- Readable syntax —
for_each,as_long_as(alias iswhile),if/or/otherwise(alias iselse),when/is,in/not_in(alias is!in),or_return,ensure,bit_and/bit_or/bit_xor, etc. - Versatility through simplicity — Scripts, microservices, CLI tools, or projects where you want to learn systems programming fundamentals
- A compiler that for the programmer — Clear error messages, a built-in formatter, live reloading, and built-in language and stdlib docs via
gray man. When questions arise, Grayscale provides the answers. - Safe by default — Automatic Scope-Based Arena Management for memory, bounds-checked arrays, overflow-checked math, nil protection, NO pointer arithmetic. The guardrails are on unless you explicitly take them off with the
@memstdlib module
@arrays · @strings · @maps · @math · @time · @random · @json · @io · @os
@http · @server · @crypto · @encoding · @uuid · @bytes · @binary · @sqlite
@regex · @csv · @net · @threads · @sync · @channels · @mem · @atomic · @fmt · @strconv
Download the latest release for your platform from the Releases page. No dependencies required.
Requires Go 1.23+ and a C compiler (gcc or clang).
git clone https://github.com/grayscale-lang/grayscale.git
cd grayscale
make build
make installNote: Grayscale currently supports macOS and Linux only.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
gray <file> |
Compile and run | gray main.gray |
gray build <file> -o <name> |
Compile to a distributable binary | gray build main.gray -o myapp |
gray build <file> --emit-c |
Emit generated C source to a file (no binary) | gray build main.gray --emit-c |
gray check <file> |
Type check without compiling | gray check main.gray |
gray watch <file> |
Watch for changes, re-run on save | gray watch main.gray |
gray fmt <path> |
Format .gray source files in place |
gray fmt . or gray fmt ./... |
gray fmt --check <path> |
Check formatting without modifying files (CI gate) | gray fmt --check ./... |
gray doc <file> |
Generate docs from #doc attributes |
gray doc main.gray |
gray pz <name> |
Scaffold a new project | gray pz myproject |
gray report |
Print system info for bug reports | gray report |
gray update |
Update to the latest stable version | gray update |
gray update --pre |
Update to the latest pre-release (alpha/beta) | gray update --pre |
gray install <version> |
Install a specific version by semver | gray install x.y.z |
gray version |
Show version info | gray version |
gray man |
Show help for the man command | gray man |
gray man <module> |
Show info about a stdlib module | gray man strings |
gray man <function> |
Show info about a stdlib function | gray man to_upper |
gray man <struct> |
Show info about a stdlib struct type | gray man HttpRequest |
gray update # latest stable
gray update --pre # latest pre-release Note: The latest pre-release may be very out of date
gray install x.y.z # pin to an exact versiongray update checks for new versions, shows the changelog, and upgrades both the gray CLI and the compiler. Pass --pre to pick up the latest alpha, beta, or rc. Use gray install <version> to install an exact version by semver — downgrades and pre-release tags (e.g. 3.0.0-beta.2) are supported.
Grayscale is in active development. The language is usable for personal projects and dev tools. Breaking changes may occur frequently.
MIT License - Copyright (c) 2025-Present Marshall A Burns
See LICENSE for details.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to Grayscale!
