# nika.sh — llms.txt
# https://llmstxt.org/

> Nika is the control layer for AI agents: the agent writes its plan as a
> readable file first — steps, tools, permissions, outputs — you review it, the
> runtime enforces it, then it runs (traced and replayable). An open workflow
> language plus its reference engine in Rust. Apache-2.0 spec ·
> AGPL-3.0-or-later engine. Paris. SuperNovae Studio.

## What

Nika reads `.nika.yaml` files and executes them as AI workflows.
Four verbs, locked forever: `infer` (LLM call), `exec` (subprocess),
`invoke` (builtin/tool — HTTP fetch is the `nika:fetch` builtin here),
`agent` (agent loop). Everything callable is a tool under `invoke`;
a verb is a distinct native execution model.

The language envelope is `nika: v1` — frozen forever. The engine versions
independently on real semver toward a 1.0 launch — currently v0.99.0.

Stdlib v0.1: 27 builtins · 16 providers (Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp,
LocalAI, vLLM, Mistral, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Groq, DeepSeek, xAI,
OpenRouter, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, mock) · 9 extract modes. Bring your own keys — every key
stays yours. Local-first. Runs on your laptop, no daemon.

## Examples (canonical · conformance-gated)

Every spec version ships a versioned examples pack — foundation
workflows teaching the constructs plus tiered showcase real jobs
(T1 starter → T4 epic), each a complete validated file. The manifest
(pack_version · constructs · sha256 per file) makes the pack
verifiable end-to-end; docs and site render projections of the same
files.

- Templates (instantiate, never invent — SLOT-marked skeletons): https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/tree/main/templates
- Agent authoring protocol: https://docs.nika.sh/guides/agent-authoring
- Pack manifest: https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/blob/main/examples/manifest.yaml
- Showcase source: https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec/tree/main/examples/showcase
- Walkthroughs: https://docs.nika.sh/examples/overview
- Interactive explorer: https://nika.sh/#use-cases
- Blog (markdown source: content/blog in the site repo): https://nika.sh/blog · feed https://nika.sh/rss.xml · full text https://nika.sh/llms-full.txt

## Design system (machine-readable)

Every Nika verb, builtin, feature and run-state has a canonical icon,
color role and motion pattern — declared once in an ontology and served
as data. Verb hues (infer blue · exec orange · invoke cyan · agent
violet) appear ONLY on live-run surfaces; static UI keeps the text ink.

- Icon ontology (JSON · 79 entities · labels, semantics, hue tokens, links): https://nika.sh/brand/icons.json
- RDF projection (Turtle · SPARQL-ready · namespace https://nika.sh/ontology/design#): https://nika.sh/brand/icons.ttl
- Served icon catalog: https://nika.sh/brand/icons/<namespace>-<name>.svg (e.g. verb-infer, builtin-fetch, state-recovered)
- Brand kit + usage rules: https://nika.sh/brand · https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika.sh/blob/main/BRAND.md

## How to write Nika (the 12 patterns)

Deterministic core, model at the edges · parallelism is the default ·
type the boundaries · fan out with a leash · plan-then-execute · three
gates (when=skip, assert=fail, prompt=human) · sovereignty is a model:
line · agents get budgets · evidence always lands (on_finally) · one
data language (jq) · workflows are callable · mock-first.

- Patterns guide: https://docs.nika.sh/guides/patterns

## Links

- Language spec (Apache-2.0): https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-spec
- Standard library register (every nika: builtin — args, required set, category): https://nika.sh/tools — machine catalog: https://nika.sh/tools/catalog.json
- Provider register (local first, model pins, env vars): https://nika.sh/providers — machine catalog: https://nika.sh/providers/catalog.json
- Engine source (AGPL): https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika
- Install: https://nika.sh/#install (or `brew install supernovae-st/tap/nika`)
- Docs: https://docs.nika.sh
- Registry (share workflows · every entry machine-re-proven — pinned sha256 + conformance oracle + engine cert before run): https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika-registry — machine index: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/supernovae-st/nika-registry/main/index.json · never install an LLM-suggested name without resolving it there first
- Releases: https://github.com/supernovae-st/nika/releases
- Site map (every page, labeled): https://nika.sh/sitemap — crawler twin: https://nika.sh/sitemap.xml

## Status

Shipping in the open (v0.99.0, real semver toward 1.0). The 42-organ skeleton is admitted crate by crate (the repo README carries the live count) — each passes
a 12-gate admission (TDD, mutation testing ≥90%, zero `.unwrap()` in src).
Language v0.1 public spec is live; 1.0: summer 2026.
Building in public.

## License

Spec: Apache-2.0 (adopt freely, patent grant). Engine: AGPL-3.0-or-later.
Full copyleft. No SaaS loophole.