🎉 New in v0.2.3-alpha.1

Specification Released! PS-LANG v0.2 introduces powerful new syntax features:

• ✅ Privacy-first default - <. lazy close (no closing tag needed)
• ✅ Directional context - <-. (backward), <--. (further back), .-> (forward)
• ✅ Named zones - <.auth:description .> for selector-based chaining
• ✅ Auto-boundary detection - Parser intelligently closes zones
• ✅ Full v0.1 support - All v0.1 syntax continues to work

Read the spec:

• Full Specification
• Quick Reference
• v1 vs v2 Comparison
• Working Example

What is PS-LANG?

PS-LANG is an open source framework with zone-based syntax for controlling what AI agents see in multi-agent workflows. PS Journaling™ is what you create with it—your own journal instance for tracking AI collaborations. Think of PS-LANG as the pen, and PS Journaling™ as your digital journal.

Use zones to mark content as private, pass-through, or active workspace.

Designed to evolve with you:

• Override and extend the syntax for your needs
• Platform/agent/model agnostic approach
• Works with Claude, GPT, Cursor, Copilot, and custom agents
• Community-driven development

Perfect for:

• Multi-agent pipelines (Research → Writing → Review)
• Context engineering (control what each agent sees)
• Benchmarking (clean test environments)
• Privacy-first AI collaboration

Why Start Using PS-LANG Now

You don't even need to install it.

As someone who writes prompts daily (Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, etc.), PS-LANG just adds structure:

// Before: Unstructured prompt
// "Hey Claude, build auth. Don't show the next agent my messy notes about passwords."

// After: Structured with PS-LANG
<@. Build JWT authentication .@>
<. Private: passwords are hashed with bcrypt, 10 rounds .>
<#. Next agent: uses bcrypt for hashing, 15min token expiry .#>

Two ways to use it:

1. Write directly in prompts - Add <.> zones as you write
2. Use a preprocessor - Convert raw prompts to .psl files with PS-LANG context for benchmarking and RL workflows

What this gives you:

• Context control - Decide what each agent sees
• Cleaner handoffs - Next agent gets only what they need
• Better logs - Your work becomes structured, searchable
• Future-proof - Syntax works today, unlocks encryption later

No installation, no setup, no friction. Just write <.> in your next prompt.

When you're ready for CLI tools, themes, and templates → install below.

Use PS-LANG Right Now

Single Line (In Prompts)

Start using zones in your everyday prompts. Lazy closing works - you don't need to match tags:

<. Private note: trying a new approach >
<#. Context for next agent: using JWT auth >
<@. Current task: fix the login bug >
<?. Should we add 2FA? >
<.bm target: 50ms response time .bm>

# All of these are valid:
<. text .>    # Match closing
<. text .>    # Universal close
<. text >     # Lazy close (space + >)

Multiline (In Documents)

Use nested zones for complex workflows:

# Authentication System

<@. Active: Building JWT authentication
  <#. For next agent: This uses bcrypt for hashing .#>
  <. Private: Still unsure about refresh token strategy .>
  <.bm current_performance
    login: 45ms
    token_gen: 12ms
  .bm>
.@>

<#. API Endpoints:
- POST /login
- POST /refresh
- GET /user
.#>

Quick Start (Install CLI)

Ready for CLI tools, themes, and templates?

npx ps-lang@alpha init

This creates a .ps-lang/ folder in your project with:

• Configuration files
• PS-LANG syntax templates and examples
• Example zone-enriched commands (optional)
• Schema for validation

Commands:

npx ps-lang zones       # Show zone reference
npx ps-lang example     # Generate templates
npx ps-lang extract     # Visualize zones in files
npx ps-lang stats       # Project analytics
npx ps-lang theme list  # VS Code themes

Zone Syntax (Infinitely Extensible)

PS-LANG zones are patterns, not limits. Create any zone that makes sense for your workflow.

Recommended Zones (Get Started)

These 7 zones cover most use cases, but you can invent your own:

<. Current agent only note .>
<#. Pass-through info for next agent .#>
<@. Active workspace .@>
<~. AI-generated metadata .~>
<$. Business/monetization context .$>
<?. Question for later .?>
<.bm metric: value .bm>

Block Usage (Multiline)

<.
Current agent only:
- Note 1
- Note 2
.>

<#.
For next agent:
- Context item 1
- Context item 2
.#>

<@.
Active workspace:
- Current task
- Work in progress
.@>

<.bm performance
load_time: 45ms
memory: 128mb
.bm>

Recommended Zones Reference

| Zone | Syntax | Purpose | |------|--------|---------| | Current Agent Only | <. text .> | Only current agent sees | | Pass-Through | <#. text .#> | Documentation for next agent | | Active Workspace | <@. text .@> | Current agent's work area | | AI-Managed | <~. text .~> | AI-generated metadata | | Business/Monetization | <$. text .$> | Business strategy, pricing, revenue | | Questions | <?. text .?> | Open questions | | Benchmark | <.bm text .bm> | Metrics or references |

Invent Your Own

The pattern: <symbol. content .symbol>

Examples discovered by users:

<-. review this later .->
<:note note content :note>
<:blog blog idea :blog>
<abc. custom zone abc.>
</!. urgent flag !.>

You define the meaning. PS-LANG is a convention you control.

Flexible Closing Syntax

You don't need to match closing tags exactly. These all work:

<. private note .>          # Traditional: symmetrical
<. private note .>          # Universal close: just .>
<. private note >           # Minimal: just >
<#. context .#>             # Symmetrical: <#. mirrors to .#>
<#. context .>              # Universal close
<#. context >               # Minimal close

Rule: As long as there's a space before the closing >, PS-LANG recognizes it.

Why? Flexibility. Write what feels natural. The opening tag defines the zone type.

Full reference: .ps-lang/examples/basic-zones.md

Real-World Example

<@. Active: Building user authentication .@>

## Authentication Flow

<#.
Next agent needs this context:
- Using JWT tokens
- 15-minute expiry
- Refresh token pattern
.#>

<.
Current agent only: Consider adding 2FA later
Other agents won't see this note
.>

<.bm auth-performance
Login time: 45ms
Token generation: 12ms
.bm>

Project Structure

After npx ps-lang init:

your-project/
├── .ps-lang/
│   ├── config/
│   │   ├── ps-lang.config.json      # Settings
│   │   └── claude-commands.json     # Custom commands
│   ├── templates/
│   │   ├── journal-template.psl
│   │   └── log-template.psl
│   ├── schemas/
│   │   └── psl-schema.json
│   ├── examples/
│   │   └── basic-zones.md           # Quick reference
│   └── README.md
└── .gitignore                        # Updated automatically

Commands

# Initialize in your project
npx ps-lang init

# Show zone syntax quick reference
npx ps-lang zones

# Generate example files
npx ps-lang example handoff     # Agent handoff document
npx ps-lang example benchmark   # Performance benchmarks
npx ps-lang example journal     # Daily journal entry
npx ps-lang example component   # React component with zones

# Extract zones from files (see what agents would see)
npx ps-lang extract README.md

# Show project zone statistics
npx ps-lang stats

# Manage VS Code themes
npx ps-lang theme list                # List available themes
npx ps-lang theme set journal         # Apply Journal theme (default)
npx ps-lang theme set dark-agent      # Apply Dark Agent theme
npx ps-lang theme set minimal-light   # Apply Minimal Light theme
npx ps-lang theme set zone-focused    # Apply Zone Focused theme
npx ps-lang theme set disable         # Remove theme customizations

# Validate syntax (basic)
npx ps-lang check

# Show help
npx ps-lang help

# Show version
npx ps-lang version

VS Code Themes

PS-LANG includes 4 custom VS Code themes optimized for journaling and multi-agent development:

Available Themes

1. PS-LANG Journal (default) - Warm, paper-like theme perfect for journaling and documentation
2. PS-LANG Dark Agent - Dark theme optimized for multi-agent development workflows
3. PS-LANG Minimal Light - Clean, minimal light theme for focused work
4. PS-LANG Zone Focused - High contrast theme with zone-aware color coding

Using Themes

During npx ps-lang init, you'll be prompted to choose a theme. Or manage themes anytime:

# List all themes
npx ps-lang theme list

# Apply a theme
npx ps-lang theme set journal

# Disable PS-LANG themes
npx ps-lang theme set disable

Note: Themes are applied to your .vscode/settings.json and can be overridden or removed anytime. They don't affect other projects.

Installation Options

One-time use (recommended for testing):

npx ps-lang init

Global installation:

npm install -g ps-lang@alpha
ps-lang init

Add to project:

npm install ps-lang@alpha

Alpha Testing Goals

We need your help testing:

1. Zone Syntax

   • Is the syntax clear and intuitive?
   • Are 7 zones enough?
   • Any parsing issues?

2. .ps-lang Folder Structure

   • Is it intuitive?
   • Are files in the right places?
   • What's missing?

3. Zone Syntax

   • Are 7 zones enough?
   • Is <.bm> dual-purpose confusing?
   • Syntax improvements?

4. Real-World Usage

   • Does it solve your problems?
   • Performance impact?
   • Integration friction?

Feedback

We want to hear from you!

• Issues: https://github.com/vummo/ps-lang/issues
• Email: [email protected]
• Discord: Coming soon
• Docs: https://ps-lang.dev

What to report:

• ✅ What works well
• ❌ What's confusing
• 💡 Feature ideas
• 🐛 Bugs
• 📊 Performance data

FAQ

Q: Does this slow down my workflow?

No! Add zones only where context control matters. Most files don't need any zones.

Q: What if I use a different AI tool?

PS-LANG works with any AI tool. The syntax is platform-agnostic.

Q: Can I use this in production?

It's alpha software. Use in side projects first, production when stable.

Q: How do I uninstall?

rm -rf .ps-lang
# Remove from .gitignore if desired

Roadmap

Alpha - Basic zone syntax, CLI tools, themes

Beta - .psl file format, secrets management

v1.0 - Parser library, multi-agent framework integration, ChatGPT support

Privacy & Data Retention (Alpha)

PS-LANG offers three data retention tiers that give users full control:

• 🔒 Privacy First (Default): 30 days, no AI training
• ⚖️ Standard: 2 years, anonymized insights only
• 🚀 Research Contributor: 5 years, full AI training with benefits

Current Alpha Status:

• ✅ User tier selection UI (live in v0.2.3)
• ✅ Preference storage and management
• 🚧 Automated enforcement coming in Beta

See Privacy Roadmap for full implementation status and timeline.

Your Privacy Rights:

• Choose your retention tier in Account Settings
• Export your data anytime
• Request deletion: [email protected]
• Read our Privacy Policy

Contributing

We welcome contributions across all areas:

• Syntax & Zones: New zone proposals, syntax improvements
• Privacy Infrastructure: Help build automated enforcement (see roadmap)
• Documentation: Real-world use cases, tutorials, examples
• Testing: GDPR/CCPA compliance verification

Get Involved:

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/ps-lang/ps-lang/issues
• Discussions: https://github.com/ps-lang/ps-lang/discussions
• Email: [email protected]

License

MIT - See LICENSE

PS-LANG™ v0.2.3-alpha.1 · PS-LANG is a trademark of Vummo Labs