Roselisp

0.0.1 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

Scheme-like Lisp interpreter and transpiler to JavaScript, self-hosted, also provides decompilation from JS to Lisp. Current version 0.0.1 (early development). Key differentiators: supports both interpretation and compilation to JavaScript, includes decompilation, self-hosted, MPL-2.0 licensed unlike many Lisp implementations. Useful for embedding Lisp in JS projects or learning compiler construction.

Common errors

error Error: Cannot find module 'roselisp' ↓

cause Package not installed or not in node_modules

fix

Run npm install roselisp in your project.

error TypeError: roselisp.interpret is not a function ↓

cause Using default import incorrectly; API uses named exports interpret/compile

fix

Use import { interpret } from 'roselisp' instead.

error SyntaxError: Unexpected token 'export' ↓

cause Using CommonJS require() with an ESM-only package

fix

Use import syntax or enable ESM in package.json: "type": "module".

Warnings

breaking ESM-only: package does not support CommonJS require() ↓

fix Use 'import' syntax instead of 'require()'.

deprecated Global install may require sudo on Unix systems ↓

fix Use `npm install -g roselisp` with appropriate permissions or use npx.

gotcha API may change drastically as version is 0.0.1 (unstable). ↓

fix Pin exact version or expect breaking changes.

gotcha Decompilation is imperfect; only works for JS that matches patterns emitted by compiler. ↓

fix Use decompile only on JS generated by roselisp's compiler.

gotcha Interpreted code runs in a sandboxed environment; no direct Node.js I/O access. ↓

fix Use JavaScript for I/O, pass data to Lisp via bindings.

Install

npm install roselisp

yarn add roselisp

pnpm add roselisp

Imports

default

wrong

const roselisp = require('roselisp')

correct

import roselisp from 'roselisp'

ESM only; package exports a default export.

interpret
```
import { interpret } from 'roselisp'
```
Named export for interpreting Lisp code; available as of v0.0.1.
compile
```
import { compile } from 'roselisp'
```
Named export for compiling Lisp to JavaScript.

Quickstart

Imports Roselisp, interprets a Lisp definition, compiles to JS, and decompiles JS back to Lisp using named exports.

import roselisp from 'roselisp';

const code = `(define (hello) (display "Hello from Roselisp!"))`;
const result = roselisp.interpret(code);
console.log(result); // outputs hello function definition

// Compile to JavaScript
const jsCode = roselisp.compile(code);
console.log(jsCode); // outputs JS representation

// Decompile JavaScript to Lisp (if structured)
const lispCode = roselisp.decompile('function hello() { console.log("Hello from Roselisp!"); }');
console.log(lispCode);