Pulse

A spec-first, AI-native web framework. Early access — v0.1.30.

Write a plain JavaScript object that describes what a page does. Pulse handles routing, SSR, hydration, client-side navigation, compression, security headers, and caching automatically.

export default {
  route: '/counter',
  hydrate: '/src/pages/counter.js',
  meta: {
    title: 'Counter',
    styles: ['/app.css'],
  },

  state: { count: 0 },

  constraints: {
    count: { min: 0, max: 10 },
  },

  view: (state) => `
    <main id="main-content">
      <p>${state.count}</p>
      <button data-event="decrement">−</button>
      <button data-event="increment">+</button>
    </main>
  `,

  mutations: {
    increment: (state) => ({ count: state.count + 1 }),
    decrement: (state) => ({ count: state.count - 1 }),
  },
}

Requirements

Node.js 22 or later.

Getting started

npm install -g @invisibleloop/pulse
mkdir my-project && cd my-project
pulse

Running pulse in an empty directory scaffolds a new project and starts an AI coding session. Your agent has MCP tools and slash commands available from the first prompt.

Full documentation: pulseframework.dev

Key ideas

The spec is the source of truth. Every page is a single JS object — data fetching, state, mutations, async actions, and view all in one place. No separate files for routes, controllers, or templates.

Performance is built in. Streaming SSR, immutable asset caching, and zero layout shift are automatic. Every scaffolded project targets Lighthouse 100 across all four categories.

No client-side dependencies. Pulse ships no runtime framework to the browser — only a small hydration bundle (~2 kB brotli) that binds your spec's mutations and actions to the DOM.

AI-native. The CLI starts an MCP server alongside the dev server, giving the coding agent tools to create pages, validate specs, and run Lighthouse audits — all without leaving the editor.

CLI

pulse              # scaffold a new project or start AI session
pulse dev          # dev server (default port 3000)
pulse build        # production build → public/dist/
pulse start        # production server

Docs

Full reference at pulseframework.dev:

• Getting started — install, scaffold, first page
• The spec — full reference for every property
• State, mutations, actions — client interactivity
• Server data — async data fetching before render
• Routing — dynamic routes and URL params
• Streaming SSR — shell + deferred segments
• Caching — per-page TTL and HTTP cache headers
• Guard — authentication and authorisation before data fetches
• Validation & constraints — declarative form validation and state bounds
• Raw responses — RSS feeds, sitemaps, JSON APIs
• Performance — how the framework hits Lighthouse 100
• UI components — 50+ built-in components

Status

This is an early-access release. The core architecture is stable and production-quality, but the API may evolve before v1. Feedback and issues welcome on GitHub.

License

MIT