Skip to content

Ragul

Ragul is a pipeline scripting language where transformation is built into the syntax itself. Rather than a pipe operator or method chain, each word in a Ragul program is a suffix chain — a left-to-right pipeline of operations stacked onto a root value. The result is code that reads like a recipe: each step is named, each transformation is explicit, and the type checker verifies every stage before the program runs.

The design is inspired by the structural principles of agglutinative grammar — specifically Hungarian, where meaning is built by attaching suffixes to roots. Ragul takes that architecture and applies it to computation.

Ragul — from Hungarian rag (suffix/affix) + -ul (the suffix meaning "in the manner of a language", as in magyarul = in Hungarian). A language named by applying a suffix to the word for suffix. Self-referential by design.

The Central Idea

Meaning is built by stacking suffixes onto a root. Each suffix adds exactly one layer of semantic transformation. A Ragul word is not just a name — it is a pipeline.

data-filter-sorted-from
// data → filter → sort → FROM

data-szűrve-rendezve-ból
// data → filter → sort → FROM

Key properties that follow from this design:

  • No brackets for structure — suffix chains carry all meaning
  • Free word order — roles are encoded in suffixes, not position
  • A function call is a suffix, not a separate construct
  • A scope definition and a function definition are the same thing

Quick Example

// Define a suffix that doubles a number
double-ours
    num-yours.
    num-num-add-it.

// Use it
program-ours-effect
    x-into  3-it.
    y-into  x-double-it.
    y-print-doing.
// prints: 6

// Define a suffix that doubles a number
kétszeres-unk
    szám-d.
    szám-szám-össze-t.

// Use it
program-nk-hatás
    x-be  3-t.
    y-be  x-kétszeres-t.
    y-képernyőre-va.
// prints: 6

Scope names are user-defined

double, num, program, x, y are root identifiers chosen by the programmer — they can be any word in any language. Only the suffixes have fixed forms. The Hungarian tab uses kétszeres (double) and szám (number) for the same roots.

Getting Started

pip install ragul-lang

To also enable AI-assisted error explanations:

pip install ragul-lang[ai]

What is the AI feature?

When Ragul finds a type error or warning in your code, this optional feature sends the error and the relevant source lines to Claude (an AI assistant made by Anthropic) and prints a plain-English explanation of what went wrong and how to fix it — directly below the normal error output.

This is completely optional. The standard Ragul toolchain works identically without it. Nothing is ever sent anywhere unless you explicitly set an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable in your own terminal session.

An API key is a personal access token you create for free at console.anthropic.com. It is stored only in your environment — Ragul never stores, logs, or transmits it anywhere other than directly to Anthropic's API on your behalf.

Install from source

git clone https://github.com/kory75/ragul.git
cd ragul
pip install -e ".[dev]"
# with AI support:
pip install -e ".[ai,dev]"

Then run a program:

ragul futtat hello.ragul
# or
ragul run hello.ragul

Check a file for type errors:

ragul ellenőriz hello.ragul
# or
ragul check hello.ragul

Start the interactive REPL:

ragul repl
Section Contents
Syntax Words, sentences, suffix stacking, assignment
Types Type system, generics, harmony, or-types
Functions & Scopes Scopes, parameters, return values
Control Flow Conditionals, loops, early exit
Effects & I/O The -hatás / -effect model, I/O channels
Error Handling vagy types, -e propagation, -hibára / -catch
Modules Module system, imports, visibility
Standard Library Built-in suffixes reference
Tooling & CLI CLI commands, ragul.config, error codes
Glossary Every suffix mapped to its English alias + pronunciation