OpenVerb Standard Library

A starter set of verb definitions that every app should have — theme, navigation, search, modals, toasts, forms, and sessions. These are the common baseline. Your app defines its own verb libraries for domain-specific actions on top of these.

The verbs every app needs. Your app adds the rest.

What This Is

This is not a complete list of all possible verbs — OpenVerb is designed so developers create their own verb libraries for their own domains. This stdlib gives you the starter verbs that virtually every app needs, so an AI agent can immediately:

• Switch themes
• Navigate pages
• Search content
• Show notifications
• Open modals
• Fill and submit forms
• Check who's logged in

Verb Families

Level 0: Website UI Starter

| Family | Verbs | Purpose | | -------------- | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | ui.theme | get, set | Theme (light/dark/system) | | ui.nav | list_pages, go, back | Navigation & route discovery | | ui.search | query, open_result | On-site search | | ui.toast | show, dismiss | Notifications & feedback | | ui.modal | open, close, list | Modal dialogs | | ui.form | list, fill, submit, reset | Form interaction | | user.session | get, logout, get_preferences | User session & preferences |

7 starter families, 19 starter verbs. Your app adds its own verb libraries on top of these.

Future Levels

| Level | Name | Examples | | ----- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | 1 | App Operations Starter | CRUD, table filters, export, settings | | 2 | Domain Packs | GIS, Pantry, CAD, etc. |

Part of the OpenVerb Ecosystem

This is the standard library for the OpenVerb framework — an open, text-first standard for describing what actions an AI is allowed to perform inside an application.

| Package | Registry | Description | | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | | openverb | npm / PyPI | Core framework — load & validate verb libraries | | @openverb/stdlib | npm (this repo) | Standard verb definitions for common UI operations |

Quick Start

1. Install

# Install the core framework + standard library
npm install openverb @openverb/stdlib

Or with Python:

pip install openverb
# Then copy manifests/ from this repo into your project

2. Use the manifests

The JSON verb definitions live in manifests/:

manifests/
  ui.theme.json
  ui.nav.json
  ui.search.json
  ui.toast.json
  ui.modal.json
  ui.form.json
  user.session.json

3. Implement handlers

Use one of the reference implementations or write your own:

• Vanilla JS — reference/vanilla/verbs.js
• React — reference/react/useOpenVerb.ts
• Next.js — reference/nextjs/verbs.ts

4. Wire up your AI

When your AI receives a verb call, dispatch it to your handler:

const result = executeVerb("ui.nav.go", { routeId: "accounting" });
// → { success: true, path: "/accounting" }

5. Apply client-side effects

Verbs return data. Your client applies the effect:

• ui.nav.go → call router.push(path)
• ui.theme.set → update data-theme attribute
• ui.toast.show → render a toast component

Route Registry

For ui.nav.list_pages and ui.nav.go, maintain a route registry so the AI knows what pages exist:

{
  "id": "accounting",
  "title": "Accounting",
  "path": "/accounting",
  "tags": ["billing", "invoices", "payments"],
  "requiresAuth": true
}

The AI uses id to navigate — it never guesses URLs.

Example: The "Accounting Page" Flow

1. User: "I want to know about the accounting stuff"
2. AI calls ui.nav.list_pages
3. AI sees a route with tags matching "accounting"
4. AI: "There's an Accounting page. Do you want me to take you there?"
5. User: "Yes"
6. AI calls ui.nav.go({ routeId: "accounting" })
7. Client navigates to /accounting

Repo Layout

openverb-stdlib/
  docs/
    website-starter-verbs.md    Full verb specs + examples
    patterns-navigation.md      Navigation patterns & anti-patterns
  manifests/
    ui.theme.json               Theme verbs manifest
    ui.nav.json                 Navigation verbs manifest
    ui.search.json              Search verbs manifest
    ui.toast.json               Toast verbs manifest
    ui.modal.json               Modal verbs manifest
    ui.form.json                Form verbs manifest
    user.session.json           Session verbs manifest
  reference/
    vanilla/verbs.js            Plain JS implementation
    react/useOpenVerb.ts        React hook implementation
    nextjs/verbs.ts             Next.js App Router wrapper
    nextjs/routeRegistry.ts     Route registry helpers

Design Principles

• Framework-agnostic core: Manifests are JSON. Handlers are framework-specific.
• Deterministic: The AI uses registries (routes, modals, forms) — no guessing.
• Auditable: Every verb call has typed input/output. You can log, replay, and review.
• Safe by default: user.session.get never exposes tokens. user.session.logout requires confirmation.
• Composable: Verbs are small and independent. Combine them for complex flows.

Docs

• Website Starter Verbs — Full spec for all Level 0 verbs
• Navigation Patterns — Patterns, anti-patterns, and framework-specific guidance

Contributing

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

• Report a bug
• Request a feature
• Propose a new verb

License

MIT — use it however you want.