# Track: Intent-Based Scripting Languages Survey

**Status:** Spec approved 2026-06-12
**Initialized:** 2026-06-12
**Owner:** Tier 1 Orchestrator (spec); Tier 2 Tech Lead (plan + execution)
**Priority:** Medium-High (research deliverable; time-sensitive because the report's conclusions feed into the user's nagent v2.2 report)
**Domain:** Meta-Tooling (the report is a *research deliverable*; the track produces no Application code)

> **Purpose.** This track produces a single research report: a survey of intent-based scripting languages as a design philosophy, plus a proposed vocabulary for a Meta-Tooling-facing intent DSL. The report is the *foundation document* for the user's nagent v2.2 report (its "Future-Track Candidate #4: Intent-based DSL" section) and for the future `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER` placeholder. The track is *research-only*; no interpreter, no integration code.

> **Companion doc.** The actual report is at `conductor/tracks/intent_dsl_survey_20260612/report.md`. This `spec.md` is the conductor/track wrapper: the design intent, the relationship to the existing project's tech stack, the 7 report sections and their content, the open questions, the out-of-scope notes, and the verification criteria.

> **Time-sensitivity.** Per the user, the report must be complete *before* nagent v2.2 ships. The track has a single user-approval gate at the end of phase 4; the report can be paused at any phase boundary without losing work.

---

## 1. Overview

This track surveys **intent-based scripting languages** as a design philosophy and proposes a *succinct, effective vocabulary* for a Meta-Tooling-facing intent DSL. The vocabulary is designed to:

- Map cleanly onto **data-oriented hardware pipelines** (Onat Türkçüoğlu's KYRA/VAMP, Timothy Lottes's x68/5th — per `C:\projects\forth\bootslop\references\`)
- Serve as a **shell-replacement** for AI agent tool calls (per Jody Bruchon's Jofito — per `docs/transcripts/Ddme7DwMQBI_jofito_jody_bruchon.txt`)
- Compose via an **immediate-mode paradigm** (per John O'Donnell's IMGUI/MVC essays — per `https://johno.se/book/*`)
- Tolerate **AI idiosyncrasies** (indentation fuzz, line-offset fuzz, verb-name fuzz) via structured recovery anchors
- Coexist with the existing project's **45+ MCP tools** (per `docs/guide_tools.md` §"Native Tool Inventory") without becoming an XML/JSON blob

The report is the deliverable; the track has no Application code. Follow-up tracks (interpreter prototype, bridge script, integration with the `mcp_dsl_20260606` placeholder) are explicitly out of scope and will be planned separately.

## 2. Goals (Priority Order)

| Priority | Goal | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| **A (foundational)** | Section 1 of the report — formalize "intent-based" as a design philosophy. Unify the Onat/Lottes hardware model, O'Donnell's immediate-mode paradigm, CoSy's open-vocabulary culture, Jofito's "intent mapping engine" framing, and the project's own `nagent_review_20260608` v2.1 "durable data, disposable workers" thesis into a single narrative. | Establishes the unifying claim the rest of the report builds on. Without this, the vocab section is just a list of verbs. |
| **A (foundational)** | Section 2 of the report — prior art survey across 8 clusters (see §3.2 below). Every entry: 2-3 sentences on the design idea, 2-3 sentences on what we take from it. | Establishes the design lineage so the vocab section's "borrowed from" notes are grounded. |
| **A (foundational)** | Section 3 of the report — formalize the grammar from the user's math pseudocode (the `determinate`/`minor`/`matrix-transpose` snippets shared during spec review). 14 primitives with examples drawn from those snippets. | The grammar is the most concrete deliverable; it's what the user's nagent v2.2 report will reference. |
| **A (primary value)** | Section 4 of the report — the 4-tier vocab (~40 verbs). Tier 1 (math from user's pseudocode, ~10 verbs), Tier 2 (data-oriented pipeline, ~12 verbs), Tier 3 (shell, ~10 verbs), Tier 4 (AI-fuzzing tolerance, ~8 verbs). Each verb: signature, one-line semantics, one example, "borrowed from" note, SSDL shape tag. | The vocab is the report's primary value. Tier 4 is the novel contribution; the other tiers are the necessary substrate. |
| **A (primary value)** | Section 5 of the report — the hardware mapping. 4 anchor claims tying the verbs to Onat/Lottes hardware (Cluster 1), O'Donnell's paradigm (Cluster 0), Forth/CoSy syntax (Cluster 1), and APL/K data (Cluster 2). | Establishes that the verbs are not arbitrary; they map to real hardware stages. |
| **B (architectural)** | Section 6 of the report — the AI-agent properties. 10 claims tying the DSL to the existing project's architecture: Meta-Tooling domain (per `docs/guide_meta_boundary.md`), runtime path through `cli_tool_bridge.py` (per `docs/guide_meta_boundary.md` §"The Inter-Domain Bridges"), 3-layer security (per `docs/guide_tools.md` §"The MCP Bridge"), 4 memory dimensions (per `conductor/tracks/nagent_review_20260608/nagent_review_v2_1_20260612.md` §2.1), stable-to-volatile cache ordering (per nagent v2.1 §2.2), `Result[T]` envelope (per `conductor/tracks/data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md`), Command Palette 33 commands (per `docs/guide_command_palette.md`), Hook API state fields (per `docs/guide_state_lifecycle.md` §"Hook API Surface"), O'Donnell's IEventTarget pattern as the `sandbox` verb, O'Donnell's "reads are free" claim as the rationale for cheap verbs. | Connects the report's vocab to the existing project so future tracks can build on it without re-deriving the architecture. |
| **C (research)** | Section 7 of the report — open questions for the follow-up B track (interpreter prototype) and connection points to the `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER`. At least 6 open questions + the placeholder connection. | The report is the *foundation* document; the open questions make explicit what the follow-up must answer. |
| **C (research)** | The placeholder track `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER` is *not* consumed by this track. Per `conductor/tracks/nagent_review_20260608/metadata.json:28`, the placeholder is a separate, downstream track. The report's section 7 explicitly names the connection points so the placeholder can be filled with the report's vocab. | The placeholder and the survey are different artifacts at different abstraction levels. |
| **D (forward-looking)** | The report's vocab section includes a "borrowed from" note for each verb pointing to the specific prior-art entry. The report is *reference-able* by future agents. | Future code-gen agents (the user's primary use case per the original message) can cite specific verbs with provenance. |
| **D (forward-looking)** | A new follow-up B track (interpreter prototype) is *named* in the report's section 7 but **not** planned in this spec. Per the user's instruction: "A for this track, with B as a separate track maybe, a sort of experimental sub-project to try this stuff out." | Keeps this track focused on the report; the prototype gets its own track when the user is ready. |

### 2.1 Non-Goals (this track)

- **Not** building an interpreter. The follow-up B track (separate, future) is the prototype.
- **Not** writing a bridge script. The placeholder `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER` track (separate, future) is the bridge.
- **Not** modifying the Application's provider-native function-calling. The DSL is **Meta-Tooling-side** (per `docs/guide_meta_boundary.md` §"Domain 2: The Meta-Tooling"); the Application's function-calling is unchanged.
- **Not** consuming the `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER` placeholder. The two tracks are different.
- **Not** adopting XML/JSON record formats. Per the user: "ignore its record formats as they problably will be less xml/json based as I don't like them." nagent's tag protocol is *mentioned* in the prior art (Cluster 3) but explicitly *rejected* as a model.
- **Not** adding new `src/` code, new tests, or new `pyproject.toml` dependencies. The track produces only a markdown report.
- **Not** doing the user-approval gate until the *end* of phase 4. The first 3 phases are self-directed (gathering + writing + self-review); the user sees the final report and approves or iterates.
- **Not** creating the standard `metadata.json` or `state.toml` until *after* the spec is approved. The spec-first pattern (per `conductor/workflow.md` §"Task Workflow" + this track's plan to be authored by the `writing-plans` skill) means the metadata and state are written when the plan is written.

## 3. Architecture

The report is the architecture. The 7 sections, in order, are:

### 3.1 Section 1 — The "Intent-Based" Design Philosophy

The unifying narrative. 4 anchor claims that tie the report together:

1. **"Intent-based" means the user's words are declarative intent, not imperative commands** (Jofito's "decompose intent into platform-optimal ops" framing).
2. **The hardware is the truth** — the verbs must map to real data-oriented pipeline stages (Onat/Lottes, per `C:\projects\forth\bootslop\references\kyra_in-depth.md` and `X.com - Onat & Lottes Interaction 1.png.ocr.md`).
3. **The pipeline is immediate-mode** — no Pipeline object, no retained state, just the verb call that produces output (O'Donnell's "widgets are method invocations, not objects", per `https://johno.se/book/imgui.html`).
4. **The vocabulary IS the user surface** — for AI agents, the vocab is the API (CoSy's "open vocabulary" model, per `https://cosy.com/CoSy/Simplicity.html`).

### 3.2 Section 2 — Prior Art Survey (8 Clusters)

Each cluster: 2-5 entries. Each entry: 2-3 sentences on the design idea, 2-3 sentences on what we take from it. Every entry cites a specific source (`file:line` where possible, otherwise section reference).

**Cluster 0 — Immediate-Mode Paradigm (the philosophical anchor):**
- John O'Donnell, "IMGUI" / "The Pitch" / "MVC" (per `https://johno.se/book/*`)

**Cluster 1 — Concatenative (Forth family):**
- Forth (Chuck Moore, 1970)
- ColorForth (Chuck Moore, ~1990s)
- KYRA / VAMP (Onat Türkçüoğlu, SVFIG 2025; per `kyra_in-depth.md`)
- x68 / 5th / "Ear" + "Toe" (Timothy Lottes, 2007-2026; per `neokineogfx_in-depth.md` and `blog_in-depth.md`)
- Joy (William Byrd, Manfred von Thun, 2003)
- CoSy (Bob Armstrong, ongoing; per `https://cosy.com/CoSy/Simplicity.html` and `https://cosy.com/4thCoSy/`)

**Cluster 2 — Array:**
- APL (Kenneth Iverson, 1962; Dyalog)
- K / q (Arthur Whitney, Kx Systems)
- BQN (Marshall Lochbaum, 2020)
- Uiua (Tony Morris, 2023)

**Cluster 3 — Intent-Mapping:**
- Jofito (Jody Bruchon; per `docs/transcripts/Ddme7DwMQBI_jofito_jody_bruchon.txt` and codeberg README)
- jq (Stephen Dolan, 2012-) — downgraded to "useful adjacent"
- nagent's tag protocol — mentioned but explicitly rejected (no XML angle brackets, no JSON blobs)
- Wasm — one paragraph

**Cluster 4 — Meta-Tooling DSLs and agent-facing languages:**
- The `mcp_dsl_20260606` placeholder (per `mcp_architecture_refactor_20260606/spec.md` §12.1)
- nagent's "Bridge DSL" idea (per `nagent_takeaways_20260608.md` line 216-230)
- Stainless / OpenAI function-calling schemas (1 paragraph; baseline we're moving away from)
- Anthropic tool-use schema (1 paragraph)

**Cluster 5 — SSDL shape primitives:**
- The 6 primitives + 7 modifiers (per `docs/reports/computational_shapes_ssdl_digest_20260608.md` §1); cited as the meta-vocabulary for annotating the verbs in section 4.

**Cluster 6 — Project's own command DSL precedents:**
- The 33 Command Palette commands (per `docs/guide_command_palette.md` and `src/commands.py`)

**Cluster 7 — Data-oriented error handling convention:**
- The `Result[T]` + `ErrorInfo` pattern (per `conductor/tracks/data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md`); the DSL's `try`/`recover`/`sandbox`/`didyoumean` verbs return `Result[T]`.

### 3.3 Section 3 — The Grammar (from the user's pseudocode)

Formalizes the 14 primitives from the user's math snippets (`determinate`, `minor`, `matrix-transpose equivalence`). Each primitive: name, meaning, example from the user's snippets.

| # | Symbol | Name | Meaning | Source example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | `name := value` | Local bind | Stack-scoped local declaration | `result := Matrix(m.rows -1, m.columns -1)` |
| 2 | `stack { ... }` | Stack scope | Block of stack-allocated locals | `stack { result := ...; row_offset, col_offset := Scalar; }` |
| 3 | `name: Type` | Annotation | Type hint on a binding | `m : Matrix` |
| 4 | `func(args) -> Type { ... }` | Function def | Named function with return type | `determinate(m, row) -> Scalar { ... }` |
| 5 | `name(...) proc { ... }` | Procedure def | Void-returning function | `minor(m, row_omit, column_omit) -> Scalar proc { ... }` |
| 6 | `for x .. n` | Range iteration | Iterate `x` over `[0, n)` | `for col .. m.columns` |
| 7 | `name[a, b]` | Bracket indexing | Multi-dim array access | `result[row - row_offset, col - col_offset]` |
| 8 | `if cond { ... }` | Conditional | If-then (no else in user's snippet; inferred) | `if col = col_omit { ++ col_offset; continue; }` |
| 9 | `return value` | Return | Function exit with value | `return result` |
| 10 | `->` (between verbs) | Pipeline flow | Output of left → input of right | `filter -> (col != column_omit <- for col .. m.columns)` |
| 11 | `<-` (after verb) | Input binding | The thing on the right is the producer | `for col .. m.columns` produces; `col != column_omit` consumes |
| 12 | `=` (in `assert`) | Equality | Assert two expressions are equal | `assert -> product(...) = product(...)` |
| 13 | `{ }` | Body block | Function/scope body | `{ ... }` |
| 14 | `[ ]` | Basic block | Onat's compilation unit (no branching semantics; just a unit) | `[ my_stage ]` |

**Ambiguity flags** (per the user's note: "Hopefully the above don't have too many logic errors that the use can't be clarified."):
- `proc` modifier placement: `minor(m, row_omit, column_omit) -> Scalar proc { ... }` — the report should note this is a *type qualifier* (the return type is "Scalar" + "proc"-ness means side-effecting) and may be a syntax quirk
- `++col_offset` — likely `col_offset += 1`; the report should formalize as `name += 1` and not adopt `++`
- `m[row][column]` vs `m[row, column]` — both appear in the user's snippets (line 24 `m[row][column]` is likely a typo for `m[row][col]`); the report adopts the comma-form throughout

The section also formalizes:
- **Precedence:** left-to-right for `->` chains, with `(` `)` for grouping
- **AI-fuzzing tolerance rules:** CoSy-style modulo indexing, structured recovery anchors via `{ }`, line/offset independence (parser uses token positions, not raw line numbers)
- **Error envelope:** `try { ... } recover { ... }` returns `Result[T]` per the `data_oriented_error_handling_20260606` convention
- **Block composition:** `[ ]` are Onat's basic blocks (compilation units); `{ }` are body blocks (scoping); `arena { }` are arena-scoped blocks (tape-drive regions)

### 3.4 Section 4 — The 4-Tier Vocab (~40 verbs)

Each verb: signature, one-line semantics, one example, "borrowed from" note, SSDL shape tag.

**Tier 1 — Math (from the user's pseudocode, ~10 verbs):**
- `:=` (local bind), `stack { }` (stack scope), `for x .. n` (range), `+`, `-`, `*`, `/`, `^`, `sum`, `product`, `a[i,j]` (bracket indexing), `if/then`

**Tier 2 — Data-oriented pipeline (Onat/Lottes/Jofito lineage, ~12 verbs):**
- `scan` (read source — maps to Jofito's `scandir`, Lottes's "read arena")
- `select` (project columns)
- `filter` (predicate, leader/chaser style per Jofito's `predicates` pattern)
- `map` (transform each)
- `fold` / `reduce` (accumulate)
- `sort`, `group`, `dedupe`
- `arena { }` scope (declare a tape-drive region — Onat's preemptive scatter)
- `scatter` / `gather` (preemptive scatter primitives for FFI boundaries)
- `pipe` (synonym for `->` chain root)

**Tier 3 — Shell (~10 verbs):**
- `exec`, `open`, `read`, `write`, `close`, `path`, `env`, `wait`, `poll`, `cwd`

**Tier 4 — AI-fuzzing tolerance (the novel piece, ~8 verbs):**
- `fuzzy` (declare a parse-tolerance region)
- `try { ... } recover { ... }` (returns `Result[T]`)
- `sandbox { ... }` (the IEventTarget boundary — per O'Donnell §"Writing to Model state")
- `audit` (log primitive — auto-emits an audit record on every write-verb)
- `didyoumean` (the parser's "best guess" recovery path)
- `span` / `offset` (first-class spans for error messages; parser uses token positions, not line numbers)
- `assumewide` (the SSDL "wide codepath" assumption, applied to the DSL — "if in doubt, the stage is wide/parallel")

**Mapping to existing MCP tools:** every Tier 2/3 verb has a "maps to mcp_client tool" column. Example: `scan` maps to `mcp_client.list_directory` + `mcp_client.search_files`; `read` maps to `mcp_client.read_file`; `write` maps to `mcp_client.set_file_slice`. This is the explicit "the DSL is a *front-end* for the existing 45+ tools" claim (per `docs/guide_tools.md` §"Native Tool Inventory").

### 3.5 Section 5 — Hardware Mapping (4 anchor claims)

Each claim ties a cluster to a specific verb behavior:

**Claim 1 (Onat/Lottes, hardware):** the 2-register stack + magenta pipe + basic blocks + lambdas + preemptive scatter (per `C:\projects\forth\bootslop\references\kyra_in-depth.md`, `forth_day_2020_in-depth.md`, `neokineogfx_in-depth.md`, `X.com - Onat & Lottes Interaction 1.png.ocr.md`) → our `->`, `[ ]`, `arena { }`, `scatter`/`gather`. Specifically:
- 2-register stack (RAX/RDX) → the DSL's `->` chain maps to RAX-passed data; each verb is a "word" in Onat's sense (no args, no returns per the X.com thread line 95-103)
- Magenta pipe `|` (KYRA) → our `->` (same definition-boundary semantics, retargeted to data flow)
- Basic blocks `[ ]` (KYRA) → our `[ ]` (compilation units; the parser produces a `[ ]` block per `->`-delimited stage)
- Lambdas `{ }` (KYRA) → our `arena { }` (arena-scoped blocks; the contents are pre-scattered into tape-drive regions)
- Preemptive scatter (Onat/Lottes, per X.com line 55-61) → our `arena { }` (pre-place arguments before consumption)
- Folded interpreter (Lottes, per `neokineogfx_in-depth.md` §2) → our verb dispatch (5-byte per-verb tail; the parser emits these at parse time)
- Lottes's "no data stack" (per `blog_in-depth.md` §3) → our register-allocated temp vars (`a + b` doesn't push to a memory stack)
- 32-bit granularity (Lottes x68) → each compiled verb is exactly 32 bits, padded via ignored prefixes
- Branch misprediction fix (Lottes, per `neokineogfx_in-depth.md` §2) → the DSL parser produces straight-line code; no dictionary lookup at runtime

**Claim 2 (O'Donnell, paradigm):** the DSL's pipeline is *immediate-mode in pipeline composition*. Each `->`-delimited stage is a method invocation, not a Pipeline object. The pipeline exists *only* while the DSL program is being executed; once execution ends, the pipeline's state is gone. This is the *exact* parallel to IMGUI's "widgets are method invocations, not objects" (per `https://johno.se/book/imgui.html`). Why this matters: it means the parser doesn't need to track pipeline state across executions; each invocation is independent. Manifest in vocab: the `->` chain has no "pipeline object" you can query, name, or pass around; the only way to "name" a chain is to wrap it in a function.

**Claim 3 (Forth/CoSy, syntax):** concatenative syntax is immediate-mode in *tokenization* (whitespace-delimited, no precedence), in *evaluation* (each verb pops args, pushes results), and in *parsing* (no AST object retained after the parse — the parser emits JIT'd code directly per Onat's xchg model). The DSL inherits all three.

**Claim 4 (APL/K, data):** array languages are immediate-mode in *data representation* (no array-object header; CoSy uses `(Type Count refCount)` but values are passed by stack reference, not by handle). The DSL's `for x .. n` range + `result[row, col]` indexing inherits the "no array object" property.

### 3.6 Section 6 — AI-Agent Properties (10 claims)

Each claim ties the DSL to a specific aspect of the existing project's architecture.

1. **Domain = Meta-Tooling** (per `docs/guide_meta_boundary.md` §"Domain 2: The Meta-Tooling"). The Application's provider-native function-calling stays; the DSL is the format external agents (Gemini CLI, OpenCode) emit.
2. **Runtime path = external agent → DSL text → bridge script** (per `docs/guide_meta_boundary.md` §"The Inter-Domain Bridges"). The bridge script (`scripts/cli_tool_bridge.py` analogue) translates the DSL into actual `mcp_client.py` tool calls. The bridge uses the Hook API to surface HITL approval modals when needed.
3. **3-layer security (per `docs/guide_tools.md` §"The MCP Bridge"):** every verb in the DSL respects the existing allowlist. The parser rejects DSL statements that target tools outside the allowlist.
4. **4 memory dimensions** (per `conductor/tracks/nagent_review_20260608/nagent_review_v2_1_20260612.md` §2.1): the DSL does *not* replace any memory dimension. Curation (FileItem + ContextPreset), Discussion (disc_entries), RAG (opt-in), Knowledge (candidate 11). The DSL is a *query format* for all 4, not a replacement.
5. **Stable-to-volatile cache ordering** (per nagent v2.1 §2.2): the DSL's output (e.g., the `audit` verb's logs) is a *stable* layer that can be cached across turns. The DSL's `arena { }` blocks are cache-friendly.
6. **`Result[T]` envelope** (per `conductor/tracks/data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md`): the `try`/`recover` verbs return `Result[T]`; the `didyoumean` verb returns `Result[T, list[Suggestion]]`. The 12 `ErrorKind` values are the canonical error vocabulary.
7. **Command Palette 33 commands** (per `docs/guide_command_palette.md` and `src/commands.py`): the DSL's verbs are a *richer* superset of these. "Everything" mode in the Command Palette (per `guide_command_palette.md` line 383) is a near-term use case where the DSL's verbs can be the underlying format.
8. **Hook API state fields** (per `docs/guide_state_lifecycle.md` §"Hook API Surface"): the DSL's verbs that mutate state route through `_predefined_callbacks`; the verbs that read state use `_gettable_fields`. The DSL never bypasses the Hook API; it's a *user* of the existing infrastructure.
9. **O'Donnell's IEventTarget pattern as the `sandbox` verb** (per `https://johno.se/book/mvc.html` §"Writing to Model state"). The `sandbox { ... }` block in Tier 4 is the DSL's IEventTarget boundary. Every state change inside the block goes through the bridge script's HITL approval modal (per `docs/guide_meta_boundary.md`). The `audit` verb is the IEventTarget itself: a write-verb that logs the state change to a structured record.
10. **O'Donnell's "reads are free" claim** (per `https://johno.se/book/mvc.html` §"Reading Model state"). The Tier 2 verbs (`scan`, `filter`, `map`, `fold`, `sort`, `group`, `dedupe`) are *read-only* and can be re-evaluated freely, multiple times per execution, in parallel stages, without audit. Only the moment the chain's output is consumed by a write-verb (`exec`, `write`, `assign`) triggers the HITL modal. This is why the bridge script can re-execute a read-only chain without human approval.

### 3.7 Section 7 — Open Questions for Follow-up B (≥6 questions + placeholder connection)

At least 6 open questions that the follow-up B track (interpreter prototype) must answer. Plus a connection block to the `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER`.

1. How does `arena { }` map to Onat's preemptive scatter? Is the block itself a tape-drive region, or is `arena` a wrapper that allocates a tape for the block's contents?
2. Where does "intent resolution" live? Is it a per-verb option, a per-block modifier, or a global parser mode?
3. How does `audit` interact with Manual Slop's existing `comms.log`? Is the DSL's audit log separate or merged? (Per `docs/guide_architecture.md` §"Telemetry & Auditing" — the existing 5 log streams are `comms.log`, `toolcalls.log`, `apihooks.log`, `clicalls.log`, `scripts/generated/<ts>_<seq>.ps1`.)
4. Does `sandbox` produce `Result[T, ErrorInfo]` (the Fleury pattern) or a different envelope? (Per `conductor/tracks/data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md` §3.3.)
5. `didyoumean` recovery: parser feature or user-facing verb?
6. How does `for x .. n` interact with Tier 2's `filter`/`map`? Sugar or distinct?
7. How does `sandbox` map to Manual Slop's existing `pre_tool_callback` flow? The `sandbox` block's audit log: separate JSON-L file, or fold into the existing `comms.log` + `toolcalls.log`?
8. Connection to `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER`: what's the minimum subset of the report's vocab that would let the placeholder track (a) write a bridge script and (b) demonstrate one round-trip end-to-end?

## 4. Per-Section Content Boundaries

The 7 sections are all written into a single markdown file at `conductor/tracks/intent_dsl_survey_20260612/report.md`. The file is organized as:

- **Header:** track name, date, author, status, "what this is / what this is not" callout
- **Section 1 (~2-3 pages):** the philosophy
- **Section 2 (~3-5 pages):** the 8-cluster prior art
- **Section 3 (~2-3 pages):** the grammar with the user's pseudocode examples
- **Section 4 (~3-4 pages):** the 4-tier verb tables
- **Section 5 (~1-2 pages):** the hardware mapping
- **Section 6 (~2-3 pages):** the AI-agent properties
- **Section 7 (~1-2 pages):** the open questions
- **Appendix (~1 page):** the full prior-art bibliography (file:line refs)

Target: ~3500-5000 lines of markdown. The existing `ed_chunk_data_structures_20260523.md` is 241 lines and was well-received; the report can be in that range (1.5-2x the existing ideation doc) if disciplined.

## 5. Configuration / Dependencies

- **No new Python dependencies.** The track produces only a markdown report; no `pyproject.toml` changes.
- **No new `src/` code.** Same reason.
- **No new tests.** Same reason.
- **The `youtube-transcript-api` package is already used via `uv run --with`** (one-time, for the Jody Bruchon video transcript fetch; already executed during spec review). No persistent dependency.

## 6. Testing Strategy

The track is research-only; no automated tests. Verification is human:

1. **Self-review per the brainstorming skill:** after the report is drafted, the Tier 2 Tech Lead (or the Tier 1 Orchestrator in this case) does a placeholder scan, internal-consistency check, scope check, and ambiguity check.
2. **User review:** the user reviews the final report and either approves (proceed to phase 4 commit) or iterates.
3. **Verification criteria** (see §10 below) are checked before commit.

The "testing" of the *report itself* is whether the user finds it useful, well-grounded, and actionable for nagent v2.2 and the future interpreter prototype.

## 7. Migration / Rollout

The report is a *standalone artifact*. No migration required:

- The `conductor/tracks/intent_dsl_survey_20260612/report.md` file is added to the project tree.
- `conductor/tracks.md` is updated to register the track as completed.
- A git note is attached to the commit per `conductor/workflow.md` §"Task Workflow" step 9.2.
- The placeholder `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER` is *not* modified. The report's section 7 names the connection points so the placeholder track can be filled with the report's vocab when it's specced.

Future tracks (B interpreter, placeholder bridge script) consume the report. The report is the *foundation document* — these tracks don't re-derive the philosophy, prior art, grammar, vocab, or AI-agent properties; they cite the report.

## 8. Risks & Mitigations

| Risk | Impact | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope creep into building the interpreter | High (track becomes multi-month instead of 1-2 days) | Medium | Track is research-only; explicit non-goals (§2.1). Follow-up B is the prototype. |
| Vocab grows beyond 40 verbs | Medium (report becomes hard to reference) | Low | Cap at 4 tiers, ~10 verbs each. Add a "vocab v1.1" follow-up if needed. |
| Grammar section gets tangled in implementation details | Medium (the report becomes a spec instead of a survey) | Medium | Grammar is purely syntactic in section 3; implementation questions deferred to section 7's "open questions." |
| Time slippage blocks nagent v2.2 | High (the user is waiting) | Low | 4 phases, single user-approval gate; can pause at any phase boundary. Phases 1-3 are self-directed; only phase 4 needs user input. |
| The user's pseudo code has known logic errors | Low (the report flags them, doesn't propagate them) | High (already known) | Section 3's "Ambiguity flags" subsection names each ambiguity and notes that the report adopts a normalized form (`name += 1` not `++`, comma-form indexing). |
| User disagrees with the vocab choices in section 4 | Medium (report needs revision) | Medium | Single user-approval gate at end of phase 4. If user wants changes, loop back. |
| The 8-cluster prior art is too dense | Low (report becomes hard to read) | Medium | Each entry is 2-3 sentences on the idea + 2-3 sentences on the take. Total ~6 entries per cluster × 8 clusters = ~48 entries; manageable. |

## 9. Open Questions for the Tier 2 Tech Lead (planning, not blocking)

- The exact format of the report's verb tables (markdown tables vs YAML/JSON examples vs ASCII art). The user's ideation doc (`ed_chunk_data_structures_20260523.md`) uses prose + ASCII art; the existing `nagent_review_v2_1_20260612.md` uses markdown tables. Recommendation: markdown tables for the verb signatures, ASCII art for the pipeline examples.
- The report's relation to the `manual_ux_validation_20260608_PLACEHOLDER` track. The placeholder track mentions a "Computational Shapes SSDL" workflow; the report's section 4 uses SSDL shape tags per verb. The connection is already there.
- Whether to include a "minimal end-to-end example" in section 4 (e.g., "here is a 10-verb DSL program that does `find . -type f -name '*.py' | wc -l`"). Recommendation: yes, 1-2 examples per tier. Helps the reader grasp the verb composition.

## 10. Coordination with Pending Tracks (post-state baseline)

This track is independent — no blockers. It can be started immediately.

**The track should verify the following before phase 1 starts:**
- `docs/ideation/` exists (it does, per `manual-slop_list_directory` of `docs/`)
- `conductor/tracks.md` exists and is current (it is, per the spec review)
- The 8 prior-art sources (CoSy Simplicity, Onat/Lottes refs, Jofito transcript + README, O'Donnell pages, `nagent_review_v2_1_20260612.md`, `data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md`, `guide_command_palette.md`, `computational_shapes_ssdl_digest_20260608.md`) are all readable (they are)

**The track does NOT block any other track.** It is purely additive.

**The track's output is consumed by:**
- The user's nagent v2.2 report (the "Future-Track Candidate #4: Intent-based DSL" section)
- The future `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER` (when it's specced)
- The future "interpreter prototype" follow-up B track (when the user is ready)

## 11. Verification Criteria

The track is "done" when all of the following are true:

- [ ] The 7 sections of the report are present and non-empty in `conductor/tracks/intent_dsl_survey_20260612/report.md`
- [ ] Every prior-art claim in section 2 cites a specific source (transcript line, README section, Wikipedia article section, or `file:line` for project files)
- [ ] The user's pseudocode grammar is formalized in section 3 with examples drawn from the `determinate`/`minor`/`matrix-transpose` snippets
- [ ] Every 4-tier verb in section 4 has: signature, one-line semantics, one example, "borrowed from" note, and an SSDL shape tag
- [ ] Section 5 references Onat/Lottes 2-register model + Lottes's aliased register file + preemptive scatter (file:line references to `C:\projects\forth\bootslop\references\kyra_in-depth.md`, `forth_day_2020_in-depth.md`, `neokineogfx_in-depth.md`, `X.com - Onat & Lottes Interaction 1.png.ocr.md`)
- [ ] Section 6 references the 4 memory dimensions from `conductor/tracks/nagent_review_20260608/nagent_review_v2_1_20260612.md` §2.1 + the SSDL "assume as much as possible" from `docs/reports/computational_shapes_ssdl_digest_20260608.md` + the `Result[T]` convention from `conductor/tracks/data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md` + the Application vs Meta-Tooling split from `docs/guide_meta_boundary.md`
- [ ] Section 7 lists at least 6 open questions for the follow-up B track + the connection block to the `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER`
- [ ] Self-review pass complete (placeholder scan, internal consistency, scope check, ambiguity check)
- [ ] User has reviewed and approved the final report
- [ ] The report is committed to git (per-file atomic commits per `conductor/workflow.md` §"Task Workflow" step 9.1-9.2)
- [ ] A git note is attached per `conductor/workflow.md` §"Task Workflow" step 9.2
- [ ] `conductor/tracks.md` is updated to register the track as completed (entry under "Recently Completed" or wherever the convention dictates)
- [ ] The `ed_intent_dsl_*` placeholder track in `conductor/tracks.md` (if any) is not consumed — this is a new track, not a placeholder fill

## 12. Out of Scope (Explicit)

- **Interpreter prototype** (follow-up B track, separate)
- **Bridge script** (the `intent_dsl_for_meta_tooling_20260608_PLACEHOLDER`, separate)
- **XML/JSON record formats** (user-rejected)
- **The Application's provider-native function-calling** (stays as-is; the DSL is Meta-Tooling-side)
- **RAG integration** (covered by the proposed `rag_integration_discipline.md` styleguide in the nagent v2.1 report §2.10)
- **New `src/` code, new tests, `pyproject.toml` dependencies**
- **Modifying the existing 33 Command Palette commands** (per `docs/guide_command_palette.md`); the DSL is a richer superset, not a replacement
- **Implementing the `Result[T]` envelope** (covered by the `data_oriented_error_handling_20260606` track, in plan state per `conductor/tracks.md`)

## 13. See Also

### 13.1 Existing project references

- **`docs/Readme.md`** — the documentation index; the new report will be implicitly indexed by being in `docs/ideation/`
- **`docs/ideation/ed_chunk_data_structures_20260523.md`** — the existing ideation doc; same folder, same style
- **`conductor/tracks.md`** — the active tracks registry; will be updated to register this track
- **`conductor/workflow.md`** — the workflow rules; this track follows the standard 4-phase pattern
- **`conductor/product.md`** — the product guide; the report's "AI-agent properties" section (6) aligns with the product vision
- **`conductor/tech-stack.md`** — the tech stack; the report's "hardware mapping" section (5) is consistent with the stated tech-stack constraints
- **`conductor/code_styleguides/`** — the styleguides; the report's grammar section (3) follows the AI-Optimized Python style (1-space indent, region blocks, etc.) *for the report's own code examples*

### 13.2 Track-internal references

- **`conductor/tracks/data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md`** — the model for this spec's structure; the `Result[T]` convention the report's Tier 4 verbs follow
- **`conductor/tracks/nagent_review_20260608/nagent_review_v2_1_20260612.md`** — the 4 memory dimensions, the RAG integration discipline, the stable-to-volatile cache ordering
- **`conductor/tracks/mcp_architecture_refactor_20260606/spec.md` §12.1** — the `mcp_dsl_20260606` placeholder; the per-MCP DSL track
- **`conductor/tracks/code_path_audit_20260607/spec.md`** — the data-oriented pattern for static analysis; the report's section 5 borrows its framing of "static analysis of intent"

### 13.3 External references (the prior art)

- **Forth, ColorForth, KYRA, x68, Joy, CoSy** — see §3.2 Cluster 1
- **APL, K, BQN, Uiua** — see §3.2 Cluster 2
- **Jofito, jq, nagent's tag protocol, Wasm** — see §3.2 Cluster 3
- **mcp_dsl_20260606 placeholder, nagent's Bridge DSL, Stainless/OpenAI/Anthropic tool-use schemas** — see §3.2 Cluster 4
- **SSDL shape primitives** (per `docs/reports/computational_shapes_ssdl_digest_20260608.md` §1) — see §3.2 Cluster 5
- **Command Palette 33 commands** (per `docs/guide_command_palette.md` and `src/commands.py`) — see §3.2 Cluster 6
- **`Result[T]` + `ErrorInfo` pattern** (per `conductor/tracks/data_oriented_error_handling_20260606/spec.md` §3.3) — see §3.2 Cluster 7
- **John O'Donnell's IMGUI / The Pitch / MVC** (per `https://johno.se/book/imgui.html`, `https://johno.se/book/pitch.html`, `https://johno.se/book/immvc.html`, `https://johno.se/book/mvc.html`) — see §3.2 Cluster 0
- **Onat Türkçüoğlu's KYRA/VAMP and Timothy Lottes's x68/5th** (per `C:\projects\forth\bootslop\references\kyra_in-depth.md`, `forth_day_2020_in-depth.md`, `neokineogfx_in-depth.md`, `blog_in-depth.md`, `Architectural_Consolidation.md`, `X.com - Onat & Lottes Interaction 1.png.ocr.md`)
- **Jody Bruchon's Jofito** (per `docs/transcripts/Ddme7DwMQBI_jofito_jody_bruchon.txt` and `https://codeberg.org/jbruchon/jofito`)
- **Bob Armstrong's CoSy** (per `https://cosy.com/CoSy/Simplicity.html` and `https://cosy.com/4thCoSy/`)
