+=" | "-=" | "*=" | "/=" | "%="
         | "&=" | "|=" | "^=" | "<<=" | ">>=" .
```

The compound forms apply to scalar, indexed, and pointer-field targets.

### 7.2 `if`

```
If = "if" "(" Expr ")" Block [ "else" ( If | Block ) ] .
```

### 7.3 `for`

```
For = "for" "(" Expr ")" Block                          // condition
    | "for" "(" LetDecl Expr ";" Expr ")" Block          // 3-clause
    | "for" "(" "let" ident ".." Expr ")" Block .         // range
```

The 3-clause form is `for (let i: size = 0; i < n; i += 1) { … }`. The
range form iterates the elements of a slice or array
(`for (let x .. xs) { … }`). `break` and `continue` apply to the nearest
enclosing loop; `continue` runs the post-clause / advances the range.

TODO(spec): does the range form bind the *element* or an index, and is
the bound name a copy or a view? Confirm against the checker's
`N_FORRANGE` lowering; the continue-post behaviour was a fixed miscompile
(project memory #138), so the desugaring is worth stating precisely.

### 7.4 `switch`

```
Switch  = "switch" "(" Expr ")" "{" { SwCase } "}" .
SwCase  = "case" ExprList ":" { Stmt } | "case" ":" { Stmt } .
```

Value-matching on a scalar. A `case` may list comma-separated values;
`case:` is the default arm. Arms do not fall through.

### 7.5 `match`

```
Match    = "match" "(" Expr ")" "{" { MatchArm } "}" .
MatchArm = "case" [ "let" ident ":" ] Type "=>" ArmBody
         | "case" "=>" ArmBody .
ArmBody  = Stmt | Block .
```

Discriminates a tagged union (§3.7). `case let v: T =>` binds the
narrowed value to `v`; `case T =>` matches without binding; `case =>` is
the default. A `match` used as an expression produces a value via `yield`
(§7.7) from each arm.

### 7.6 `return`, `break`, `continue`, `defer`

`return [Expr];` `break;` `continue;`. `defer Stmt;` schedules a
statement to run when the enclosing block exits.

### 7.7 `yield`

`yield Expr;` produces the value of an enclosing block- or match-
expression.

---

## 8. Expressions

### 8.1 Operands

Identifiers, qualified names (`mod.name`), literals (§2.7), struct/array/
tuple literals (§8.5), and parenthesised expressions.

### 8.2 Operators and precedence

From loosest to tightest binding:

```
||
&&
==  !=  <  <=  >  >=
|   ^
&
<<  >>
+   -
*   /   %
unary:  -  !  ~  &(addr-of)  *(deref)
postfix: call()  index[]  slice[:]  field.  ?  !
```

`&e` takes the address of an addressable operand; `*p` dereferences.

TODO(spec): the precedence ladder is transcribed from the parser's
`bprec` (`parse.ww`); verify each tier against `cmd/wcc/parse.c` and
state associativity per tier. ww has no generics — no type parameters
anywhere in the grammar; call this out explicitly once confirmed.

### 8.3 Casts, `as`, `is`

```
Cast = Expr ":" Type .          // type ascription / conversion
As   = Expr "as" Type .         // tagged-union narrowing
Is   = Expr "is" Type .         // tagged-union variant test (bool)
```

`expr: T` converts/ascribes (`len(xs): size`, `t.line: i64`). An integer
cast does not silently truncate beyond the target width. `e as T`
narrows a tagged union to variant `T`; `e is T` tests membership.

### 8.4 Index, slice, field, pseudo-fields

`a[i]` indexes an array/slice/str (index operand must be an integer).
`a[lo:hi]` produces a sub-slice. `e.f` selects a struct field or a
qualified name. `.ptr`, `.len`, `.cap` read the header words of a `str`
or slice.

### 8.5 Composite literals

```
StructLit = TypeName "{" [ FieldInit { "," FieldInit } ] "}" .
FieldInit = ident ":" Expr .
ArrayLit  = "[" [ Expr { "," Expr } ] "]" .
TupleLit  = "(" Expr "," Expr { "," Expr } ")" .
```

`S{}` is the zero value of `S`.

### 8.6 Builtins

`size(T)` (type size), `len(x)` (str/slice/array length), `alloc(v)!`
(heap-allocate a value, yield `*T`; §9), `append(s, x)` (grow a slice),
`delete(…)`, `abort(msg)` (terminate; type `never`).

`alloc` takes a *value*: `alloc(T{…})!`, `alloc(T{})!`, or
`alloc(expr)!`. Bare `alloc(T)!` is invalid (it parses `T` as a value
reference) (§12). There is no `free`: ww has no GC and no manual
reclamation in compiler-side code — allocation lives until process exit
(§12). `lib/*` modules that genuinely own a heap buffer free it
explicitly via `os.free`.

---

## 9. Errors

ww has no exceptions. A fallible operation returns a tagged union whose
error variants carry the `!T` mark (§3.7). Two postfix operators consume
them:

- `expr?` — if `expr` is an error variant, return it from the current
  function (propagate); otherwise yield the success value.
- `expr!` — if `expr` is an error variant, abort; otherwise yield the
  success value.

Error variants are ordinary sentinel types in the union
(`strconv.invalid`, `strconv.overflow`, …), discriminated with `match`.
This mirrors Hare's error idiom, spelled with ww's `!` tag.

---

## 10. Tests

A function marked `@test` is a test, run by the test harness, not part of
the program. Two placements, following the Go `foo` / `foo_test` model:

- **White-box**, in-package: a colocated file `package <mod>;` with
  `@test` functions, for testing unexported internals.
- **Black-box**, external: `package <mod>_test;` with `import <mod>;`,
  exercising only the public surface.

```ww
@test fn adds() void = {
	if (1 + 1 != 2) { abort("math broke"); };
};
```

Production, production-plus-white-box-test, external black-box-test, test
support, recompiled-for-test dependencies, and generated test main are distinct
package actions. One canonical selected directory owns one test product and one
generated main, which imports every applicable same-package and external target
and produces one binary/result. The external action's import of the package
under test binds to the augmented white-box action when it exists; affected
transitive importers are copied and rewired so ordinary and augmented package
state do not coexist in the linked closure.

Before a test function runs, the one generated product initializes its exact
effective graph dependency-first and once per canonical action. Imports,
runtime lets, and init declarations found only in `*_test.ww` never enter an
ordinary production build. Test-only same-package, external-package, and valid
mixed directories are accepted from their selected test files. A directory
with no selected test file validates ordinary production but creates no test
support, generated main, link, binary, result, or process.

---

## 11. Concurrency (reserved)

The headline `+CSP` surface — `chan T`, `proc`/`spawn`, channel send/
receive `<-`, and the `alt` select construct — is tokenised
(`chan`, `proc`, `<-`, `->`) but **not yet given semantics**. This
section is written when the feature lands; until then, use of these
tokens is rejected by the checker.

**Meta-ruling (normative).** CSP is *the* sanctioned departure from the
Hare-fidelity rules (CLAUDE.md rules 5 and 9) — Hare has no channels, and
the `+CSP` mandate is the project's reason to add them. The concurrency
surface therefore cites the Newsqueak → Limbo → Go lineage, **not** Hare,
and that citation is correct by construction, not a rule-9 violation. The
design of record is `.ai/csp-design-input.md` (library-first: `spawn`,
unbuffered bidirectional `chan T` via `mkchan(T)`, `<-` send/recv,
`recv → (T | closed)` error idiom, `alt` as v2). See §12 entry 9.

TODO(spec): fill in syntax + semantics (channel construction, send/recv
typing, `spawn` arg-copy ABI, `alt` arm grammar, the `closed` sentinel)
once the MVP lands and the USER meta-ruling is explicitly on record.

---

## 12. Divergences from Hare (normative)

ww follows Hare's semantics and `lib/` API shapes (CLAUDE.md rules 5, 9)
except for the deliberate, USER-blessed departures below. Each is
normative; the cited reference is the rationale of record.

1. **`int`/`uint` are a machine word (8 bytes), not Hare's 32-bit
   `int`.** All limit constants derive from `size(int)`; `size`/`uintptr`
   are 8 bytes. *Ref: project memory "int is a machine word"; USER
   2026-05-26.*

2. **Tuples use 8-byte slots, not Hare's packed layout.**
   `size((u32, u32)) == 16`. Routed through the type table only.
   *Ref: USER 2026-06-04 tuple slot ruling; parity task #60.*

3. **Nullability is the union `(*T | void)`, not a `nullable`
   qualifier.** Plain `*T` is non-null; the union fold is one flag,
   zero-cost for the non-null path. *Ref: USER 2026-05-26 nullable-kept
   ruling.*

4. **No `_unsafe` suffix convention.** ww is unmanaged (no GC, no safe
   baseline), so Hare's `_unsafe` axis does not apply. `bytes`→`str` is
   the pure reinterpret `strings.frombytes` (Hare's `fromutf8_unsafe`);
   UTF-8 validation is opt-in at the IO source via `utf8.validate`, not
   wrapped per construction. *Ref: CLAUDE.md rule 9; ref/hare/strings/
   utf8.ha.*

5. **The compiler frontend is one package `lib/ww/syntax`** (tok + lex +
   ast + sym + typ + parse), a Go-over-Hare consolidation of Hare's
   `{ast, lex, parse}` split. Its single consumer is the `wcc` backend.
   The internal data shapes still mirror `ref/hare/hare`. *Ref: CLAUDE.md
   rule 6; USER #74.*

6. **Tests use the Go `foo` / `foo_test` model** (§10): external
   black-box `package <mod>_test;` plus in-package white-box `@test`
   files. ww hard-rejects self-import. *Ref: CLAUDE.md rule 9; task #16.*

7. **No arena / no `free` in compiler-side code.** Per-node
   `alloc(value)!`; allocation is reclaimed at process exit. `alloc`
   takes a *value* (`alloc(T{…})!`), never a bare type. *Ref: project
   memory "drop amalloc", "Phase 0 closed", "alloc syntax form".*

8. **The checked AST carries a per-node `type_` stamp.** Hare's parse
   AST is untyped and harec keeps a separate checked AST in C; ww stamps
   `node.type_` in place as a checker invariant. *Ref: project memory
   "Hare AST has no per-expr result".*

9. **CSP** (§11) is the sanctioned departure from rule-5/9 Hare fidelity
   — Hare has no channels. The surface cites Newsqueak/Limbo/Go, not
   Hare. *Ref: `.ai/csp-design-input.md`; pending explicit USER
   meta-ruling.*

10. **The two compiler stages emit byte-identical asm** for the same
    input (CLAUDE.md rule 10); when inference power differs, the richer
    stage is aligned *down* to the leaner one. This is a project
    invariant, listed here because it is the contract this spec's "the
    text is the bug if stages disagree with it" rule rests on.

---

## Appendix A. Anti-rot

This spec is hand-maintained. To keep it from drifting against the
parser, every fenced ` ```ww ` example is intended to be extracted and
compiled through `w6c`, asserting it parses (or rejects, for
negative examples), wired as a `make spec-check` dependency of
`make test`. The EBNF
productions are not auto-verified; the compiling examples are the drift
alarm. *(Check not yet implemented; filed as a follow-up.)*