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Getting Started

Install a Release

The Linux and Windows release packages are built to include the compiler and the toolchain pieces needed by normal users, including LLVM tools where the package format supports bundling them. After installation, verify the compiler is on your PATH:

seen --version

The shipped binary also prints command usage when no command is supplied:

seen

Build from Source

Source builds still need local build tools because they rebuild the compiler and runtime:

  • LLVM 19+ with clang, opt, llc, llvm-as, and lld (LLVM 20 is preferred and used by hosted CI)
  • GCC or a compatible C compiler for runtime objects
  • Go 1.26+ for the version-matched seen-pkg helper
  • Git

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install llvm-20 clang-20 lld-20 libclang-rt-20-dev gcc git

On Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S llvm clang lld gcc git

On macOS:

brew install llvm gcc git

After cloning the repository, follow the complete capped command in Bootstrap System. Use an explicit tier: --tier quick produces the development compiler, while --tier verify produces the verified compiler_seen/target/seen. Never invoke the rebuild script uncapped.

Hello World

Create hello.seen:

fun main() {
    println("Hello, Seen!")
}

Compile and run:

seen compile hello.seen hello
./hello

Or compile and execute in one step:

seen run hello.seen

Your First Project

A Seen project uses Seen.toml for configuration:

my_project/
├── Seen.toml
├── src/
│   └── main.seen
└── tests/
    └── test_main.seen

Minimal Seen.toml:

manifest-version = 1

[project]
name = "my_project"
version = "0.1.0"
language = "en"

[dependencies]

[native.dependencies]

manifest-version = 1 is the current manifest schema. Keep it at the top of new manifests. Publishing also requires the strict package/dependency fields in the packaging guide.

The language field sets the keyword language. Supported languages are en, ar, es, ru, zh, and ja.

Example program:

class Counter {
    var count: Int

    static fun new() r: Counter {
        return Counter { count: 0 }
    }

    fun increment() {
        this.count = this.count + 1
    }

    fun value() r: Int {
        return this.count
    }
}

fun main() {
    let counter = Counter.new()
    var i = 0
    while i < 10 {
        counter.increment()
        i = i + 1
    }
    println("Count: {counter.value()}")
}

Compile:

seen compile src/main.seen my_project
./my_project

Add Package Dependencies

Local source packages can be declared directly:

[dependencies]
gamekit = { path = "../gamekit" }

For a signed registry, configure its canonical HTTPS origin and use a local alias for each canonical owner/name package identity:

manifest-version = 1

[registries]
default = "https://seen.dev.yousef.codes/packages"

[dependencies]
calc = { package = "alice/mathx", version = "^1.2.0", allow = ["file"] }

[package-grants]
"alice/mathx" = ["file"]

Fetch and lock the dependency graph, then verify reproducible use:

seen pkg fetch
seen check src/main.seen --locked
seen compile src/main.seen my_project --frozen

compile, check, and run prepare declared dependencies automatically. The development origin in this example serves public signed metadata and catalog reads, and the client embeds its official trust root. No submitted release is currently resolver-visible because promotion remains disabled. See Packaging for custom signed registries, lock modes, and capability consent.

Editor Setup

VS Code

cd vscode-seen
npm install
npm run package
code --install-extension seen-*.vsix

The extension provides syntax highlighting, snippets, tasks, and LSP-backed diagnostics/completions through the shipped seen lsp server.

Any Editor With LSP

seen lsp

Neovim:

require'lspconfig'.seen.setup{
  cmd = {"seen", "lsp"},
  filetypes = {"seen"},
  root_dir = require'lspconfig.util'.root_pattern("Seen.toml", ".git"),
}

Emacs:

(lsp-register-client
 (make-lsp-client :new-connection (lsp-stdio-connection '("seen" "lsp"))
                  :major-modes '(seen-mode)
                  :server-id 'seen-lsp))

Writing in Other Languages

Arabic hello world:

دالة main() {
    println("!مرحبا، سين")
}

Compile with the language flag:

seen compile hello_ar.seen hello --language ar

See Multi-Language Support for translation tables.

Next Steps