Sona

Sona is a simple programming language designed for software that can provide evidence of what it did.

Proof Mode records privacy-conscious execution evidence such as program identity, capabilities, observable effects, runtime identity, output identity, and execution result. Guardian provides local policy around what trusted automation is allowed to do and can bind that evidence to a reviewed project baseline.

Current release: 0.15.5

Why Sona?

Most programs give you a result. Sona can also give you a portable receipt that describes the exact Native Core program that ran, the capabilities it received, the host-facing effects Sona observed, and whether execution succeeded. The receipt omits source text, output bodies, raw paths, credentials, and environment values by default.

That makes Sona useful when a local automation, build step, calculation, or AI-assisted workflow needs a reviewable record instead of only a log line.

Why not just Python?

Python remains an excellent general-purpose language, and Sona includes a Python-hosted compatibility runtime for broad day-to-day use. Sona's distinct focus is an integrated language workflow for explicit capabilities, Native Core execution, Proof Mode receipts, and Guardian policy.

Proof Mode never silently claims that a Python-compatible run was Native. In schema 1, receipt-producing execution is Native-only, records no Python or fallback participation, and fails closed when Native Core is unavailable.

What is Proof Mode?

Run a supported .sona program with Native Core and a new receipt path:

sona proof hello.sona --receipt hello.sproof --engine native
sona proof verify hello.sproof
sona proof inspect hello.sproof

The receipt's deterministic self-hash supports integrity and consistency checking. It is not a digital signature, signer identity, trusted timestamp, hardware proof, or remote attestation. Guardian can add a local policy and baseline binding; it does not turn the receipt into authenticated evidence.

What can I build today?

• Small command-line programs, calculations, and file-processing automation.
• Guardian-controlled Native workflows with explicit filesystem capabilities.
• Local AI-assisted workflows where the model remains outside the verification chain and only instrumented Native actions become Proof Mode evidence.
• Python-compatible applications using the broader standard library, including HTTP, while keeping those runs distinct from Native Proof Mode.
• Editor workflows with diagnostics, completion, navigation, and a CLI-backed Proof Mode Explorer in the Sona VS Code extension.

Native HTTP remains unavailable, so Sona does not claim verified network effects for a successful HTTP operation in this release.

Try Sona quickly

Sona requires Python 3.11 or 3.12:

python -m pip install sona-lang
sona --version

Create and run a first program:

echo 'print("Hello, Sona!")' > hello.sona
sona run hello.sona

On Windows PowerShell:

'print("Hello, Sona!")' | Set-Content -Encoding ascii hello.sona
sona run .\hello.sona

For a tested ten-minute path through Native Core, receipt verification, Guardian policy, and an intentional capability denial, follow Get Started with Proof Mode.

Current capabilities

• A Python-hosted compatibility runtime and CLI for .sona programs.
• A stable first-run path for new developers.
• Clear user-facing diagnostics with actionable hints.
• A source-validated official example suite.
• A manifest-backed standard library with canonical filesystem, HTTP, JSON, date/time, random, stream, and input contracts.
• Explicit runtime capabilities for safe Python-compatible runs and Native Core filesystem/network access.
• Opt-in Proof Mode receipts that bind to a Guardian-tracked baseline and gain explicit local verification, audit attestation, and governed advisory AI review for release workflows.
• Cognitive accessibility references for supported developer workflows.
• Guardian runtime documentation for local resilience and release trust surfaces.

Install details

Sona requires Python 3.11 or 3.12.

Install the published Python package:

python -m pip install sona-lang

Confirm the install:

sona --version

Expected output shape:

Sona 0.15.5

Note: the source repository may be ahead of the latest published PyPI package. For the newest source release, install from a source checkout.

First Run

The README does not assume access to repository examples. Create a local file first, then run it.

Bash or macOS/Linux shell:

echo 'print("Hello, Sona!")' > hello.sona
sona hello.sona

Windows PowerShell:

'print("Hello, Sona!")' | Out-File -Encoding utf8 hello.sona
sona hello.sona

Expected output:

Hello, Sona!

CLI Basics

sona --help
sona run hello.sona
sona hello.sona

Both sona run <file.sona> and sona <file.sona> are supported for local files.

Documentation

• Get Started with Proof Mode
• Quickstart
• Language Reference
• Standard Library Reference
• Proof Mode Guide
• Guardian Guide
• Using Proof Mode and Guardian Together
• Platform Installation and Testing
• 0.15.5 Standard Library Catalog
• Accessibility Reference
• Guardian Reference
• Diagnostics Guide
• Package Manifest
• Native Independence Roadmap
• 0.15.5 Release Notes

Official Examples

Official examples are part of the source repository validation surface. They are not required to exist in installed Python packages.

From a source checkout:

python tools/run_examples.py
sona run examples/hello.sona

VS Code

Sona has VS Code ecosystem support through the Sona editor tooling and companion extensions.

• The main Sona VS Code extension provides syntax highlighting, command palette actions, and editor workflow support for .sona and .smod files.
• The Sona Receipt Explorer visualizes and compares Sona execution receipt files.

Repository Layout

sona/                         Core runtime, CLI, parser, and packaged stdlib
stdlib/                       Source .smod modules
docs/                         Current user-facing documentation
examples/                     Official source-checkout examples
tools/run_examples.py         Source-checkout example validator
.github/workflows/ci.yml      Continuous integration workflow
.github/workflows/release-platforms-0155.yml
                              Cross-platform release-candidate workflow
vscode-extension/             Main Sona VS Code extension
extensions/sona-receipt-explorer/
                              Receipt Explorer VS Code extension

Package Scope

The Python package is intentionally lean. Docs, examples, tests, extension sources, local reports, and build artifacts are source-repository materials and are excluded from release wheels and sdists.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Keep pull requests focused, document runtime-visible behavior, and do not commit local test files, temporary build output, or planning notes.

License

Sona is released under the MIT license. See LICENSE.