# AetherShell Roadmap
> **Last Updated:** January 26, 2026
This document tracks the development progress of AetherShell, the world's first agentic shell with typed functional pipelines and multi-modal AI.
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## 📊 Progress Overview
| Core Language | ✅ Complete | 100% |
| Type System | ✅ Complete | 100% |
| Builtins Library | ✅ Complete | 215+ functions |
| AI Integration | ✅ Complete | Multi-provider |
| TUI Interface | ✅ Complete | Full featured |
| Theme System | ✅ Complete | 38 themes |
| Config System | ✅ Complete | XDG-compliant |
| Plugin System | ✅ Complete | 7 builtins, 3 handlers |
| Performance | ✅ Complete | 5 benchmark suites |
| Test Coverage | ✅ Complete | 100% pass rate |
| Documentation | ✅ Complete | Comprehensive |
| Publishing | ✅ Complete | crates.io v0.2.0 |
| WASM Support | ✅ Complete | Browser REPL ready |
| Enterprise | ✅ Complete | RBAC, Audit, SSO |
| LSP Server | ✅ Complete | tower-lsp based |
---
## ✅ Completed Features
### January 2026
#### Testing Infrastructure
- [x] Comprehensive testing strategy (TESTING.md)
- [x] 52 Rust tests across 7 test suites
- [x] 8 AetherShell coverage test files
- [x] 100% test pass rate
- [x] Test coverage runner script (scripts/test_coverage.ps1)
- [x] Known parser quirks documented
#### Documentation & Polish
- [x] README rewrite with comprehensive examples
- [x] Real-world use cases (7 scenarios)
- [x] Language features reference
- 215+ builtins
- [x] Security audit documentation
- [x] Domain migration (nervosys.com → nervosys.ai)
#### Theme & Configuration System
- [x] 38 built-in color themes
- [x] XDG Base Directory compliance
- [x] Platform-aware config paths (Windows/macOS/Linux)
- [x] `config()`, `config_get()`, `config_set()` builtins
- [x] `config_path()` returns all XDG paths
- [x] `config_init()`, `config_reload()` for management
- [x] `themes()` builtin listing all available themes
#### Syntax Colorization
- [x] Full terminal colorization with theme support
- [x] Colored REPL output
- [x] Error message colorization
- [x] Prompt customization
### December 2025
#### Core Language
- [x] AST-based evaluation engine
- [x] Hindley-Milner type inference
- [x] Typed pipelines (not text streams)
- [x] First-class functions and lambdas
- [x] Pattern matching with guards
- [x] String interpolation
- [x] Record and array literals
#### Builtins Library (143+ functions)
- [x] Core: help, call, clear, echo, print, Some, None
- [x] Functional: map, where, reduce, take, any, all, first, last
- [x] String: split, join, trim, upper, lower, replace, contains
- [x] Array: flatten, reverse, slice, range, zip, push, concat
- [x] Math: abs, min, max, sqrt, pow, floor, ceil, round
- [x] Aggregate: sum, avg, product, unique, values
- [x] File System: ls, cat, pwd, cd, exists, mkdir, rm
- [x] OS Tools: env, which, os, arch, hostname
#### AI Integration
- [x] Multi-provider support (OpenAI, Ollama, local models)
- [x] `ai()` builtin for queries
- [x] Multi-modal support (images, audio, video)
- [x] `agent()` builtin for autonomous agents
- [x] Tool access for agents
- [x] Dry-run mode for previewing actions
- [x] Agent swarms for distributed tasks
#### TUI Interface
- [x] Interactive terminal UI with tabs
- [x] Chat interface with context
- [x] Agent dashboard for swarm control
- [x] Media viewer for images/audio/video
- [x] Keyboard shortcuts
- [x] Help system
#### MCP Protocol
- [x] 130+ MCP tools across 27 categories
- [x] `mcp_tools()` for tool discovery
- [x] `mcp_call()` for tool execution
- [x] Category-based filtering
#### Neural Networks & ML
- [x] `nn_create()` for neural network creation
- [x] Evolutionary algorithms
- [x] Reinforcement learning (Q-Learning, DQN, Actor-Critic)
- [x] NEAT implementation
- [x] Consensus networks for distributed AI
#### Publishing
- [x] Published to crates.io as `aethershell`
- [x] Version 0.1.2
- [x] Proper metadata and documentation
- [x] GitHub Actions CI/CD
#### Plugin System (January 2026)
- [x] Plugin architecture design (PluginRegistry, traits)
- [x] Dynamic plugin loading from TOML manifests
- [x] Plugin builtins: `plugins()`, `plugin_info()`, `plugin_enable()`, `plugin_disable()`, `plugin_load()`, `plugin_unload()`, `plugin_categories()`
- [x] Plugin API documentation (docs/PLUGINS.md)
- [x] Example plugins (hello-plugin, math-utils, string-utils)
- [x] Built-in file handlers (JSON, CSV, TOML)
- [x] 19 plugin tests (100% pass rate)
#### Performance Optimization (January 2026)
- [x] Benchmark suite (5 benchmark files: parser, eval, pipeline, builtin, MCP)
- [x] Performance documentation (docs/PERFORMANCE.md)
- [x] Baseline measurements established
- [x] Cold start verified (~15ms)
- [x] Hot paths verified efficient (HashMap dispatch, direct pattern matching)
---
## 🔄 In Progress
### Q1 2026
*No items currently in progress*
---
## ✅ Recently Completed
### January 2026
#### Language Server Protocol (Completed)
- [x] LSP crate: crates/aethershell-lsp with tower-lsp
- [x] Text synchronization and document tracking
- [x] Diagnostics with parse error reporting
- [x] Autocompletion for 70+ builtins, keywords, variables
- [x] Hover documentation with signatures and examples
- [x] Document symbols for outline view
- [x] Semantic tokens for syntax highlighting
- [x] Go-to-definition and references
- [x] Signature help for function calls
- [x] VS Code extension integration ready
#### Enterprise Features (Completed)
- [x] RBAC: role_create, role_delete, role_grant, role_revoke, user_roles, check_permission, roles_list
- [x] Audit: audit_log, audit_query, audit_export, audit_stats
- [x] SSO: sso_init, sso_auth, sso_validate, sso_logout, sso_status
- [x] Compliance: compliance_check, compliance_report
- [x] Fine-tuning: finetune_start, finetune_status, finetune_list, finetune_cancel
- [x] 10 comprehensive tests (tests/enterprise.rs)
- [x] Example script (examples/20_enterprise.ae)
#### Error Recovery & Diagnostics (Completed)
- [x] Line and column tracking in lexer
- [x] All parser errors now include line/column information
- [x] Lexer errors include location information
- [x] Suggestion system for common errors:
- Unclosed delimiter detection (suggests matching bracket/paren/brace)
- Keyword typo suggestions (lte→let, fun→fn, ture→true, etc.)
- Two-identifier-in-a-row detection (missing operator)
- [x] Parser error recovery with `synchronize()` method
- [x] Multiple errors reported in single parse (continues after errors)
- [x] `parse_program_strict()` for cases where single-error-stop is needed
- [x] Safe bounds checking in `peek()` and `prev()`
- [x] 12 error diagnostic tests
#### Async/Await Syntax (Completed)
- [x] `async fn(params) => expr` - Async lambda definition
- [x] `await expr` - Await expression for futures
- [x] `Value::AsyncLambda` and `Value::Future` runtime types
- [x] Calling async lambda returns Future (lazy evaluation)
- [x] Await executes Future and returns result
- [x] type_of() support for async types
- [x] Pipeline integration for async lambdas
- [x] 13 comprehensive tests
#### Error Handling (Completed)
- [x] `try { expr } catch { handler }` - Try/catch expression
- [x] `try { expr } catch e { handler }` - Catch with error binding
- [x] `throw expr` - Throw expression for raising errors
- [x] `Value::Error` type for error values
- [x] `is_error(value)` builtin to check for errors
- [x] Nested try/catch support
- [x] Error propagation through catch blocks
- [x] 16 comprehensive tests
#### Debugging Tools (Completed)
- [x] `debug(value)` - Print value with type and return it for chaining
- [x] `dbg(value)` - Alias for debug
- [x] `trace(label, value)` - Labeled debugging for pipeline traces
- [x] `assert(condition, msg?)` - Runtime assertions with optional message
- [x] `type_assert(value, type)` - Assert value has expected type
- [x] `assert_type(value, type)` - Alias for type_assert
- [x] `inspect(value)` - Detailed value inspection returning Record
- [x] 41 comprehensive tests
#### Platform Detection (Completed)
- [x] `platform()` - Get current platform name (windows, linux, macos, bsd, ios, android)
- [x] `is_windows()` - Check if running on Windows
- [x] `is_linux()` - Check if running on Linux (excludes Android)
- [x] `is_macos()` - Check if running on macOS
- [x] `is_unix()` - Check if running on Unix-like system
- [x] `is_bsd()` - Check if running on BSD
- [x] `platform_module(base_path)` - Generate platform-specific module path
- [x] 21 comprehensive tests
#### Runtime Feature Flags (Completed)
- [x] `features()` - List all enabled feature flags
- [x] `feature_list()` - Alias for features()
- [x] `feature_enabled(name)` - Check if feature is enabled
- [x] `has_feature(name)` - Alias for feature_enabled()
- [x] `feature_enable(name)` - Enable a feature flag at runtime
- [x] `feature_disable(name)` - Disable a feature flag
- [x] `feature_set(name, bool)` - Set feature to specific state
- [x] AETHER_FEATURES env var support for pre-loading features
- [x] 21 comprehensive tests
#### Conditional Compilation (Completed)
- [x] `#[cfg(platform)]` - Platform checks (windows, linux, macos, unix)
- [x] `#[cfg(feature = "name")]` - Feature flags (via AETHER_FEATURES env var)
- [x] `#[cfg(not(...))]` - Negation combinator
- [x] `#[cfg(all(...))]` - All conditions must match
- [x] `#[cfg(any(...))]` - Any condition can match
- [x] Nested condition support
- [x] 9 comprehensive tests
#### Standard Library (Completed)
- [x] Standard library directory (`lib/`)
- [x] **prelude.ae** - Core utilities (id, not, is_some, is_none, get_or, clamp)
- [x] **math.ae** - Math constants and functions (PI, E, is_even, factorial, gcd, lcm, lerp, square)
- [x] **string.ae** - String utilities (words, unwords, capitalize, title_case, snake_case, kebab_case, repeat, reverse_str)
- [x] **collection.ae** - Set operations (union, intersect, difference, is_subset, partition, sort_desc)
- [x] **functional.ae** - FP utilities (curry, uncurry, partial, complement, find, drop)
- [x] **io.ae** - File utilities (read_json, read_lines, file_ext, file_name, path_join)
- [x] Standard library tests (lib/test_stdlib.ae)
- [x] Comprehensive documentation (lib/README.md)
#### N-ary Lambda Support (Completed)
- [x] Fixed evaluator to support lambdas with 3+ parameters
- [x] Added `call_lambda_n` generic function for arbitrary arity
- [x] Updated `call_value` dispatch for 3, 4, 5+ arg lambdas
- [x] Added tests for n-ary lambdas (lambda_three_args, lambda_four_args, lambda_five_args)
#### Module Visibility System (Completed)
- [x] Module visibility modifiers (pub, private)
- `pub let x = value` - Public variable/function
- `pub x = value` - Public shorthand syntax
- `let x = value` - Private by default
- [x] Module re-exports
- `export { a, b }` - Export existing items
- `export { a as x }` - Export with alias
- `export { a, b } from "path"` - Re-export from module
- [x] Environment visibility tracking (is_exported, exported_vars)
- [x] Import respects visibility (only exported items importable)
- [x] Module visibility tests (10 tests, 100% pass)
#### Package Management (Completed)
- [x] `import` statement with multiple syntax forms:
- `import "path/to/module.ae"` - Import all exports
- `import "path" as name` - Import as namespaced record
- `import { a, b } from "path"` - Selective imports
- `import { a as x } from "path"` - Aliased imports
- `import "pkg:name@version"` - Package registry imports
- [x] Package manifest (aether.toml) support
- [x] Module cache with cycle detection
- [x] Package registry client (packages.nervosys.ai)
- [x] Import path resolution (relative, absolute, search paths)
- [x] Semver version management
- [x] Package builtins: pkg_list(), pkg_info(), pkg_cache_dir(), pkg_init()
#### VS Code Extension v0.2.0 (Completed)
- [x] Document Symbol Provider (outline view)
- [x] Folding Range Provider (code folding)
- [x] Hover Provider with 70+ builtin docs
- [x] Markdown preview syntax highlighting
- [x] Published as admercs.aethershell v0.2.0
#### WASM Support (Completed)
- [x] Feature flags for platform-specific code (native/web)
- [x] Core modules (ast, env, parser, value, types) shared across builds
- [x] Native-only modules gated with `#[cfg(feature = "native")]`
- [x] wasm-bindgen bindings with full evaluator
- [x] Browser-based REPL (web/index.html)
- [x] 40+ builtins ported to WASM (map, where, reduce, etc.)
- [x] Pattern matching support in WASM
- [x] Pipeline evaluation in WASM
---
## 📅 Planned Features
### Q3 2026
#### IDE Integration ✅
- [x] VS Code extension v0.2.0 with Document Symbols, Folding, Hover
- [x] Language Server Protocol (LSP) - aethershell-lsp crate with tower-lsp
- [x] IntelliSense support - completion, hover, go-to-definition
- [x] Inline documentation - 70+ builtins with examples
#### Distributed Computing ✅
- [x] Remote agent execution (remote_exec, exec_remote)
- [x] Cluster management (cluster_create, cluster_add_node, cluster_remove_node, cluster_status, cluster_nodes)
- [x] Job scheduling (job_submit, job_status, job_cancel, job_list)
- [x] Result aggregation (aggregate_results with sum/count/concat/first/last strategies)
### Q4 2026
#### Enterprise Features ✅
- [x] RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) - role_create, role_delete, role_grant, role_revoke, user_roles, check_permission, roles_list
- [x] Audit logging - audit_log, audit_query, audit_export, audit_stats
- [x] SSO integration - sso_init, sso_auth, sso_validate, sso_logout, sso_status
- [x] Compliance reporting - compliance_check, compliance_report
#### Advanced AI ✅
- [x] Custom model fine-tuning - finetune_start, finetune_status, finetune_list, finetune_cancel
- [x] RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) - rag_index, rag_search, rag_query, rag_clear
- [x] Knowledge graphs - kg_add, kg_relate, kg_query, kg_entities, kg_relations
- [x] Semantic caching - semantic_cache, semantic_cache_get, semantic_cache_clear
---
## 🎯 Version Milestones
### v0.1.x (Previous)
- Core language features
- Basic AI integration
- TUI interface
- 215+ builtins
### v0.2.0 (Current) ✅
- Plugin system
- Performance improvements
- Enhanced error messages
- Distributed computing builtins
- Advanced AI (RAG, Knowledge Graphs, Semantic Caching)
- All tests passing with CI stability
### v0.3.0 (Planned)
- WASM support
- Package management
- Module system
- **Platform Integration** (see [docs/INTEGRATION_PLAN.md](docs/INTEGRATION_PLAN.md))
- OS integration (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Browser extension (Chrome, Firefox)
- Python SDK with LangChain integration
- MCP server for AI app integration
### v1.0.0 (Future)
- Production-ready stability
- Full documentation
- Enterprise features ✅
- Long-term support
---
## 🔌 Platform Integration
See [docs/INTEGRATION_PLAN.md](docs/INTEGRATION_PLAN.md) for the comprehensive integration roadmap.
### Completed
- [x] WebAssembly foundation (web/src/lib.rs)
- [x] Browser playground (web/index.html)
- [x] A2UI protocol for agent-to-user communication
- [x] MCP protocol implementation
### Q1 2026 (In Progress)
- [ ] Enhanced WASM bindings with JSON serialization
- [ ] npm package (@nervosys/aethershell)
- [ ] Python SDK with PyPI distribution
- [ ] LangChain tool integration
- [ ] MCP server mode
### Q2 2026
- [ ] Browser extension (Chrome/Firefox)
- [ ] Windows Terminal integration
- [ ] macOS Homebrew formula
- [ ] Linux packages (.deb, .rpm)
- [ ] VS Code Web extension
### Q3-Q4 2026
- [ ] System AI assistant
- [ ] JupyterLab extension
- [ ] Cloud platform
---
## 🐛 Known Issues
### Parser Quirks
All major parser quirks have been resolved.
### To Fix
- [x] Parser: Allow pipeline assignments without parentheses ✅
- [x] Parser: Proper semicolon statement separation ✅
- [x] Parser: Newline-aware word-call parsing ✅
- [x] Parser: Support zero-parameter lambdas ✅
- [x] Builtins: Consistent call syntax (pipeline vs function) ✅
---
## 📈 Metrics
### Test Coverage
- **Rust Tests:** 180+ passing
- **AetherShell Tests:** 8 files, all passing
- **Pass Rate:** 100%
### Codebase
- **Language:** Rust
- **Lines of Code:** ~15,000+
- **Builtins:** 169+
- **Themes:** 38
### Community
- **GitHub Stars:** Growing
- **crates.io Downloads:** Tracking
- **Contributors:** Welcome!
---
## 🤝 Contributing
We welcome contributions! Priority areas:
1. **High Priority**
- Plugin system implementation
- WASM compilation support
- Additional builtins
2. **Medium Priority**
- Documentation improvements
- Test coverage expansion
- Performance optimization
3. **Good First Issues**
- New theme additions
- Builtin function enhancements
- Example scripts
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
---
## 📞 Contact
- **GitHub Issues:** [Report bugs or request features](https://github.com/nervosys/AetherShell/issues)
- **Discussions:** [Join the conversation](https://github.com/nervosys/AetherShell/discussions)
- **Website:** [nervosys.ai](https://nervosys.ai)
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<em>Building the future of shell interaction, one feature at a time.</em>
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