1. Overview
I-Lang is an AI-native communication protocol built from symbols already inside every LLM's training data: brackets, pipes, arrows, key-value pairs. It defines a formal vocabulary for three communication modes:
| Mode | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Human → AI | Precise instructions AI executes right the first time | [READ:@SRC|path=data.csv]=>[STAT]=>[Ω] |
| AI → AI | Structured communication between agents | [SEND:@DST|fmt=json]=>[EVAL]=>[OUT] |
| AI internal | Behavioral identity and reasoning structure | ::GENE{verify_first|conf:confirmed} |
2. Two Syntaxes
2.1 Operation Syntax — What AI Does
[VERB:@TARGET|modifier=value]=>[NEXT_VERB]=>[Ω]
Operations are executable instructions. Each step in a chain receives the output of the previous step. The chain terminates with [Ω] or [OUT].
Components:
| Component | Syntax | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | VERB | One of 88 defined verbs (e.g., READ, WRIT, FILT, SORT) |
| Target | @TARGET | Entity reference (e.g., @SRC, @DST, @PREV, @LOCAL) |
| Modifiers | key=value | Parameters separated by pipes (e.g., fmt=md, lng=ja) |
| Chain | => | Output of left feeds into right |
2.2 Declaration Syntax — What AI Is
::GENE{trait_name|conf:confirmed|scope:global}
T:positive_trait
A:anti_pattern⇒consequence
::STATE{@SELF, attribute:value}
Declarations define behavioral identity — personality, rules, anti-patterns, and immune responses. They persist across sessions when stored in soul files.
3. Verb Categories
| Category | Count | Verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Data I/O | 12 | READ WRIT GET DEL LIST COPY MOVE STRM CACH SYNC SEND RUN |
| Transform | 22 | FMT CONV SPLIT MERGE MAP FILT SORT DEDU FLAT NEST CHNK REDU PIVT TRNS ENCD DECD HASH CMPR EXPN XLAT REWR DIFF |
| Analysis | 14 | SCAN MTCH CNT STAT EVAL SCOR RANK TRND CORR FRCS ANOM SENT CLST BNCH AUDT VALD CLSF |
| Generation | 10 | CREA DRFT EXPD SHRT PARA STYL TMPL FILL EXTC GEN |
| Execute | 10 | PLAN DECI CHEK FIX DPLO SAVE REVW LERN TEST PARS |
| Output | 4 | OUT DISP EXPT PRNT LOG |
| Structure | 5 | LINK SET TAG GRP EMBD |
| Meta | 4 | HELP DESC INTR NOOP |
| Batch | 1 | BATC |
Total: 88 verbs. Full definitions with examples: Dictionary →
4. Greek Aliases
13 commonly-used verbs have single-character Greek aliases for maximum compression:
| Alias | Verb | Description |
|---|---|---|
Σ | MERGE | Combine multiple inputs into one |
Δ | DIFF | Compare two inputs, show differences |
φ | FILT | Filter by condition |
∇ | SORT | Sort by criteria |
λ | MAP | Apply function to each element |
∂ | SPLIT | Split input into parts |
μ | STAT | Statistical summary |
ψ | SENT | Sentiment analysis |
ξ | HASH | Generate hash/checksum |
ζ | CMPR | Compress content |
θ | XLAT | Translate between languages |
Ω | OUT | Final output |
Π | BATC | Batch operation |
5. Modifiers
| Modifier | Purpose | Example values |
|---|---|---|
fmt= | Output format | md, json, csv, html, yaml, txt |
lng= | Language | en, zh, ja, ko, es, fr, de |
len= | Length constraint | 3, 100w, 500char |
ton= | Tone | formal, casual, pro, academic |
sty= | Style | bullets, prose, table, numbered |
path= | File/URL path | ./data.csv, https://example.com |
whr= | Filter condition | *.md, status=active |
mch= | Match pattern | regex, glob, exact |
src= | Source | file, url, clipboard, @PREV |
dst= | Destination | file, screen, @NULL |
6. Entities
| Entity | Description |
|---|---|
@SRC | Source input |
@DST | Destination output |
@PREV | Previous output in chain |
@LOCAL | Local file system |
@SCREEN | Screen/visible content |
@LOG | Log output |
@NULL | Discard output |
@STDIN | Standard input |
7. Examples
# Read CSV, filter rows, sort, output as markdown table
[READ:@SRC|path=sales.csv]=>[φ|whr=revenue>1000]=>[∇|by=revenue,desc]=>[FMT|fmt=md]=>[Ω]
# Translate previous output to Japanese, formal tone
[θ:@PREV|lng=ja,ton=formal]=>[Ω]
# Batch read all markdown files, merge, summarize
[LIST:@LOCAL|mch=*.md]=>[Π:READ]=>[Σ]=>[SHRT|len=5,sty=bullets]=>[Ω]
# Define behavioral DNA for an AI agent
::GENE{analyst|conf:confirmed|scope:global}
T:data_driven|evidence_first
T:answer_format=table|when:comparison
A:speculation_without_data⇒forbidden
A:hedging⇒remove
8. Full Specification
The complete, machine-readable specification is available at:
github.com/ilang-ai/ilang-spec · npm: @i-language/spec · HuggingFace
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