Syntax Reference

Comments

Lines starting with # are comments:

# This is a comment
system "MySystem":  # inline comment
  version = "1.0.0"

Indentation

SODL uses 2-space indentation. Blocks are introduced with a colon (:).

system "MySystem":
  stack:
    language = "TypeScript"

String values

All string values are double-quoted:

primary = "Marketing website for my product"

Array values

Arrays use bracket syntax with double-quoted items:

outcomes = [
  "Hero section with CTA",
  "Feature grid",
  "Contact form"
]

Key-value pairs

Simple assignments use =:

version  = "1.0.0"
language = "TypeScript"

Block declarations

Blocks use a name followed by colon on the same line:

stack:
  language = "TypeScript"
  framework = "Astro"

Named blocks (like policy, module, pipeline, step) include an identifier:

policy Security:
  rule "Validate all inputs" severity=high

module AuthModule:
  owns = ["Authentication logic"]

Policy blocks

A policy groups rules under a named concern. Each rule has a severity:

policy Security:
  rule "All API endpoints require JWT validation" severity=critical
  rule "Rate limit authentication endpoints" severity=high
  rule "Log all authentication attempts" severity=medium

policy CodeQuality:
  rule "All public functions have docstrings" severity=medium
  rule "Variable names are descriptive" severity=low

Severity levels

Level	Meaning
critical	Must not be violated — blocks generation
high	Required constraint
medium	Strong recommendation
low	Suggestion

Extends and implements

Inheritance uses the extends keyword:

template "Base":
  stack:
    language = "TypeScript"

system "MySystem" extends "Base":
  ...

interface MyComponent extends AstroComponent:
  ...

Module dependencies use implements, requires, and exports:

module UIComponents:
  implements = [HeroComponent, FeatureCard]
  exports    = [HeroComponent, FeatureCard]
  requires   = [ThemeConfig]

Method signatures

Interfaces declare methods with typed parameters:

interface HeroComponent:
  method render(tagline: str, subtitle: str) -> str

Types

Primitive types: str, int, float, bool, bytes, UUID, datetime

Generic types — both bracket and angle-bracket syntax are accepted:

method get_all(page: int) -> List[Post]
method find(id: UUID) -> Optional[User]
method get_stats() -> Result<Success, Error>

API response types (used in endpoint declarations):

endpoint "GET /posts" -> List[PostCard]
endpoint "GET /post/{id}" -> HTML
endpoint "POST /action" -> Redirect
endpoint "GET /stream" -> SSE
endpoint "DELETE /item/{id}" -> Empty (204)

Naming conventions

Element	Convention	Example
Systems, Templates	PascalCase string	"MySystem"
Interfaces, Modules, Policies	PascalCase	UserRepository
Pipelines	string	"Production"
Steps	PascalCase	StepName
Methods, fields	snake_case	get_by_id
Endpoints	HTTP verb + path	"GET /api/path"

Invariants

Invariants are string assertions that must hold:

invariants:
  invariant "Logo links to home /"
  invariant "All images have alt text"

Pipeline output types

The output field in a step block is an identifier that declares what the step produces. The conventional values are:

Value	What it produces
design	Architecture decisions, diagrams, data models
code	Application source code
tests	Test files and test suites
diff	Code changes for review
docs	Documentation files

pipeline "Development":
  step Design:
    output = design
    require = "Define architecture and data models"
  step Implement:
    modules = ["AuthModule", "UserModule"]
    output = code
    gate = "Unit tests pass"
  step Test:
    output = tests
    gate = "Coverage >= 85%"

Artifacts

The artifacts key lists file system paths that a module owns:

module UIComponents:
  artifacts = ["src/components/", "src/layouts/"]