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HowlFrame v0.1.0

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@howlcipher howlcipher released this 13 Aug 03:33
· 628 commits to main since this release
v0.1.0
71a33ec

HowlFrame v0.1.0

What it is

HowlFrame is an experimental AI-native language and capability-bounded execution runtime.

Why it exists

The governing principle is simple: intent is not authority.
LLMs are good at producing structure but often lose time on syntax details and large rewrites. HowlFrame keeps the source grammar small and uniform so generation can be constrained and validated before runtime. Adaptive operations may reason and propose, but deterministic machinery continues to own permissions, capability grants, and approval.

Compiler/runtime pipeline

.howl
→ parser/checker
→ HFIR verification
→ bytecode compiler
→ .hfbc
→ VM

Key capabilities

The HowlFrame bytecode runtime explicitly tracks and enforces capabilities: network, filesystem, process, environment, and database.

Intent is not authority

Capabilities are denied by default. The standalone HowlFrame VM independently enforces capability and state-transition policy based on what the runner explicitly grants.

Applications proved

  • Status API
  • Log Analyzer
  • KV CLI
  • Todo CLI
  • Task API
  • Release Authority
  • Action Executor
  • Repo Analyst

Known limitations

HowlFrame is highly experimental:

  • Standalone bytecode supports a defined subset of the language.
  • Go remains the broadest backend.
  • Wasm support is narrower.
  • Not all backends have semantic parity.
  • HowlFrame is not an OS/container/hypervisor sandbox.
  • It is not formally verified.
  • It is not production-ready security infrastructure.
  • Native x86/ARM compilation is not claimed.

See the Coverage Matrix for detailed information on what is supported per backend.

Security non-claims

This is not a safe arbitrary code execution environment or a formal sandbox. It relies on internal instruction counting and capability gating, which is a logic-level restriction, not a strict isolation boundary provided by the OS.

Installation

Binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows are attached to this release. Extract the binary and place it in your PATH.

First program

Create hello.howl:

(cli_app
  (print "Hello from HowlFrame")
)

Compile and run:

howlframe check hello.howl
howlframe build hello.howl
howlframe run hello.hfbc
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