NOVA Assembly IDE

Neural Optimization Virtual Assistant for Assembly

"Cursor for Assembly" - An AI-powered IDE for low-level programming

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Overview

NOVA is an AI-powered Assembly language IDE built on Eclipse Theia, specifically designed for:

• 🔧 Embedded Systems Developers
• 📟 Firmware Engineers
• 🖥️ OS Developers
• 🔐 Security Researchers

Key Features

Feature	Description
Multi-Architecture Support	x86/x64, ARM/AArch64, RISC-V
Assembler Integration	NASM, GAS, MASM, FASM
AI-Powered Assistance	Code explanation, optimization, bug detection
Visual Debugging	Register viewer, memory visualizer, stack frames
Language Server	Hover info, auto-complete, go-to-definition

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Architecture

NOVA/
├── browser-app/         # Web-based IDE application
├── electron-app/        # Desktop IDE application
├── packages/
│   ├── nova-core/       # Core UI and services
│   ├── nova-assembly-lsp/  # Assembly language server
│   ├── nova-debug/      # GDB debug adapter
│   └── nova-ai/         # AI assistant integration
├── configs/             # Build configurations
└── docs/                # Documentation

Technology Stack

Layer	Technology
Framework	Eclipse Theia 1.55.0
Editor	Monaco
Language	TypeScript
Runtime	Node.js 20+
AI	Claude 3.5 (via Anthropic SDK)
LSP	asm-lsp (Rust)
Debug	GDB via Debug Adapter Protocol

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20.0.0 or higher
• npm 10.0.0 or higher
• Git

Optional (for full functionality):

• NASM - Intel syntax assembler
• GCC/GAS - GNU Assembler
• GDB - Debugger
• asm-lsp - Assembly Language Server

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nova-assembly-ide/nova.git
cd NOVA

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build all packages
npm run build

Running the IDE

Browser Mode (Development)

npm run start:browser

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Desktop Mode (Electron)

npm run start:electron

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Development

Project Structure

packages/
├── nova-core/           # Core extension
│   ├── src/browser/     # Frontend components
│   └── package.json
├── nova-assembly-lsp/   # Language server client
│   ├── src/browser/     # Frontend LSP client
│   ├── src/node/        # Backend LSP server
│   └── package.json
├── nova-debug/          # Debug adapter
│   ├── src/browser/     # Debug UI
│   ├── src/node/        # GDB adapter
│   └── package.json
└── nova-ai/             # AI integration
    ├── src/browser/     # Chat UI
    ├── src/node/        # AI service
    └── package.json

Commands

Command	Description
npm install	Install all dependencies
npm run build	Build all packages
npm run watch	Build and watch for changes
npm run start:browser	Start browser IDE
npm run start:electron	Start desktop IDE
npm run lint	Run ESLint
npm run lint:fix	Fix linting issues
npm run clean	Clean build artifacts

Creating a New Extension

1. Create a new directory in packages/:

   mkdir -p packages/nova-myext/src/browser

2. Add package.json with theia-extension keyword:

   {
     "name": "@nova/nova-myext",
     "keywords": ["theia-extension"],
     "theiaExtensions": [{ "frontend": "lib/browser/myext-frontend-module" }]
   }

3. Create the frontend module:

   import { ContainerModule } from "@theia/core/shared/inversify";
   
   export default new ContainerModule((bind) => {
     // Register your services here
   });

4. Add the dependency to browser-app/package.json:

   "@nova/nova-myext": "*"

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Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the root directory:

# AI Configuration
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-api-key
AI_MODEL=claude-3-sonnet-20240229

# Debug Configuration
GDB_PATH=/usr/bin/gdb
NASM_PATH=/usr/bin/nasm

# LSP Configuration
ASM_LSP_PATH=/usr/local/bin/asm-lsp

Supported File Extensions

Extension	Language
.asm, .s, .S	Assembly (auto-detect)
.nasm	NASM syntax
.gas	GAS/AT&T syntax
.inc	Assembly include file

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Roadmap

Phase 1: Foundation ✅

• Project structure
• Theia integration
• Basic syntax highlighting
• Build system (NASM/GAS)

Phase 2: Debugging

• GDB integration
• Register viewer
• Memory visualizer
• Stack view

Phase 3: AI Integration

• MCP server
• Chat interface
• Code explanation
• Optimization suggestions

Phase 4: Multi-Architecture

• ARM support
• RISC-V support
• Architecture switching

Phase 5: Polish

• UI/UX refinement
• Performance optimization
• Distribution packages

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guide for details.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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Acknowledgments

• Eclipse Theia - The IDE framework
• asm-lsp - Assembly language server
• Monaco Editor - Code editor
• Anthropic Claude - AI assistance

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Built with ❤️ for low-level programmers